Cub girls fall just short to Huskers and Lady Dutchmen

Holdingford

The Kimball Cubs and Holding-ford Huskers girls’ basketball teams traded runs throughout their Feb. 18 contest. With four minutes left, the Cubs made a final run, trailing 43-35.

Lexi Schindele hit an open three-pointer, and Sami Winter and Mazie Jurek hit back-to-back baskets as part of a 7-0 Cubs run that cut the deficit to one, at 43-42, with 25 seconds remaining.

The Cubs had to intentionally foul, and the Huskers made both free-throws, giving the team a final shot, down three. The Cubs’ three-point attempt fell short, and so too did their rally in a 45-42 road loss on Feb. 18: a battle for third place in the Central Minnesota Conference standings. 

“We really kept fighting back all night, multiple times,” Cubs’ head coach Jeremy Kuechle said via email, “but we just couldn’t make that run to take over the game when we needed to.”

The Cubs jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but the Huskers rallied back with a 20-9 run to take a 20-14 lead. Countering, the Cubs ended the half on a 7-2 spurt, capped by a pair of two-point baskets – one by Winter and the other by Isabelle Schmitz – to go into the half down 22-21.

In the second half, the teams traded early runs, one by the Huskers and then one by the Cubs, resulting in a 26-26 tie. The Huskers answered with an 11-2 run, putting the Cubs in a 37-28 deficit with 12:15 remaining.

Responding again, the Cubs went on a 7-2 spurt. Hope Kuechle sparked the run with a three-pointer, and Winter capped it by scoring on an out-of-bounds play set up by what coach Kuechle referred to as a “great” screen by Schindele, cutting the deficit to four, at 39-35 with 7:25 left.

The Huskers scored the next four points to take that 43-35 lead, setting the stage for the Cubs’ late-game rally.

The teams shot at similar percentages from the floor – the Cubs 35%, compared to the Huskers 34% – but the Cubs -struggled from the free-throw line. For the game, the Cubs finished 6 for 17 (35%) from the charity stripe, compared to 9 of 10 (90%) for the Huskers.

Leading the Cubs, Jurek posted a double-double performance with 12 points and 15 rebounds, along with a team-high four blocks. Kuechle posted nine points and team-highs in assists (six) and steals (four), and Winter finished with nine points to also pace the Cubs.

Melrose

The Cubs honored their five seniors, individuals playing in the final home game of their careers, including Sami Winter, Holly Truenow, Lily VonWahlde, Isabelle Schmitz, and Jordyn Theis, as the team hosted the Melrose Lady Dutchmen.

“These seniors have been a huge part of the team’s success this season,” coach Kuechle said via email, “while bringing a competitive spirit, work ethic, and positive attitude every day!”

The Cubs couldn’t cap this night of honor with a win. Falling behind 13-0 early, the Cubs battled back to within two points, then trailed by five with under two minutes left. Having some chances late, the team was unable to convert on them in a 56-52 section home loss on Thursday, Feb. 20, capping the team’s regular season.

“I love this team. It’s hard to see our players lose a close tough game like this when I know how much they wanted it,” coach Kuechle said via email. “Hats off to Melrose for coming to our house and out-shooting us on our home court. Now we must keep our heads up, hit reset, and get ready for playoffs next week as the second season starts.”

For the game, the Lady Dutch-men out-shot the home team. The Cubs shot 31% on two-pointers, 27% on three-pointers, and 45% on free-throws, all below the team’s season averages. Meanwhile, the
Lady Dutchmen shot 40% on two-pointers, 45% on three–pointers, and 60% on free-throws. 

Struggling to get a shot to fall early, the Cubs fell into that 13-0 hole before the Lady Dutchmen pushed the lead to 18-3 10 minutes into the first half. The Cubs trailed 28-14 at halftime.

In the second half, the Cubs chipped away at the deficit. The team opened the half on a 15-8 spurt, capped by a Sami Winter steal and pass to Hope Kuechle for a layup, cutting the deficit to seven, at 36-29, with 11:37 left. Later, a Kuechle three-pointer cut the deficit to two, at 38-36, with 9:23 remaining.

When Mazie Jurek found a defensive wall inside, she did well to kick the ball out, coach Kuechle said, including on that Kuechle three-pointer. Jurek finished with five assists – four to Kuechle – taking what the defense was giving her, according to coach Kuechle.

Speaking of Kuechle, she posted a strong game from beyond the arc, finishing six of nine on three-point attempts. She led the Cubs with 20 points, and also posted seven assists and three steals.

After the Cubs drew within two, Melrose used a 14-7 run to push the Cubs into a 52-43 deficit with six minutes left.

The Cubs battled back again. Isabelle Schmitz knocked down a three-pointer to draw the Cubs to within five, at 54-49, with 1:44 remaining, but the team couldn’t complete the rally.

Besides Kuechle, Jurek also led the Cubs with another double-double performance of 14 points and 13 rebounds, along with those five assists and three steals. Lexi Schindele grabbed nine rebounds to also pace the Cubs. 

With the loss, the team finished the regular season with a 15-11 record and posted an 8-6 finish in the Central Minnesota Conference.

Next action

The team shifts its focus to the Section 6AA Girls’ Basketball Tournament. Earning the 11th-seed, the Cubs will open on the road versus sixth-seeded Spectrum on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. All ticket sales are to be done online at www.vancoevents.com/us/CZAL. With a win, the Cubs advanced to the section quarterfinals at the College of St. Benedict on Saturday, March 1. With a win in this game, the Cubs advanced to the section semifinals also at the College of St. Benedict on Tuesday, March 4.