Kimball girls prepare to face EV-W

By Kris Hagen, Assistant CoachKimball vs. Howard Lake

The Kimball girls’ basketball team received their loudest wake-up call of the season last week in Howard Lake. The Lakers are the wild-card team of the CMC; they are capable of beating any team on any given night. Last Tuesday (Feb. 5), the Lakers gave the Cubs all that they could handle for two quarters. Then things turned around.
From the start, the Cubs were off their usual strong game. The Lakers came out with energy and hustle that the Cubs did not match. After falling behind 8-2 early in the first quarter, the Cubs made their first minor comeback. Kimball was able to hit two three-point shots that helped them make a 14-2 run and take the lead 16-10 after one quarter. But the Lakers continued to outhustle the Cubs, who looked sluggish and tired as the half ended – Howard Lake led 26-19.

Being down seven points, the Cubs faced their largest deficit of the season. During halftime, the
Cubs regrouped and were given some “words of wisdom” by the coaching staff.

With a renewed energy, Kim-ball overwhelmed the Lakers in the second half. Howard Lake’s zone defense began to open up as the Cubs repeatedly hit perimeter shots and then followed with penetration. At the end of the third quarter, Kimball had jumped ahead by 20 points. The fourth quarter continued in the same manner, and the Cubs finished the second half by
outscoring the Lakers, 53-17. Starcevic even got into the action by hitting a three-pointer – much to the enjoyment of the Cubs’ bench. Kimball had once again shown their mental toughness, and had turned an uninspired effort into an offensive onslaught.

Kimball had all five starters in double-figures, led by Marquardt (18 points, 7 steals, 4 assists), Starcevic (14 points, 10 rebounds), Kuechle (12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals), L. Christensen (12 points, 5 rebounds), and Kunkel (10 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds). Henneman again played an important role, coming off the bench to score four points and grab three steals. The Cubs’ free-throw shooting (19-29) improved to almost 66 percent.They tied a school record for three-pointers made (9) and set a new record for three-point shots attempted (30).
Kimball vs. Pierz

A lack of motivation may have been the Cubs’ problem on Tuesday, but there was no chance of that happening on Friday. Kimball was playing the Pierz Pioneers in another important conference game. Kimball had defeated the Pioneers on the road in one of their better games of the season, but this was a home game in which the Cubs were short-handed. Katie Christensen was out of the lineup with a stomach virus, so Kimball would need strong games from all of their remaining players in order to compete for a victory.

A wise man once wrote, “Ask, and you shall receive.” And receive they did. Kimball pounced on the Pioneers from the tip-off, jumping to a 10-2 lead before Pierz requested a much-needed time out. Pierz responded by going to their power inside game, led by junior Alison Kloss.

Throughout the second and third quarters, Kimball’s zone was exploited by the Pioneer’s entry passes – which soared right over their heads into the hands of their posts. Pierz was able to stay close because of the many inside opportunities that the Cubs seemed powerless to stop. In addition, 1,100-point scorer Sheila Stegora was always looking for her shot from beyond the arc or driving to loosen up the inside of Kimball’s defense. Pierz did a beautiful job working both their inside and outside games. However, Kimball’s offense was not suffering as much as its defense. In fact, the Cubs were able to hold their lead throughout the first half, and led 41-37 at halftime. Both teams knew that whoever stepped up on the defensive end of the court would walk away a winner.

As the second half played out, the Cubs gradually pulled away by forcing Pierz into a fast-paced game. In the fourth quarter, Pierz began to make their move. Trailing by ten points, the Pioneers changed from an inside game to an outside game. Stegora and Co. hit three shots in a row, including two three-pointers, to pull within four points with only four minutes to play. Back and forth they went until Pierz tied the score with three minutes to go.

Kuechle answered with a three-pointer from the corner on an inbounds play that led to a final Cub run that made the score 69-60 with two minutes to go. With one final push, the Pioneers were able to get within two points. Kimball responded with back-to-back buckets that finished off the resiliant Pioneers. Pierz was also disheartened when junior Alison Kloss had to be carried off the court with an apparent knee injury. The final score was Kimball 78, Pierz 72.

Kimball knew that being short-handed meant that nobody could have a bad night, and all of the Cubs shined. Marquardt (20 points, 10 steals, 8 assists, 6 rebounds), L. Christensen (19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), Kuechle (17 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists) and Kunkel (17 points, 4 assists) were phenomenal. Kayleen Starcevic faught the whole night with two tough and talented post players. Once again, she did the dirty work that nobody else wanted, while collecting nine rebounds and three steals. The Cubs netted seven three-pointers, and shot 57 percent from inside the arc.

Upcoming games

Up next for Kimball is undoubtedly their toughest opponent of the season – so far. They will travel on Monday, Feb. 11, to Albany to play the number-seven ranked team in Class 2A.

Following Monday’s colossal match-up, the Cubs are at it again – a rematch at Eden Valley-Watkins. This game promises to be a Valentine’s Day classic in the most hostile of environments. Come on out to see if the Cubs can hold on to first place in the CMC while battling their archrivals on Thursday, Feb. 14. The Cubs (17-1, 10-1) have only a few games remaining before playoffs, so let’s encourage them toward greatness!

Remember, the Cubs’ website is .

Editor’s note: Kimball won against Albany on Monday, Feb. 11, with a score of 75-68. The Kimball girls are now 18-1, 11-1 in Conference going into Thursday’s game at EV-W.