Hope Kuechle drove, pulled up, and connected on another -basket, cutting the Cubs girls’ basketball team’s deficit versus the Annandale Cardinals to three, at 36-39 with 1:06 remaining.
Needing a defensive stop on the ensuing possession, the Cubs would get it, but an awkward rebound, as Cubs head coach Jeremy Kuechle described it, led to the Cardinals scoring a putback basket. Kuechle drove in and scored to cut the lead back to three, but the Cubs would get no closer and fell 41-38 at home on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Both teams came into this game with winning records. The Cubs had an 8-3 mark and the Cardinals 10-3. Coach Kuechle was pleased with his team’s “great” defensive effort in this game, holding the Cardinals to a season-low 41 points.
“This was a tough one to lose, but I am extremely proud of our defensive effort, our rebounding, and our heart tonight,” Coach Kuechle said via email. “A couple more bounces our way in the second half and things could have ended differently. I have to give credit to Annandale as they are a tough opponent, and it was fun to take them to the wire.”
The Cubs took the first lead in this game. Isabelle Schmitz and Lily VonWahlde each dropped in three-pointers, and Sami Winter scored in transition off a “nice” assist by Schmitz, according to Coach Kuechle. The Cubs led 8-6 at that time.
Later, two VonWahlde three-pointers pushed the Cubs lead to seven, at 19-12, with three minutes remaining in the half. The Cubs went into halftime leading 25-17.
Leading 27-22 with 11:49 left, the Cubs’ offense went cold, and the Annandale offense “found a little life,” according to Coach Kuechle. It resulted in a 12-0 Cardinals run, putting the Cubs in a 34-27 deficit with eight -minutes left.
The Cubs closed to within three on a few occasions, but would get no closer.
After sinking six three-pointers in the first half, the Cubs went 0-for-10 on three-pointers in the second half, scoring 13 points in that half.
Kuechle led the Cubs with 11 points. Mazie Jurek nearly recorded a double-double performance with 10 rebounds and nine points. VonWahlde posted nine points and Winter 10 rebounds to also pace the Cubs.