No. 1 Crestwood girls bounce Decorah, Oelwein

CRESCO - Outstanding defense and solid offense proved to be a winning combination for the Class 3A No. 1 Crestwood varsity girls’ basketball team as the Cadets crushed Decorah, 64-23, on Jan. 9 at home.

The Cadets advanced to the top spot in the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Class 3A poll on Friday after previous No. 1 Sioux Center lost to LeMars, 54-55, on Jan. 9.

Facing Oelwein on the road Friday, the Cadets raced to a 34-6 first period lead and never looked back on their way to an 87-25 win over the Huskies. The win improved Crestwood’s overall record to 13-0 and 7-0 in the Northeast Iowa Conference. 

Cadets 64, Decorah 23

Facing the Vikes on Jan. 9, the Cadets built a 14-2 lead after one period and never let Decorah get close as Crestwood pulled away for a 64-23 win.

Crestwood’s defense held the Vikings to only two field goals in the first half as the Cadets took a 33-7 halftime lead. At the end of the third, Crestwood pushed the lead to 32 points at 49-17.

“Our defense played very well,” Cadet Coach Doug Sickles said. “Decorah is a very patient team, so we knew that we needed to be patient on defense and trust in our teammates. We did a good job of that.

“On offense, we are used to scoring more points, but part of Decorah’s game plan was to slow the game down and move the ball a lot. Our defense stifled Decorah. 

“Offensively, we had a collective team effort, and our girls shared the ball well. I’d like to see us execute a little better on offense, but we’ll work on that. Overall, it was a fun game and we got all the girls into the game,” Sickles said.

Shannon Pisney finished with 22 points, including two three-pointers, had eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. Sharon Goodman tallied 18 points and had eight rebounds. Ellie Friesen had 14 points, including two three-pointers, six assists and three rebounds.

Kaylee Thomas had five points, including one three-pointer, and two rebounds. Annie Mast had three points on one three-pointer. Brynn Bodermann had two points and one rebound. Taylor Shelton had two assists.

Score by quarters

CW    14   19   16   15  - 64

Dec     2     5    10    6   - 23

 

Cadets 87, Oelwein 25

Playing at Oelwein Friday, the Cadets led 34-6 after one period and took a 60-9 halftime lead en route to an 87-25 victory over the Huskies.

“Getting off to a quick start was a big key for us,” Sickles noted. “Our defensive press really dismantled Oelwein. Offensively, we were on fire, and everything was clicking for us. I’m extremely proud of our team effort.”

Regarding the No. 1 ranking in the latest poll, Sickles said, “Our girls are proud of that accomplishment, but we know that it doesn’t mean anything right now because we have a lot of games to play yet.”

Three Crestwood players finished with at least 20 points. Shannon Pisney led the charge with 24 points, five rebounds, four steals and one block. Ellie Friesen had 22 points, including six three-pointers, tallied 14 assists, had four rebounds and four steals.

Sharon Goodman posted 20 points, had five rebounds and two steals. Laken Lienhard had five points, including one three-pointer, five rebounds and two steals. Brynn Bodermann had five points, four steals, three assists and two rebounds.

Emily Friesen had four points, three assists and two steals. Taylor Shelton, Sam Balk and Brooklyn Ferrie each had two points. Kennedy Gaul had one point. Kaylee Thomas had one assist and one rebound.

Score by quarters

CW   34   26   15   12 - 87

Oel    6     3     8     8   - 25

 

Cadets 67, WSR 40

Playing at Waverly on Jan. 5, the Cadets built a 37-26 halftime lead and sailed to a convincing 67-40 win over the Go-Hawks.

Ellie Friesen tallied with 20 points, including four three-pointers, had seven rebounds, and eight assists. Sharon Goodman had 22 points, eight rebounds and one block. Emily Friesen had 12 points, including four three-pointers, and three rebounds.

Shannon Pisney tallied eight points, six rebounds and two assists. Kaylee Thomas had three points on one three-pointer. Brooklyn Ferrie had two points. Brynn Bodermann tallied six assists and three rebounds. Taylor Shelton had one rebound and one assist.