After a tough loss against Mediapolis on Friday, the Van Buren County girls basketball team bounced back and improved to 4-2 on the season with a 52-40 victory over Cardinal on Monday, December 15th. The game was rescheduled from December 1st. The loss dropped the Comets to 1-3.
Game Recap
Van Buren County grabbed a narrow 14-12 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 27-20 by halftime. The Warriors maintained their advantage throughout the second half, leading 38-33 after three quarters before pulling away for the 12-point victory.
Van Buren County Stats
Van Buren County featured three different players in double figures, showcasing great balanced scoring. These stats were taken by broadcaster Shan Moquin during the game. Sophia Jirak led the Warriors with 14 points. Kayley Snowgren added 12 points, including two crucial three-pointers down the stretch. Daphny Wells contributed 10 points. Marlee Mertens and Adalyn Snowgren each scored seven points, and Aubrey Loeffler chipped in two points.
As a team, Van Buren County committed 18 turnovers but showed improvement in the second half with only four turnovers after halftime. The Warriors grabbed 32 rebounds and shot 7-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Cardinal’s Kolbi Saner led all scorers with 16 points.
Coach’s Perspective
Van Buren County head coach Randy Smith praised senior leadership and key contributions throughout the lineup.
“We give out a game ball when we win—I watch the Vikings every once in a while, you know, and they give one out. But we gave it to Sophia. I think sometimes when we get rattled, she kind of pulls us together and just settles us down a little bit. I mean, she’s a really good senior leader,” Smith said.
Smith highlighted Kayley Snowgren’s clutch shooting, particularly late in the game.
“Kayley hit two big threes out there. One of them, we were up by seven I think with about three minutes to go, and I wasn’t really too cracked about that one leaving her hand, but it went in,” Smith said.
The coach also praised Adalyn Snowgren’s performance, particularly her defensive effort.
“Really, I thought Adalyn, when she’s not on the bench, played one of her best games,” Smith said.
Smith noted a halftime adjustment the team made to defend Cardinal’s Saner more effectively.
“At halftime, the girls said, ‘Can we play Daphny on the baseline and bring Adalyn around in front of Saner?’ And she did a good job. But if Saner gets you on her back, she’s going to score. And so, you know, about three times we got caught in the back, but anyway, they came through and won,” Smith said.
The coach acknowledged Cardinal’s improvement and competitive effort.
“Cardinal, they’ve improved, they play hard. So when coming over here, I knew we would have to play fairly good to win,” Smith said.
The Warriors (4-2) will look to continue their winning ways in their next outing on Tuesday, December 16th hosting Holy Trinity Catholic.
