TROJAN GIRLS BASKETBALL: Trojans breeze by Huskies

WORTHINGTON — With more patience on offense and solid defense, Worthington ran past Jackson County Central 59-40 in a Southwest Conference girls basketball game Thursday on Senior Night.

The Trojans settled into their halfcourt sets by making multiple passes before attempting shots. The result was a 13-2 run during the first 8 minutes of the game with am offense that didn’t have to score out of its fastbreak.

“It’s crucial because we don’t want to take quick shots and let (our opponents) crawl back into the game,” Worthington head coach Eric Lindner said of the Trojans’ new-found patience. “That is what we are trying to preach to all of our kids. If we have a lead, we want to get a solid look at the basket instead of just fading a shot off to the right or popping a 3. It’s one of those things that we have to do better, especially if we get into a close game.”

Worthington’s Ana Boever posted game-highs in points (20) and rebounds (11). Her drive to the basket and left-corner 3-pointer handed WHS a 5-0 lead at the 15:42 mark.

K.C. Riley scored after making a baseline drive before Brooke Henning and Paige Gravenhof combined to hit three straight free throws and Boever buried her second 3-pointer as Worthington led 13-2.

The only offense from the Huskies in the first 6 minutes came from Sarah Brandt, who netted a basket with a turnaround layup at the 13:38 mark.

Brandt finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds for JCC. Angela Handzus supplied nine points and three assists for the Huskies, while Lydia Brandt added eight points and eight rebounds.

The Brandts combined to bring JCC back. Highlighting the Huskies’ 8-2 run until the 9:37 mark, Sarah scored four points on two free throws and another layup that cut the Trojans lead to 14-10. Lydia had a layup during the scoring spree and Handzus knocked down two free throws.

But Worthington scored the next 10 points to build an insurmountable 24-10 lead. During the run, Boever twice scored after drives to the basket, while Whitney Coriolan did the same once. Apiew Alwal popped in a layup and Riley drove the baseline again for another basket.

“I think our kids learned in our (second) game against Marshall that, if they slow down, set the tempo and work on their offense, they can get good looks,” Lindner said. “But if we take quick shots, (our opponents) can score by beating us down the floor.”

The Tigers (21-3 overall, 12-0 Southwest Conference) defeated the Trojans 72-55 in Worthington on Saturday.

Trailing 24-10, the Huskies had trouble scoring, especially when JCC attempted to get the ball inside the paint. The Trojans lead 28-15 at halftime before taking second-half leads of 44-26 with 7:44 left, 50-30 with 6 minutes remaining and 54-32 with 3:45 left.

“We really struggled to put the ball in the basket,” Jackson County Central head coach Tom Schuller said. “I thought the pick-and-roll was wide open and we just couldn’t finish it. Time-and-time again, we had trouble catching the pass off the pick-and-roll and a hard time putting the ball in.”

Both teams were not shooting extremely accurate from the floor. The Trojans made 35 percent (23 of 68) of their shots, while the Huskies made 33 percent (14 of 43) of their field goal attempts.

“Our defense is getting better,” Lindner said. “It was good against (Martin County West) and it was a little better tonight. We needed to do a better job of rebounding after the first half. (Jackson County Central) is not a small team and they have some big kids. Luckily, we were able to pick up our rebounding in the second half.”

During the first 18 minutes, Worthington outrebounded JCC 22-20 before the Trojans turned back the Huskies 19-10 on the boards after intermission. WHS won the total rebounding battle 41-30.

Schuller was pleased with the Huskies’ defense, which held Worthington under its scoring average of 65.5 points.

“Defensively, I thought we played pretty well,” Schuller said. “By holding Worthington to 59 points, I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win. But our offense was just very lacking tonight.”

Worthington (17-5, 9-3) ends its regular season with a non-conference game at New Ulm at 1 p.m. Saturday. Jackson County Central (8-17, 2-10) completed its regular campaign Thursday.

Daily Globe Sports Editor Jeff Arenz

may be reached at 376-7328.

WORTHINGTON 59,

JACKSON COUNTY CENTRAL 40

JACKSON COUNTY CENTRAL (8-17, 2-10): Handzus 3-9 2-4 9, Burmeister 0-6 1-3 1, Johnson 1-5 2-4 4, Rasche 2-8 0-0 4, Klontz 0-0 0-0 0, S. Brandt 4-7 4-6 12, L. Brandt 3-6 2-4 8, Reed 0-0 0-0 0, Eddy 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 14-43 (33%) 11-21 (52%) 40.

WORTHINGTON (17-5, 9-3): Boever 8-15 1-2 20, Landgaard 1-6 0-0 2, Henning 1-4 1-2 3, Kemper 4-15 4-6 12, Bruns 0-1 0-0 0, Linder 0-0 0-0 0, Gravenhof 2-6 0-0 6, Riley 2-6 0-0 4, Thongvanh 0-0 0-0 0, Ac. Alwal 0-1 1-2 1, Coriolan 3-9 0-2 6, Ap. Alwal 2-3 1-2 5, Eggers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 23-66 (35%) 8-16 (50%) 59.

Jackson County Central 15 25 — 40

Worthington 28 31 — 59

3-Point Goals: JCC 1-9 (Handzus 1-6, Burmesiter 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Rasche 0-1); Worthington 5-23 (Boever 3-5, Gravenhof 2-6, Coriolan 0-1, Henning 0-1, Riley 0-1, Kemper 0-9). Rebounds: JCC 30 (S. Brandt 10, L. Brandt 8); Worthington 41 (Boever 11, Coriolan 8). Total Fouls (Fouled Out): JCC 14 (none); Worthington 19 (none). Technical Fouls: None. Assists: JCC 13 (Rasche 4, Handzus 3); Worthington 15 (Boever 4, Riley 3). Steals: JCC 6 (Handzus 4); Worthington 14 (Kemper 5, Henning 4). Blocked Shots: JCC 4 (L. Brandt 4); Worthington 2 (Boever 2). Turnovers: JCC 22, Worthington 16.

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