Ashley Schindele shot her 1,000th point during the Jan. 3 Cubs home game against Paynesville
By Pat Garry, Staff Writer
The Cubs went “bucket nuts” against Paynesville last Thursday, Jan. 3, smothering the Bulldogs, 83-51. Playing again on Friday, Kimball hit the road and lost a tough battle to St. Cloud Cathedral, 59-44.
(Paynesville Game) Kimball’s Ashley Schindele, (who later in the game scored the 1,000th point of her illustrious career), connected on the first shot attempt of the contest, putting the Cubs up 3-0. They amassed a 42-26 halftime advantage and coasted to the finish line from there. Kimball shot 53 percent on 2-point field goals, 56 percent on treys, and 11 of 13 (84 percent) from the free-throw line. As a team, the Lady Cubs passed the ball well, generating 24 assists. Kimball Stats: Ashley Schindele, 21 points, 3 assists; Erin O’Brien, 18 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists; Rachel Utecht, 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists; Sidney Schreiner, 9 points, 3 assists; Cailyn Kuechle, 8 points, 4 assists; Bailee Schiefelbein, 6 points; Hailey Bue, 5 points; Madelyn Hunt, 4 points, 5 rebounds; Holly Berscheid, 2 points.
(St. Cloud Cathedral Game) Kimball traveled to Cathedral and senior Sidney Schreiner had the “hot hand” early, connecting on (3) 3-pointers in the first six minutes, boosting the Cubs to an 11-7 lead. It was a good battle right out of the chute, with the Crusaders holding a 26-22 advantage at the hiatus. In the second half, the Cubs trailed 39-37 with nine minutes to play, but Kimball could not get shots to fall-down the stretch run, and Cathedral comfortably cruised to the victory. Kimball shot 30 percent on 2-point field goals, 25 percent on 3-pointers, and 11 of 15 (73 percent) from the charity stripe. Kimball Stats: Ashley Schindele, 15 points; Erin O’Brien, 14 points, 10 rebounds; Sidney Schreiner, 9 points, 4 assists, 3 steals; Rachel Utecht, 4 points, 6 rebounds; Cailyn Kuechle, 2 points, 4 rebounds. The 1-win, 1-loss week brings the Cubs’ season record to 6-7 overall and 3-1 in the Central Minnesota Conference.
“I think our team is starting to understand what it takes to play at a high level and be consistent. If we can learn to do some of the little things a little better when it matters most, the result will more often times be in our favor. The Cathedral game was tough, and it was another one of those games that was at our fingertips; but we let it get away. If we can finish off those types of games better, our season will become a lot more successful,” said Coach Jeremy Kuechle.