Mavericks stifle Sioux Central girls

Sioux Central's Brook Scharn finds the lane crowded as she runs into Clay Central-Everly's Courtney Cronk (left), Tori Campbell (center) and Jenna Biedenfeld Tuesday, January 6, 2009, in Sioux Rapids. The Mavericks' quick start and swarming defense proved to be too much for Sioux Central; Clay Central Everly won 65-45. (Photos by Michael Fischer)

They had gone 24 days without a game, but it didn't seem to matter.

Clay Central-Everly shook off its rust rather quickly in its return to the court Tuesday, picking up right where they had left off before the winter break.

The Mavericks turned in a typical performance on the road against Sioux Central, using a dose of up-tempo pressure defense and superior rebounding to beat the Rebels 65-45 in Sioux Rapids.

"We were really questioning how we would come out and play because we had such a long layoff," said Clay Central-Everly head coach Lester Tessum. "I told the girls it would be just like the start of the season, but they responded real well."

Clay Central-Everly pulled down 41 rebounds on the night, 14 coming on the offensive end. Kelsey McCarty led the Mavericks with 11 rebounds.

The Mavericks also held Sioux Central to less than 35 percent shooting. The Rebels were 18 of 52 from the field, 3 of 12 from the 3-point line.

"Good defense and rebounding is pretty much what we tell them will win games," Tessum stated.

The loss ended a 4-game winning streak for Sioux Central (7-4), who is currently 5-1 in the Northwest Conference, its only setback coming to No. 2 Newell-Fonda.

"You've got to talk about CC-E. They did such a nice job," said Sioux Central head coach John Barbier. "Right at the beginning of the game they got after us, got off to a fast start and kind of got us back on our heels. They played an excellent ball game."

All-Conference standouts Laura Brugman and Jenna Biedenfeld led the Clay Central-Everly attack, combining for 44 points. Brugman put up 26 and Biedenfeld added 18, marking the fifth time in six games she has scored at least 15 points.

Clay Central-Everly's Laura Brugman gains control of a loose ball Tuesday, January 6, 2009, in Sioux Rapids. Brugman scored 26 points to lead the Mavericks to their fifth win.

Clay Central-Everly established its presence from the start Tuesday, limiting the Rebels to eight points in the first quarter and seven in the second. The Mavericks led 16-8 after the first eight minutes and 28-15 at the half.

"I thought we played pretty well in the first half, we just didn't make shots. We had open shots and we had our good shooters taking good shots, but that's basketball and that happens," Barbier said.

Clay Central-Everly's biggest surge came in the third quarter when the Mavericks scored 25 points to increase their lead to 53-27.

The Mavericks scored the first 11 points of the second half before Sioux Central sophomore Grace Rehnstrom ended the run with a 3-pointer at the 6:01 mark. Brugman scored a layup and a 3 on the first two possessions of the third before Biedenfeld followed with six straight points.

"They really kicked our butts so bad on the boards. We knew what to expect from their defense. They're a very good basketball team and they do a great job on defense. I didn't expect to get beat that bad on the boards," Barbier commented.

Despite a cold shooting night, Brooke Scharn still paced the Rebels, scoring 18 points and pulling down 13 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Scharn, a junior, moved into third place on Sioux Central's all-time scoring list past her sister, Briana Scharn, who graduated in 2007 with 867 career points. The younger Scharn currently has 874 career points, seven away from Stef Madsen and 112 away from all-time leading scorer Beth Ehlers.

Freshman Morgan Walker added 10 points and six rebounds for the Rebels. Allie Swanson had six points; Brianna Ehlers added four points and four rebounds.

Clay Central-Everly (5-1, 2-0) hosts Graettinger-Terril in a Cornbelt Conference make-up game Thursday. The Rebels are at Lake City taking on Southern Cal Saturday.