Takeaways from Dallas Center-Grimes girls basketball's win over Indianola
INDIANOLA — Dallas Center-Grimes girls basketball jumped out to an early lead, and the Mustangs never let up in their 42-36 win over Indianola on Friday.
The Mustangs started to separate themselves in the opening frame and never relinquished the lead once they took it. Indianola tried to keep things close, but DCG (16-3) held an 11-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second, the Mustangs scored a series of consecutive baskets to keep their distance from Indianola (9-10). Dallas Center-Grimes was up 22-15 at halftime.
They didn’t back down to start the second half, holding Indianola scoreless for nearly half of the third quarter. The home team outscored the visitors in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to get past the Mustangs.
Experience wins over for Dallas Center-Grimes
This is a Mustangs squad that knows how to win games, and most of that comes from how long this group has played together. The Mustangs’ starting lineup is made up of three juniors and two seniors and they made a deep run in the postseason last year.
That experience allowed them to pull out a win over Indianola, even though the Mustangs struggled to get their shots to fall. Dallas Center-Grimes missed some easy scores and took several sloppy shots but were never challenged offensively by Indianola outside of the game’s opening minutes.
The Mustangs stepped it up on defense in the second half to separate themselves from the home squad and secure the win. DCG will need more than what it showed Friday to make another run in the postseason. But if the Mustangs get hot, they've already proven they can be a contender.
Glimpses of goodness from Indianola
Indianola kept this game closer than what the final score showed. The home team was down by 4 at the end of the first quarter and by just 7 at the end of the first half, but those margins were the result of runs that DCG managed to put together.
At times, Indianola was stifling on defense and the group was a force pulling down rebounds. It was Indianola’s inability to take care of the ball consistently that led to a loss. They kept giving DCG chances and with their experienced lineup, it was only a matter of time before Indianola paid the price.
It’s also easy to wonder if the result could’ve been different had the home team had more depth. The whole game Indianola used just nine players in its rotation.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Dallas Center-Grimes girls basketball beats Indianola, 42-36
