Belmond-Klemme was swept by Forest City in a Top of Iowa Conference basketball doubleheader Tuesday night, as the Bronco girls fell 67-12 and the boys dropped a 60-44 decision, as aired on 104.9 KLMJ.
The Forest City girls, ranked No. 7 in Class 3A, jumped out to a 20-2 lead in the first quarter and never trailed, taking a 33-5 advantage into halftime. The Indians outscored Belmond-Klemme 34-7 in the second half to secure the win.
Kaylen Morris led the Broncos with six points. Hayden Brown paced Forest City with 12 points.
In the boys game, Belmond-Klemme trailed by 10 after the first quarter and 18 at halftime. The Broncos kept pace in the third quarter, scoring 16 points to Forest City’s 17, and outscored the Indians by three in the fourth. However, the first-half deficit proved too much to overcome.
Brody Heifner led the Broncos with 21 points. Cooper Blaser led the Indians with 13 points.
The absence of Griffin Paulsen, the team’s third-leading scorer, impacted Belmond-Klemme. Head Coach Justin Meyer.
“Yeah, we knew coming in that it was going to be tough,” Meyer says. “One, without Griff, he’s definitely a senior leader. If you look at stats, he doesn’t necessarily jump out in terms of stats, but he just does a great job of just being our floor general. If we need an offensive possession, he knows where to go, where to get the ball. Guys really just lean on him leadership-wise, so missing him these last couple games has been tough.”
The Bronco girls will open postseason play Feb. 17 against Pocahontas Area. The boys begin postseason play Feb. 16 against North Iowa.
