Cardinal girls struggle to score in losses to Oskaloosa, Knoxville
Feb. 5—OSKALOOSA — The Newton girls' basketball team turned the ball over too much in the first quarter against Oskaloosa on Friday night.
And the Cardinals simply struggled to score in the final frame during a 43-35 road loss to the Indians during Little Hawkeye Conference play.
"This was a game we could have won," Newton head girls basketball coach Eric Vander Velden said. "We need to learn how to win, be confident and believe in each other."
The Cardinals led by two points after three quarters but scored only four in the fourth during the loss.
Sophia Reynolds led the Cardinals (3-15 overall, 1-11 in the LHC) with 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Cadie Horn added 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three blocks and Alex Garvis tallied four points and nine boards.
Alex Riney grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists, Hailey Dickerson pulled down three boards and Emily Wermager and Audrey Rausch both plucked two rebounds.
The Cardinals shot 27.5 percent from the floor and were 0-of-9 from 3-point range. Newton turned the ball over 15 times and was 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Newton trailed 14-4 in the first. The visitors had 11 of its 14 turnovers in the first half and were outscored by 10 in the fourth.
"We did a great job defensively," Vander Velden said. "We just struggled to score in the fourth. We took care of the ball better in the second half but didn't execute our offense."
Presley Blommers led Oskaloosa (9-10, 5-7) with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists and Dasia Foster chipped in seven points and 12 boards.
The Indians were 4-of-20 from 3 and shot 26 percent from the floor overall. They made 7-of-10 from the foul line and committed 11 turnovers.
Knoxville 46, Newton 31
DES MOINES — The first quarter did the Cardinals in on Saturday during a non-conference game against Knoxville.
Newton trailed 17-3 after one and never recovered in a 46-31 game that was played at Wells Fargo Arena.
"We had too many turnovers in the first quarter," Vander Velden said. "We didn't get after it on defense. There's no excuse. We have to be mentally ready to go. They simply outworked us."
Reynolds led the Cardinals with 12 points, six rebounds, five steals and three blocks and Horn grabbed five boards and blocked five shots.
Horn has 43 blocks this winter, which ranks second all-time for blocks in one season. She passed her older sister Ellie Horn, who blocked 42 shots in the 2016-17 season.
Rausch had three points and three rebounds, Garvis grabbed six boards, Emily Wermager collected four points and two boards and Evie Main and Tori White both made a 3 in the fourth. Main and Riney each pulled down two rebounds.
The Cardinals shot 24 percent from the floor, made 3-of-11 from 3 and turned the ball over 18 times. They were 8-of-10 from the foul line.
"We got good looks. They just didn't fall," Vander Velden said. "We didn't communicate very well in our 2-3 zone. That's what hurt us early in the game."
Knoxville (13-7) made three 3-pointers in the first and one in the fourth to grab the early advantage.
Brittany Bacorn led all scorers with 17 points and Emma Dunkin put in 11. The Panthers were 10-of-17 from the foul line.
