Lady Cats claim L&C tourney-opener

OSMOND - The HartingtonNewcastle girls basketball team got just what the basketball doctor would order if one was suffering through a rough patch.

That is the Lewis and Clark Tournament and a win over Wausa in the opening round of the event over the weekend.

That, 46-28 win over the Lady Vikings, ended a five-game losing streak as they moved to 6-11 as Osmond awaited Tuesday in the next round of the tournament.

The tournament wraps on Friday against either Laurel-Concord-Coleridge and Homer.

Prior to its win over Wausa, the Lady Wildcats were dealt a curious defeat against Winnebago, after trailing only 28-22 at the break before suddenly dropping a 68-34 decision.

Alivia Morten scored 10 points and Kayden Jueden added seven points for the Lady Wildcats, who were outscored 26-5 in the decisive third quarter.

“We played very well in the first half against them and we had opportunities to have the lead throughout, but we missed some close shots and shot poorly from the free throw line,” Lady Wildcats head coach Josh Morten said.

An injury hampered the Cats in the second half, though.

“Kayden injured her ankle in the second quarter. She tried to play in the third, but just couldn’t go. She does so much for us all around and without her in there to be a leader I think it hurt,” he said. “We came out flat and once a team like that gets on a roll it’s hard to stop.”

The girls were able to shake off the defeat to rise up and beat Wausa as they broke out to a 31-12 halftime edge.

Jueden returned to lead the way with 16 points while Zoey Gratzfeld added 10 points.

“The girls really came out and played hard the first half of this game,” Coach Morten said. “We played up tempo and were able to get some scoring done. We finally got back in the win column here.

The girls had a solid night of shooting which as well really helped. Kayden had a big night without being 100 percent and Zoey had a good night in the scoring as well coming off the bench.

“We have been talking about attitude and effort during games: The only things we can control, and they proved that those two things can help win games.”

The Lady Wildcats improved from the free throw line, shooting 12-of-17.

“This is the time of year to start putting full games together,” Josh Morten said. “This was the only issue in this game we didn’t play quite as intensely in the second half of the game.”

Senior Makenna Clarkson has been providing some needed leadership for the girls, according to Coach Morten, and he admits the season has had its ups and downs.

“The girls are all pretty close and we are getting used to each other again,” Clarkson said. “We found our rhythm and still have it going, but we have moments where we get out of sync, so it depends on the day.

“We do have a pretty young team and they are still learning on how to keep trying to find their rhythm with us older girls. They will get there.”

She also took note of the Winnebago loss, giving the opponent their due as being a “really good team,” but that her girls could also learn from the second half doldrums.

“We kind of stopped competing in the second half,” Clarkson said. “I couldn’t tell you why, honestly. We just let them go on a run. We didn’t have our ‘A’ game. It wasn’t one of our best moments, but it is definitely a game we can learn from and we will do better.”