Forest City edges Cards in post-season opener

Future looks bright for young Cardinal team

by Marianne Gasaway

Forest City continued to hold the upper hand on Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, as for the third time this season they topped the Cards, 48-44.  The latest victory came in the opening round of Regional basketball play, ending the season for GHV.

“Forest City is a team we know very well, having played twice this season.  We put together a very good game plan to try to limit their offensive flow and best shooter,” explained Coach Matt Frank.

The Cards executed the defensive plan perfectly in the first quarter and held the Indians to seven points.   GHV held a 15-7 advantage after the first eight-minutes of play and was in charge, 24-21, at the half.

“We expected to see man-to-man in the first and their matchup 3-2 the rest of the game and that’s what we saw,” said Frank.  “Our preparation was good.”

The Cards were right where they wanted to be entering the final quarter tied at 33-33.

A couple very deep and timely three-pointers by Jayden Frank and Chloe Frank at opportune times gave the Cards great chances to win.  However, four turnovers late and a missed layup spelled defeat.

“It was a game I feel we should have won, but let it go,” said Coach Frank.  “The kids played hard and fought till the final horn. It was a good season all in all. The team improved vastly from the start of the season. They did everything that was asked of them. The eight seniors will be missed that gave four-years to the program. There is a lot of young talent returning next year and the potential is high.”

That potential includes freshman Chloe Frank, who scored 15-points, and sophomore Jayden Frank, who put in 11 points to go with her team-high seven rebounds.  Senior Jade Hanson ended her high school career with six points and six rebounds against Forest City.  Sophomores Vanessa Olson and Morgan Ryerson each scored four points.  Seniors Mara Anderson and Nicole Upmeyer had three and one point respectively.

GHV 64, Rockford 53

Garner-Hayfield-Ventura dominated every aspect of the game in a 64-53 win over Rockford (9-10) Tuesday night, Feb. 5.  The game was the regular season finale for the Cardinals and put their record at 10-11.

The Cards presented a triple-threat on offense, as Jade Hanson, Jayden Frank and Mara Anderson all scored in double figures.  Hanson, a senior, scored a career high 25-points on 64 percent shooting.  Frank put in 15 points and Anderson finished a season-high 12-points.

GHV got off to a fast start, as they went up 12-5 after one quarter of play and held a 27-23 lead at the half.

“A quick start in the 1st may have prompted some over-confidence,” said Coach Matt Frank.  “The defensive rebounding in the second quarter was not good, resulting in 18 points for them. A very direct challenge to the team at half time resulted in a win.”

The Warriors were able to make some adjustments for the second half, but could not defend the Cards’ inside game.  GHV scored 34 points in the paint, compared to 18 for the Warriors.  The Cards were also good following up on their misses; they scored 11 points on second chance shots.

The remainder of GHV’s scoring was provided by Chloe Frank with six-points, Nicole Upmeyer with three, Vanessa Olson scored two and Kelsey Watson had one-point.

Morgan Ryerson didn’t score, but led the team in rebounds with six.  She also dished out three assists.

“It was fun to go and play a different team late in the season for our conference cross over game,” said Coach Frank.  “It was a good win and accomplished one of our goals for the season of reaching double digit wins.