Taking control
CHERRY TWP — Moniteau had a rough go early in its game against Redbank Valley Wednesday.
Once it found a rhythm, it took control in a hurry.
Trailing 5-0, the Warriors went on a 26-5 run over an 8-minute, 30-second span en route to a 49-34 girls basketball victory.
“I don't know, we came out a little flat,” Warriors coach Mark Yeager said. “We missed a couple of shots.
“The shots started to fall. Amanda (Sloan) and Heather (Porter), the last four or five games, have been shooting better.”
Moniteau (11-8, 6-1 KSAC South) had gone more than five minutes into the game before registering its first point.
Katie Brehm, Porter and Ashley Brehm scored to close out the first quarter, then Sloan drained a 3-pointer and Krista Snyder added a free throw to cap a 10-0 run with 7:03 left before halftime.
The Warriors held a 14-10 lead before reeling off the next 12 points — which started on consecutive 3-pointers by Sloan and Porter for a 26-10 advantage with 2:11 before the break.
When Ashley Brehm and Sloan opened the second half with back-to-back buckets, Moniteau enjoyed its biggest lead of the game at 18 points (33-15).
Redbank Valley (0-19, 0-7) made a big push, scoring the next eight points and 12 of 14 to make it 35-27 with 2;45 left in the third quarter.
Emma Kennemuth started the spurt with a pair of baskets and Dana Murray also chipped in with four points to pull Redbank back into the game.
“We switched back to a 1-3-1 defense,” Bulldogs coach Robin Martin said. “Our rotation was a lot better. We came out with a lot more intensity which led to some transition baskets.”
Porter and Katie Brehm countered with layups and the Bulldogs' Kennemuth and Erica Bauersox did likewise before Moniteau scored the next six points for a 45-31 lead with 4:06 to play to pull away.
“We've had a tough season,” Martin said. “Asking a player night-in, night-out to keep battling back is hard. We were closer in this game and we played some excellent defense in the second half.”
“Sometimes, against a team like (Redbank), you can't seem to get into the flow,” Yeager said. “I'd like us to be more balanced.”
Porter led the Warriors with 11 points while Ashley Brehm added nine points and Sloan and Katie Brehm eight apiece. Kennemuth led the Bulldogs with 10 points.
REDBANK VALLEY 34Emma Kennemuth 4 2-3 10, Dana Murray 2 0-1 4, Taylor Shumaker 2 0-1 4, Simone Rey 3 0-0 6, Erica Bauersox 1 5-6 7, Alex Bell 1 1-4 3.
Totals: 13 8-15 34.
MONITEAU 49Ashley Brehm 3 3-6 9, Krista Snyder 2 1-3 5, Nikki Yeckel 3 0-0 6, Emily Rider 1 0-0 2, Heather Porter 5 0-0 11, Amanda Sloan 3 0-0 8, Katie Brehm 4 0-0 8.
Totals: 21 4-9 49.
Redbank Valley 5 10 16 3—34Moniteau 6 23 12 8—493-point goals: Moniteau 3 (Sloan 2, Porter).
Friday: Moniteau at Keystone
