Cathedral game
On Monday, Jan. 23, the Lady Cubs dismantled St. Cloud Cathedral, 68-27.
Kristen Hilbert got the Cubs on top first, sinking a pair of free-throws. Cathedral connected on a three-pointer to take a brief lead, and their only lead, as Hilbert scored again on another free-throw and a field goal; followed up by field goals from Hallie Arnold and Ellie Kuechle, giving Kimball a 10-3 lead. Morgan Streit ignited the next Kimball run with a three-pointer to push Kimball’s lead to 17-7, and Olivia Mortenson connected on a three-pointer right before halftime sending Kimball to the locker room with a 33-22 lead.
Kimball made an incredible run to start the second half by scoring 23 consecutive points before Cathedral finally scored with 9:57 to play in the game. The Cubs’ lead was 56-22 before that point, and Emma Schmitz scored to make it 60-25 with 8:19 to play. Emily Krohn, Holly Truenow, and Emma Schmitz all scored down the stretch to help Kimball to a 68-27 victory.
Kimball stats
Brookelyn Kuechle, 3 rebounds, 2 steals; Olivia Mortenson, 7 points, 3 steals; Allie Leither, 7 rebounds, 2 steals; Ellie Kuechle, 16 points, 5 assists, 8 steals; Holly Truenow, 2 points, 1 assist; Hallie Arnold, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists; Ava Molitor, 3 points, 4 rebounds; Isabelle Schmitz, 1 steal, 1 rebound; Emily Krohn, 2 points, 4 rebounds; Morgan Streit, 9 points, 2 steals; Emma Schmitz, 6 points; Lexi Myers, 2 points, 2 rebounds; Kristen Hilbert, 14 points, 4 rebounds; Sami Winter, 2 rebounds.
“This was an important game for section 6AA standings, and I loved how we stepped up defensively, coming out of halftime and took total control of the game,” Head Coach Jeremy Kuechle commented.
Paynesville game
Kimball traveled to Paynesville on Tuesday, Jan. 24, for a Central Minnesota Conference matchup.
Kristen Hilbert, Ava Molitor, and Olivia Mortenson got the Cubs an early lead, all scoring to make it 7-3 early. The Bulldogs took the lead at 15-13, when a three-pointer by Brookelyn Kuechle got the Cubs’ lead back at 16-15. Hilbert scored the rest of Kimball’s first-half points as they took a 21-19 lead into halftime.
Hilbert and Mortenson provided the offensive support as Kimball held their narrow lead through the 10-minute mark of the second half. Mortenson’s third three-pointer of the contest gave the Cubs a 36-29 lead but, by the five-minute mark, Paynesville closed the gap to 38-36. Kimball’s offense sputtered as Paynesville took the lead and built it to five points at 43-38 with 2:27 to play. Hilbert scored to make it 43-40, but two free-throws with 26 seconds remaining left the Cubs trailing 45-40, but Brookelyn -Kuechle connected on a three-pointer with 16 seconds left to give Kimball a chance, trailing 45-43. After a Kimball foul, Paynesville missed the free-throw and Kimball got one last chance to tie, but their shot at the buzzer would not drop and Paynesville held on for a 45-43 win.
Kimball connected on only five of 30 three-point attempts as a team (16.7%) and lost the free-throw advantage as Paynesville made 12 free-throws to Kimball’s six.
Kimball stats
Brookelyn Kuechle, 6 points, 1 assist; Olivia Mortenson, 11 points, 2 steals; Allie Leither, 4 rebounds; Ellie Kuechle, 4 points, 8 assists, 8 steals; Hallie Arnold, 2 rebounds, 1 steal; Ava Molitor, 2 points, 4 rebounds; Lexi Myers, 1 rebound; Kristen Hilbert, 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals.
“I thought we played well enough to win. Our defense did well keeping us in the game. We found the open shooters, and we were taking what the defense was giving us, but our shots just would not go down. It was just one of those nights,” Coach Kuechle said.
EV-W game
Kimball traveled to Eden Valley to face the Eagles on Thursday, Jan. 26, in a CMC rematch from earlier this season where the Eagles defeated the Cubs in their home den.
This contest proved to be a good one, as both teams battled to the end, exchanging blows in the process. Allie Leither scored first for the Cubs, followed by an Ellie Kuechle three-pointer, with Leither scoring again in the post and Kimball led early, 7-4. The Eagles clawed back and made a nice run, to take a 16-9 lead, until Kristen Hilbert was fouled and made one of two free-throws. Ellie Kuechle and Olivia Mortenson each scored on layups next as Kimball now trailed 16-14. Brookelyn Kuechle scored the final bucket of the first half for Kimball, on a fast-break long pass from sister Ellie, and the game was tied 25-25 at the half.
Hilbert grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put Kimball up 27-25, Mortenson hit a trey to put Kimball up 30-28, Hilbert scored next to make it 32-32, then Ellie Kuechle scored followed by a Lexi Myers field goal inside to put Kimball back up 37-34 as the teams exchanged leads. EV-W tied the game at 47-47 with 4:30 to play, when Hilbert scored, and an Ellie Kuechle free-throw gave Kimball a 52-49 lead with 24 seconds left. With 12 seconds left, EV-W made a three-pointer to send the game into overtime, tied at 52-52.
Olivia Mortenson connected on a free-throw, to put K-Town up 53-52, and then two free-throws after a Kimball foul put the Eagles back up, 54-53. With 1:34 left, Hilbert came out of nowhere to grab an offensive rebound and put it up and in to give Kimball a 55-54 lead. EV-W’s next possession ended in a turnover, and the Cubs gained possession as Ellie Kuechle was fouled with 52 seconds left. She made both free-throws to put the Cubs up 57-54. Another three-pointer by EV-W with 36 seconds left tied the game at 57-57 and, as Ellie Kuechle was advancing the ball up the court, she was fouled and knocked down two more clutch free-throws to put Kimball up once again 59-57 with 27 seconds left. EV-W took a timeout and their two-point attempt bounced off the iron and was rebounded by Allie Leither who passed to Ellie Kuechle and she was fouled again with 3.8 seconds to play, and she again knocked both free-throws, to put Kimball up 61-57, and that’s how the game ended … with a dramatic Kimball victory.
Ellie Kuechle finished 14-for-17 from the free-throw line and, as a team, Kimball made 21 free-throws in the contest, compared to the Eagles’ 7. EV-W made six three-pointers, while Kimball made just two. Two-point field goals were fairly even, with EV-W making 16 and Kimball 17. The road win improves the Cubs’ record to 11-6 on the season, with two games scheduled for next week.
Kimball stats
Brookelyn Kuechle, 2 points, 3 rebounds; Olivia Mortenson, 14 points, 4 assists; Allie Leither, 6 points, 5 rebounds; Ellie Kuechle, 23 points, 9 assists, 7 steals; Hallie Arnold, 3 rebounds, 1 assist; Ava Molitor, 2 rebounds; Lexi Myers, 4 points, 2 rebounds; Kristen -Hilbert, 12 points, 9 rebounds.
“It was an incredible game, and an incredible outcome. So many girls from both teams stepped up and made some amazing plays which made for such an exciting and dramatic ending, both in regulation and in overtime. This is a game our players will remember for a long time!” exclaimed Coach Kuechle.