Indees blow past B-T, ECI

The Independence/Gilmanton girls basketball team came away with lopsided wins against a couple of teams that defeated them earlier this season.

The Indees lost to state-ranked Blair-Taylor, 60-56, in November, but ran away from the Wildcats for a 61-39 win on Monday of last week. On Friday, I/G quickly took control in a 69-30 win over Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran. The Lancers defeated the Indees, 54-44, in mid-December. 

Both of those losses came in a tough stretch to start the season as the Indees were 4-3 after the loss to ECI. Since then, I/G has won 11 of its last 13 games. I/G began this week with a 15-5 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Dairyland Conference play. 

The Indees have a couple of trips to Buffalo County set for this week as the team played at Alma/Pepin on Tuesday and will head to Cochrane-Fountain City on Thursday. The regular season ends next week with a home game against Whitehall on Monday and a game at Alma Center Lincoln next Thursday. 

I/G 61 Blair-Taylor 39

The Indees ran away from one of the top-ranked teams in Division Five.

The Wildcats were ranked fifth in the Bound Wisconsin/Zeleski Sports Girls Basketball Media Poll at the start of last week and the game was close in the first half. The Indees found another gear in the second frame, however.

Leading 26-22 at halftime, I/G scored on its first four possessions of the second half. While Samantha Aguilar kept B-T in the game with a three-pointer and a free throw, I/G’s lead grew to 34-26 two minutes into the second frame. 

Another three-pointer, this time from Addison Lejcher, kept B-T within striking distance at 36-31 with 14 minutes left in the game, but they’d manage just eight more points. Rielynn Sheahan answered Lejcher’s three-pointer with one of her own.

The Indees went ahead by 10 on a free throw by Hadley Sylla with 12 minutes remaining. Sylla missed the second free throw, but I/G got the offensive rebound and Anna Kent made a three-pointer to put her team ahead 45-32. The Indees maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the rest of the game.

Kent put up a season-high 20 points for the Indees, while Kniseley added 14. Andrea Waldera led B-T with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

I/G (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points) — Kent 5/11-7/7-0-2-20 Kniseley 5/14-2/2-5-2-14 Sheahan 2/9-0/0-3-1-5 Schank 2/8-1/2-10-1-5 Ekern 2/5-0/0-7-1-4 Dejno 1/6-2/2-9-2-4 C. Kampa 2/6-0/0-4-2-4 Sylla 1/4-3/6-1-4-5

I/G 69 ECIL 30

The Indees started the game with a 17-2 run and maintained control until the final buzzer.

I/G scored the first four points of the game before ECIL got on the board with a basket. The Indees went on to score the next 13 with two baskets apiece by Sylla and Shauna Dejno and a three-pointer by Kent that put the Indees ahead by double-digits with 12 minutes remaining in the first half.

I/G took a 40-12 lead into halftime and went on for a lopsided win.

The Indees held the Lancers to just 22.4% shooting from the field and forced 34 turnovers in the game. 

It was a balanced attack for I/G offensively as both Sheahan and Kniseley had 14 points, Kent finished with 12 and Sylla added 11.

I/G (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points) — Kent 5/10-0/1-3-0-12 Kniseley 7/13-0/3-9-3-14 Sheahan 7/16-0/0-1-1-14 Schank 0/1-0/1-6-2-0 Ekern 1/5-0/0-1-5-2 Gruber 2/3-0/0-3-0-4 Dejno 3/7-0/3-8-1-6 Kampa 1/3-0/2-1-1-2 Sylla 3/7-5/6-4-1-11 Olson 2/5-0/0-5-1-4