Panthers divide games; Kuper hurt

     Monticello came into West Liberty’s gym Dec. 4 for a River Valley Conference girls basketball game and rolled up a 19-point lead late in the first half.

     Then it happened – junior Jordan Kuper, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, went down with an ankle injury. Kuper left the game for good with 1:15 left in the first half, having already chalked up a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

     The rest of the Panthers responded the way head coach Donnie Kremer hoped they might – they extended the lead. Monticello finished with a 64-40 win over West Liberty.

     “It is tough to lose a dominant inside player, but we are a team, and we adjusted well in the second half against them,” Kremer said. “I thought Maddie (Fellinger) stepped up and played one of her best games.”

     Kuper’s return, the coach said, “is up in the air right now. I would be very surprised if she plays until after Christmas. But you never know; we will see how her recovery goes.”

     Monticello (4-2, 4-2) recovered well that night. Sydney Hansen and Fellinger each finished with 11 points, Carly Hayen came off the bench to score seven, while Aspen Gillmore and Tori McDonald had six apiece. McDonald also had five rebounds and five assists.

     Fellinger had eight steals and two blocks. Kuper, prior to the injury, had three blocks.

     The Panthers returned to their home gym Friday night, Dec. 7, to face a strong Wilton team, and Monticello lost 48-32. One key was a strong start for the Beavers, who took a 27-12 lead into halftime. The Panthers shot just 24 percent from the field for the game (12-for-50).

     “Wilton shot very well from the field (19-for-37, or 51 percent),” Kremer said. “They made the most of their opportunities when it counted.

     “We did not help ourselves by missing 25 layup opportunities and turning the ball over. I thought we played very hard and pretty solid on defense for a majority of the game.”

     Two Wilton players – Emily Lange (21 points) and Kortney Drake (14) did most of the damage.

     Monticello was on nearly equal footing with Wilton in the second half, with Wilton holding a 21-20 scoring edge for the final two quarters.

     The Panthers had very balanced scoring, with seven players getting anywhere from three to six points. Gabrielle Guilford had six points, Rebekah Prull, McDonald and Hayen had five apiece, Karli Recker and Hansen with four each, and Gabrielle Steiner with three.

     Hayen led the team in rebounding with seven, and Steiner had five. McDonald and Fellinger each had four steals.

Dec. 4

Monti  21 14 11 18 – 64

W.Lib.   8     9 12 11 – 40

     MONTICELLO (64) – Tori McDonald 3-9 0-0 6, Maddie Fellinger 4-9 0-0 11, Sydney Hansen 5-10 1-3 11, Aspen Gillmore 2-10 2-2 6, Jordan Kuper 7-11 0-0 14, Carly Hayen 2-8 3-6 7, Gabrielle Steiner 2-3 1-1 5, Gabrielle Guilford 2-4 0-0 4, Emily Schlarmann 0-1 0-2 0, Rebekah Prull 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-67 7-14 64.

     WEST LIBERTY (40) – Macy Daufeldt 4-7 1-1 10, Austyn Crees 1-3 0-2 2, Isabel Morrison 0-1 0-0 0, Sailor Hall 3-7 0-1 7, Janey Gingerich 4-11 0-0 9, Macy Akers 4-12 3-4 12, Haylee Lehman 0-6 0-0 0, Lindsey Laughlin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-47 4-8 40.

     Three-pointers: Fellinger 3; Daufeldt, Hall, Gingerich, Akers.

     Rebounds: West Liberty 34, Monticello 33 (Kuper 12, McDonald 5).

     Total fouls: West Liberty 18, Monticello 11.

Dec. 7

Wilton  15 12   8 13 – 48

Monti      9    3   8 12 – 32

     WILTON (48) – Linsey Ford 3-5 0-0 7, Kortney Drake 5-7 3-4 14, Emily Lange 8-14 2-2 21, Aubrey Putman 2-6 0-0 4, Kelsey Drake 1-2 0-0 2, Peyton Souhrada 0-3 0-0 0, Chloe Wells 0-0 0-0 0, Ella Caffrey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-37 5-6 48.

     MONTICELLO (32) – Tori McDonald 2-8 1-2 5, Maddie Fellinger 0-9 0-0 0, Sydney Hansen 2-6 0-0 4, Aspen Gillmore 0-0 0-0 0, Carly Hayen 1-10 3-6 5, Gabrielle Guilford 3-5 0-0 6, Rebekah Prull 2-4 1-2 5, Karli Recker 1-2 1-2 4, Gabrielle Steiner 1-6 1-2 3, Emily Schlarmann 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-50 7-14 32.

     Three-pointers: Lange 3, Ford, Drake; Recker.

     Rebounds: Wilton 26, Monticello 26 (Hayen 7, Steiner 5).

     Total fouls: Wilton 12, Monticello 10.