LHS girls defeat Western Christian, Vermillion; suffer first loss of season at Hanson Classic

Last week was a busy one for the Lennox High School girls’ basketball team who had a trio of games.

On Jan. 13 the Orioles defeated Western Christian, IA by a score of 66-22; on Jan. 15 they defeated Vermillion, 60-24, and on Saturday, Jan. 17 the Orioles went head to head with undefeated Mahpiya Luta at the Hanson Classic. Mahpiya Luta earned the 66-56 win, handing Lennox their first loss of the season. 

“It was a fun atmosphere against a quality opponent, and the team truly appreciated all the fans who made the trip for a late game—it made the night special,” said LHS head coach Adam Quail. “We started the game well, but in the second quarter we took some chances by changing up our defenses, and that didn’t work in our favor. We also struggled at times against their pressure, but now that we’ve seen it, we’ll be better prepared the next time we face it. In a game that could have gone either way, Mahpiya Luta ultimately made a few more plays down the stretch, which proved to be the difference.”

Against Mahpiya Luta, Lennox shot over 45 percent in the game but watched as their opponents shot over 57 percent.

Lennox had three athletes in double figures with Andie Peters leading the way with 18 points. She also had two rebounds. Bergan Musser finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and one assist. Karlie Bosma had ten points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Tori Gerdes finished with eight points, seven rebounds, a team high six assists and one steal. Adie McVey had three points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Teagen Strum had two points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals. Niederbaumer finished with two points, one rebound and one steal.

Lennox lead by as many as eight in the opening quarter in a game that saw the lead change five times. 

Prior to the Hanson Classic, the Orioles hosted Vermillion on Jan. 15 and held the Tanagers scoreless after the opening quarter, leading 19-0. Lennox continued to dominate to get the 60-24 win. 

“I was extremely impressed with how we carried out the defensive game plan. We were really able to slow Vermillion down, keeping them scoreless through the first period,” said Quail. “It felt great getting a convincing DAK XII win versus a team that has had our number the past couple years in front of a packed gym!” 

Sturm led the team with ten points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Peters, Bosma, and Gerdes each scored nine points. Peters also grabbed five rebounds, had four assists and one steal. Bosma had four rebounds, four assists and one steal and Gerdes had nine rebounds, one assist and one steal. 

McVey finished with seven points on the night, going three of four from the field. She grabbed four rebounds and had three steals. Musser and Niederbaumer each had six points. Musser also had three rebounds, three assists and one steal. Niederbaumer had six rebounds. Libby Kranz finished with four points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Izzy Vargas and Mia Hanisch each had one rebound in the game. 

On Jan. 13 the Orioles dominated Western Christian, IA on the road, leading 46-8 at halftime. 

“We had a great start to this game both offensively and defensively as we felt pretty good going into halftime, having only given up eight points,” said Quail. “I like seeing 20 offensive rebounds in the box score and having nine different players in the scoring column.”

For the Orioles, Niederbaumer finished with 14 points, Gerdes with 13, Sturm with 12, Bosma with ten, Peters with nine, and McVey, Kranz, Musser, and Jayla DeCou each with two. Musser led the team in rebounds with nine in the game. Kranz, and Niederbaumer each had six and Gerdes had five. Sturm, Kranz, and Bosma led in assists with three each. Sturm and Hanisch each had four steals in the game and Gerdes had three. 

The LHS girls were scheduled to travel to Dakota Valley on Jan. 20 and will be at West Central on Thursday, Jan. 22 taking on an 8-1 Trojan team. On Monday, Jan. 26 the Orioles travel to Hamlin for a 6 p.m. game.