Grundy Center sweeps AGWSR Tuesday in NICL-West Hoops
In the second meeting between the programs in six days, the Grundy Center basketball teams earned a home sweep of AGWSR Tuesday. The #9 (2A) girls won 50-39 and the #9 (2A) boys won 65-27. With the win, the Grundy Center girls clinched the outright NICL-West title.
In the girls game, the Cougars got off to a strong start, and led 14-12 after the first quarter. An Ellery Luhring floater tied the game at 16 early in the second quarter, and a Carlie Willis layup a few possessions later gave the Spartans their first lead at 18-16. A Piper Smith three with a minute left in the quarter gave AGWSR a 26-21 lead, which was the halftime score. The Spartans chipped away at the deficit in the third quarter, and a Karlee Lynch layup in the final minute of the period put Grundy Center in front 43-33. A 30-foot three pointer by Trevyn Smith at the buzzer put the Cougars in front 36-34 at the end of the third. Two free throws by Lynch put the Spartans in front 40-38 early in the fourth, and the Cougars scored just one point the rest of the game. Grundy Center is now 17-1 and 7-0 in the NICL-West. AGWSR is 9-8 and 5-3 in conference play. AGWSR will host Sumner-Fredericksburg Friday.
The boys game started with an extremely low-scoring first quarter. A Gabe Nederhoff three put AGWSR in front 3-2 just over two minutes in. A Colin Gordon layup ended a Spartan scoring drought, and they led the rest of the game. A Jalen Kirkpatrick three sparked a 17-0 Spartan run, and it was 33-11 Grundy Center at halftime. The Spartans outscored the Cougars 22-8 in the third quarter, and they put the running clock rule in effect while cruising to the win. Grundy Center is now 15-2 and 7-0 in the NICL-West. AGWSR is 1-15 and 0-8 in conference play. The Spartans will host Gladbrook-Reinbeck Thursday, and AGWSR will host BCLUW Thursday.
