In a back-and-forth Fox River Rivalry battle on Saturday, January 17th, the Davis County Mustangs held off a late Van Buren County rally to claim a 42-39 victory and keep the rivalry trophy in Bloomfield.
Game Summary
Van Buren County came out firing in the first quarter, racing to a 14-7 lead behind four three-pointers from four different starters—Adalyn Snowgren, Kayley Snowgren, Marlee Mertens, and Sophia Jirak. Davis County responded with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 14-13, but the Warriors closed the quarter strong to take a 20-13 advantage.
The second quarter belonged to the Mustangs, who won the frame 7-4 to trim the halftime deficit to 24-20. The third quarter proved pivotal as Davis County’s defense clamped down, holding Van Buren County to just three free throws while outscoring them 11-3 to take a 31-27 lead heading into the fourth.
After scoring 20 points in the first quarter, the Warriors managed just seven combined points in the second and third quarters.
Fourth Quarter Drama
Van Buren County came back to life in the final period, retaking the lead at 36-31. Halle Husted and Mayson Utt responded for Davis County, tying the game at 36-36 with 2:59 remaining. Husted broke the tie with 1:25 left to make it 38-36, ending a scoring drought for both teams.
On the Warriors’ next possession, Marlee Mertens converted a crucial and-one floater to put Van Buren County back ahead 39-38 with 1:03 remaining. Utt answered by banking home a basket through the Warriors’ press with 55 seconds left, giving Davis County a 40-39 lead.
Kayley Snowgren’s three-point attempt from the right wing missed with 28 seconds remaining. Davis County secured the rebound and called timeout. Out of the timeout, Utt found Husted for a close-range basket with 10 seconds left, extending the lead to 42-39.
Mertens had one final chance to tie the game with a three-pointer from the left wing, but the shot missed as time expired while players fought for the rebound.
Van Buren County Leaders
Adalyn Snowgren led the Warriors with 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and zero turnovers. Sophia Jirak added 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Marlee Mertens contributed nine points, five rebounds, two assists, and a block. Kayley Snowgren finished with five points, five rebounds, two assists, and four steals. Daphny Wells grabbed five rebounds and blocked a shot.
Ava Loeffler and Ali Pedretti each pulled down two rebounds and one rebound respectively, while Elli Daugherty and Maddie Cocherell also saw action.
Davis County Leaders
Halle Husted paced the Mustangs with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 10 of her points in the second half. She also added three assists and two steals. Mayson Utt provided nine clutch points, seven rebounds, an assist, and committed zero turnovers off the bench. Culee Smith contributed six points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Hayden Humphrey grabbed seven rebounds without a turnover while adding two points. Nadia Zmolek finished with four points, four rebounds, and an assist. Payley Poe recorded two points, five rebounds, four steals, a block, and zero turnovers. Paylin Lawson added a rebound, an assist, and a steal. Morgan Schultz contributed two points, two rebounds, a steal, and zero turnovers. Olivia Robinson and Ella Day also saw action.
By the Numbers
Van Buren County shot 33.3% from the field (13-of-39) but connected on 41.2% of their three-point attempts (7-of-17). The Warriors made 6-of-8 free throws and grabbed 33 rebounds while dishing out nine assists and recording six steals. They committed 15 turnovers and 11 fouls.
Davis County shot 35.4% from the field (17-of-48) and struggled from beyond the arc at 16.7% (2-of-12). The Mustangs made 6-of-12 free throws and dominated the boards with 43 rebounds. They recorded 11 assists and 12 steals while committing 12 turnovers and 12 fouls.
Davis County head coach Matt Zeitler credited his team’s defense and acknowledged some fortunate breaks in how the Mustangs managed to rally back into the game.
Season Context
The loss dropped Van Buren County to 9-6 after suffering back-to-back defeats on consecutive days. The Warriors fell to 10th-ranked Mediapolis 73-22 on Friday night before Saturday’s heartbreaker.
Davis County improved to 10-3 on the season, reaching double-digit wins for the third consecutive year. The victory also served as revenge for last year’s 51-46 loss to Van Buren County in Keosauqua, now keeping the Fox River Rivalry trophy in Bloomfield.
Photography submitted by Matt Zeitler.
