Hampton-Dumont-CAL and Iowa Falls-Alden split the first of two basketball meetings of the season Tuesday, as aired on 104.9 KLMJ and RadioOnTheGo’s YouTube channel. The Cadets won the girls game 44-40 and the Bulldogs won the boys game 47-44.
The Cadets had a strong start to the girls game, combined with a slow start by HDCAL, and led 30-15 at halftime. But the script flipped in the second half. The Bulldogs tried to cut into the deficit and take the lead on three-point shooting, but made only two throughout the game. Bridget Brocka cut the deficit to 40-39 late in the game, but IFA’s Elody England hit clutch shots and sealed the game at the free throw line.
“Our defense in the first half was really good, we were boxing out, had a lot of boards, and those really count in games like this, and defense turns into offense,” England says. “Kids like Olivia Scholte, she absolutely just was a dog on the court, and it was great to see. And all the other kids are stepping up, our guards are on defense, they’re just all over the place, that really helps.”
England led with a career-high 27 points, and MacKenzy Valley led the Bulldogs with 19.
The Bulldogs held the lead for most of the first half, but IFA’s Collin Pieper beat the buzzer to give the Cadets a 22-21 halftime lead. There were numerous lead changes throughout the second half, setting the stage for a close finish. The final lead change came midway through the fourth when Brady Harr connected on a midrange shot for a 41-40 Bulldog lead. After several missed free throws by HDCAL, the Cadets had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds. But missed three-pointers by Brody McNeal and Karsen Kalous kept the Bulldogs in front for the win. Harr says they’ve grown from close game experiences.
“We’ve been in a lot of close games all year, so we definitely wanted this one, second conference win, but one we needed,” Harr says. “And I think that was part of it. We knew we could win this one, coming into it. And I just think we had something in the back of our heads that’s like, we’re not going to lose this game. So I think that whole game, intensity was there. Everyone was getting along. Communication was a big thing. Trey was doing a great job bringing the ball up the court, taking care of it. We had a bunch of people rebounding. Caden, Aaden, they worked their butts off on defense and offense.”
Harr scored 23 points and Caden Woods added 15. McNeal and Jackson Thiesen each scored 14 to lead the Cadets.
In their next games on Friday, Hampton-Dumont-CAL will host Algona and Iowa Falls-Alden will host Humboldt.
