The lead changed hands several times in the second half between the Cubs and the Holdingford Huskers girls’ basketball teams. But, with the Cubs trailing 41-42, the lead would change hands just one more time.
The Cubs would break a Huskers press and senior Isabelle Schmitz sunk a three-pointer to cap an 11-0 run and give the Cubs a 52-42 lead with 4:04 left in the game. The Huskers closed to within two points with 36 seconds left but, with the Huskers forced to foul, Hope Kuechle sealed the game with a pair of free throws to help the Cubs secure the 56-52 home win on Thursday, Jan. 16.
This win came against a Huskers team just ahead of the Cubs in the 6AA standings.
“I told the girls after the game that this is a signature win for them, and they should be proud,” Cubs’ head coach Jeremy Kuechle said via email. “They have been playing better and better, and to beat a top-tier team like we did tonight with an outstanding team effort is what makes this game so much fun.”
Late in the first half, the Cubs did create some separation after senior Lily VonWahlde drained two three-pointers within a minute span, giving the Cubs a 32-23 lead with 3:08 left in the first half. The Huskers ended the half on a 10-0 run, putting the Cubs in a 32-33 halftime deficit.
Notably, in that first half, freshman Lexi Schindele provided the Cubs with a spark off the bench, scoring two straight buckets. After missing a few days due to illness, she showed “no signs of weakness,” said coach Kuechle, scoring 10 points on a perfect five-of-five shooting from the floor in limited minutes.
Besides Schindele, Sami Winter led the Cubs with 13 points, playing well inside and strongly posting up, said coach Kuechle. Hope Kuechle nearly recorded a -double-double with 11 points and eight assists. Guarded by one of the best posts in the conference, according to coach Kuechle, Mazie Jurek did well kicking the ball out when she had to, posting a balanced effort of six points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Isabelle Schmitz also chipped in seven points and six rebounds to pace the Cubs.
Maple Lake
The game between the Cubs and the Maple Lake Irish started cold: neither team scoring a basket until the Irish hit a three-pointer with 11:48 remaining in the first half. Mazie Jurek finally broke the scoreless drought for the Cubs on a made basket with 8:40 left in that opening half.
This basket proved to spark the Cubs. Lexi Schindele then scored inside, and Sami Winter successfully completed an “and one” opportunity, giving the Cubs a 7-4. Later, the Cubs pushed its lead to 15-8, and Holly Truenow drained a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Cubs an 18-10 halftime edge. The team never looked back and pulled away in the second half for the 53-24 road win on Friday,
Jan. 17.
“It took us a while to get going tonight, but we had to keep working and keep our heads up until we finally were able to get something going offensively,” coach Kuechle said via email. “We seemed a little tired after back-to-back games, but overall we responded well when we needed to and came away with a really nice second half.”
In that second half, the Cubs got the ball inside to Jurek. She scored the first six points of the half. Lily VonWahlde then sunk a couple of three-pointers, giving the Cubs a 32-12 lead with 10:21 left. The Cubs pushed its lead to 40-12 just over a couple of minutes later, as part of a 22-2 run to open the half.
Jurek led the Cubs with a game-high 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the floor, and also recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds. VonWahlde chipped in nine points, coming on three made three-pointers.
With the win, the team’s seventh in its last eight games, the Cubs improved to 10-4 overall and 5-1 in conference play.
Next action
After hosting Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa on Jan. 21, the girls hit the road to play Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted on Thursday, Jan. 23 and Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on Friday, Jan. 24. The following week, the girls remain on the road to play Milaca on Monday, Jan. 27.