Cubs secure home wins over Eagles, Silverstreaks  

An 8-0 Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles put the Cubs girls’ basketball team in an 8-3 deficit five minutes into the game. The Cubs would never trail again, scoring the next 16 points to take a 19-8 lead with 6:26 remaining the first half.

Sparked by this run – one that saw five different players score – the Cubs went on to earn the 52-37 Central Minnesota Conference home win.

“We knew coming in this would be a tough game against a rival opponent, and I thought we did well moving the ball offensively finding the open player,” Cubs head coach Jeremy Kuechle said via email. “Their defense was tough, and it was hard to get quality looks inside, but we shot well enough from the perimeter to find enough offense to come out on top.” 

Holding that 19-8 edge, the Cubs would get two more three-pointers from Lily VonWahlde to go into halftime leading 25-13.

After the Cubs built its lead to 30-16 in the second half, the Eagles responded with seven straight points to cut that lead in half, at 30-23. 

Cubs’ freshman Lexi Schindele halted this Eagles run with steal and layup. This sparked a 10-2 run that gave the Cubs a 40-25 lead with under 10 minutes left in the game.

Later the Cubs made what coach Kuechle called a hustle play by Schindele. She saved a ball headed out of bounds, getting it to Isabelle Schmitz, who kicked the ball out to Hope Kuechle for a three-pointer. Holly Truenow then followed with a skip pass to Schmitz for another three-pointer, giving the Cubs a 46-30 edge with 6:39 remaining. 

Kuechle played an outstanding game at the point guard position, according to her head coach. She led the Cubs in scoring with 15 points.  

Schmitz scored 12 points on four of seven shooting from three-point range, and also grabbed seven rebounds and four steals. Sami Winter led the team in rebounds with 12, along with scoring four points. VonWahlde chipped in nine points, all made on three-pointers, to also pace the Cubs.

With the win, the Cubs improved to 7-3 overall and 3-1 in the Central Minnesota Conference.

Osakis

Trailing the Osakis Silverstreaks 13-8, the Cubs used another long first-half run to take control of the game. This time, the Cubs used a 16-0 spurt, capped by a Hope Kuechle three-pointer, to take a 24-13 lead.

The Cubs never trailed again in a 54-40 home win on Jan. 10.

“This was a great way to cap off our week winning our 5th game in a row as we keep working on improving our defense and finding the open player on offense,” coach Kuechle said via email, “taking what the defense gives us.”

Leading 31-18 at halftime, the Cubs allowed the Silverstreaks to cut into the lead on a couple of occasions, including 35-27 and 41-34. Each time, the Cubs had an answer.

Holding that 41-34 lead, the Cubs responded with a 7-2 run. After the Silverstreaks’ defense didn’t pick up Kuechle in transition, she pulled up for a three-pointer, capping the run and giving the Cubs a 48-36 lead with five minutes remaining.

As a team, the Cubs had a strong game on the glass, out rebounding the Silverstreaks by a 35-20 margin. The team also shot well inside the three-point line, finishing 59.3% (16 of 27) on two-point shots.

Speaking of two-point shots, Mazie Jurek led the Cubs with a double-double performance of 16 points and 10 rebounds, shooting a perfect seven of seven on two-pointers. Kuechle also hit double figures with 12 points, along with six steals and four assists, providing, according to coach Kuechle, “solid” point guard play. 

VonWahlde recorded eight points and five rebounds, and Sami Winter seven points and eight rebounds to also pace the Cubs.

With the win, the Cubs improved to 8-3 overall.

“It was a quality win over a section 6AA opponent who was a few spots ahead of us in the section standings,” coach Kuechle said via email, “which is something we can hopefully keep building on.”

Next action

After hosting Annandale Jan. 14, the Cubs host Holdingford Thursday, Jan. 16, and end the week with a road game at Maple Lake Friday, Jan. 17. The following week, the team returns home to host BBE on Tuesday, Jan. 21.