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Girls slam Falcons in opening round
by Norv and Mary Coblentz · Sports · February 15, 2018
The West Branch Bears girls basketball team won their first post-season game with a 67-32 win over the visiting Louisa-Muscatine Falcons Feb. 8.
The win advances the Bears to the regional game 7 p.m. Tuesday at Wilton.
“I thought defensively we played really well tonight. We need people to step up like Taylor Thein did tonight,” West Branch Head Coach Jarod Tylee said. “She’s been outstanding for us all year at both ends of the floor. We’re going to continue to need her help and (that of) other people coming off the bench. We need them at this time of year. We need those extra people to chip in whether it’s defensively or offensively to help you in the post season.
“Our bench was good and gave us really good minutes. There was no drop off, and that’s what we need.”
To call the Falcon offense in the first quarter patient would be an understatement. “(After the first quarter), I told them to be patient,” Tylee said. “They (Louisa-Muscatine) came out and were playing some sort of a stall game, I don’t know what they were trying to do, but they were running some kind of three-guard stall game, and I told our girls not to get too impatient with it. We can score some points, we’ve just got to be patient on defense, be solid and do the things that we do. We’ll be fine. It was 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, so we were sitting all right. The second quarter we came out and continued to play well, and they got out of that.”
Abbey Fryauf won the opening tip for the Bears, but the Bears came up empty, and the Falcons began their patient offense. Instead of a basket, L-M turned the ball over. The Bears didn’t get a shot to fall, then the Falcons turned the ball over. The teams traded possessions until the Falcons got a steal and layup for a 2-0 lead. The ball went off the Bears, then Tatum Koenig got a steal and a layup to tie the game. The Falcons completed a three-point play to take a 5-2 lead, their last lead of the game. T. Koenig made a three-point basket to tie the game again. The Falcons turned the ball over. Bridget Buol and Fryauf each got an offensive board before Sasha Koenig scored for a 7-5 West Branch lead.
After a Louisa-Muscatine travel, Thein drained a three-point basket for a 10-5 score. L-M scored one more basket in the quarter for a 10-7 score.
The Bears had the ball to start the second quarter, and Riley Vaughn scored, assist T. Koenig to put the Bears up 12-7. S. Koenig got a steal and layup, then the Falcons were called for a double dribble. Thein made another three-point basket for a 17-7 score. The Falcons drew a foul on a shot and made the first of two free throws. The Falcons then missed two at the charity stripe. They were fouled on a shot again and made the first of two for a 17-9 score. T. Koenig got the rebound. S. Koenig made a three-point basket, assist Taya Young, and the Bears had a 20-9 lead. The Falcons scored in the paint, their first basket of the quarter, then each team turned the ball over. Young got a defensive rebound, and Thein scored, assist Young, for a 22-11 score. L-M drew a foul and missed the front end of the one-and-one.
Thein drew a foul and made both free throws. The Bears got a defensive rebound and Young made a basket for a 26-11 West Branch lead. L-M scored, then Young made a three-point basket. L-M was fouled again and made the first of two free throws for a halftime score of 29-14.
It was West Branch ball to start the third quarter, and Young hit a three-pointer to start the scoring. L-M was fouled and made the first of two free throws. Kaiya Luneckas got the rebound. The ball went out of bounds off the Bears, and L-M scored for a 32-17 tally. Fryauf was fouled on a shot and made both free throws, then the Falcons drove to the basket and scored. T. Koenig made a long two-pointer, then the Falcons scored in the paint. The Falcons got a defensive rebound, but S. Koenig got a steal, made a nice pass from the floor to Thein, and Thein scored for a 38-21 West Branch lead. A jump ball went to the Bears, and Theim made a three-point basket. L-M drew a foul and made both free throws. T. Koenig drove to the basket, and the score was 43-23.
The Falcons turned the ball over, and Thein scored. L-M made two free throws, and the score was 45-25. The teams traded rebounds until Young made a basket, drew a foul, and made the free throw. The score going into the fourth quarter was 48-25.
T. Koenig opened the final quarter with a three-point basket. The Bears got a defensive rebound, and Young scored for a 53-25 lead. K. Luneckas got a defensive rebound, and T. Koenig hit a three-pointer, assist S. Koenig. Fryauf was fouled and made both free throws. West Branch got another defensive rebound, and T. Koenig scored for a 60-25 score. The continuous clock rule went into effect.
Down the stretch, L-M made five of eight free throws, and the Bears scored on baskets by Fryauf and Young, and a three-pointer by Thein. The Bears had a chance at a free throw, but it was missed, and Maddi Luneckas got the rebound. The Falcon’s only basket of the quarter was a buzzer-beater in the paint. The final score was 67-32.
Louisa-Muscatine Head Coach Mark Wehrle discussed his team’s offense to start the game. “That’s an offense we’ve used when we’re missing a player, somebody’s fouled out, or somebody’s injured,” Wehrle said. “Our leading scorer and rebounder tore her ACL three games ago. She’s 16 points and 12 or 13 rebounds a game. We knew, missing her, we had to do something else.
“West Branch played great defense. They’re very aggressive. I love their defensive style. It’s what we eventually hope to (achieve) when our young kids come through.
“I played Vegas odds: you have to guard somebody. The (Koenig) sisters only had seven points each, I think, going into the fourth quarter, so that part worked. But number 22 and number 24 (Thein and Young) (stepped up).”
1 2 3 4 T
WB 10 19 19 19 67
L-M 7 7 11 7 32
West Branch stats: Abbey Fryauf 1 4-4 6, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal; Lexie Peak 1 block; Riley Vaughan 1 0-0 2, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal; Kaiya Luneckas 8 rebounds, 1 assist; Tatum Koenig 7 0-0 17, 3 3-pointers, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals; Bridget Buol 1 rebound, 1 steal; Maddi Luneckas 4 rebounds; Taylor Thein 7 2-4 20, 4 3-pointers, 2 rebounds, 2 steals; Taya Young 6 1-1 15, 2 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks; Sasha Koenig 3 0-0 7, 1 3-pointer, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 5 steals, 1 block
Louisa-Muscatine stats: not available
West Branch 51,
Clear Creek-
Amana 41
Feb. 8 at Tiffin
The Bears finished their regular season with a non-conference win over the Clippers. Tatum Koenig led the Bears in scoring with 25 points, including seven three-point baskets. She also led in steals with seven. Sasha Koenig also scored in double figures with 12 points and had five steals. Abby Fryauf had two blocks, and Kaiya Luneckas led in rebounds with six.
1 2 3 4 T
WB 17 21 9 4 51
CC-A 8 9 9 15 41
West Branch stats: Abbey Fryauf 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks; Riely Vaughan 1 rebound; Kaiya Luneckas 1 0-0 2, 6 rebounds, 2 assists; Tatum Koenig 9 0-1 25, 7 3-pointers, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 7 steals; Bridget Buol 3 0-0 6, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Taylor Thein 0 1-2 1, 3 steals; Taya Young 0 1-2 1, 2 rebounds, 3 assists; Sasha Koenig 4 2-2 12, 2 3-pointers, 32 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals; Mackenzie Heise 2 0-0 4, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Clear Creek-Amana stats: Olivia Fairholf 2 rebounds; Jordan Neely 1 2-2 5, 1 3-pointer, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal; Allison Rummelhart 1 0-0 2, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Whitney Traetow 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Karsyn Stratton 7 2-2 16, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks; Meagan Harvey 4 0-0 10, 2 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; Andrea Roller 1 0-0 2, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block; Ainsley Schrock 3 0-1 6, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
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