Missed rebounds and free throws plague GHV girls

Poor rebounding and missed free throws cost the Garner-Hayfield/Ventura girls a win on Tuesday, Dec. 19, against Osage (3-0, 6-0).

“This game came down to two of the most important phases of the game, rebounding and free throw shooting.  We failed miserably in both areas and as a result we let this game get away from us,” said Coach Matt Erpelding.

The Cardinals came out strong and focused, and put up 11 points to Osage’s six in the first quarter.  Scoring was more balanced in the second quarter, but GHV still managed a one point lead, 19-18, heading into half time.

      “We got off to a very good start by being patient offensively and breaking them down for high percentage shots,” said Erpelding.  “Then once they were able to score and get into their three-quarter court pressure we started to speed up offensively and lose our composure, which led to poor decisions.”

      Osage capitalized on GHV’s poor rebounding and pumped in 16 points in the third quarter to GHV’s 10. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Cardinals got to within five points, 42-37.  They had the chance to close the gap even more, but missed free-throws and rushed shots ended their chances as Osage closed the game with a 43-37 victory.

      The Cardinals gave up 20 offensive rebounds, which led to 13 of Osage’s 43 points. Also plaguing GHV was their free throw shooting, hitting only five of 16 shots, for 31 percent from the line.

     “Our free throw shooting has been a glaring problem for us all year and it certainly hampered our chances in this one,” said Erpelding.

      On the up side, the Cardinals held Osage to 28.3 percent shooting.  Coach Erpelding was also impressed with his team’s turnovers.  The team only had 15 turnovers, which according to the coach is a drastic improvement from previous games.

        Maddie Tusha led the team on both offense and defense, picking up 10 points, seven rebounds, one steal, one block and one assist.

      Shelby Rayhons and Emily Spilman scored eight points apiece, while Grace Tusha added seven.  

      Other rebounding leaders included Rayhons and Mackenzie Haag with five boards apiece and Tiara Van Gerpen and Sydney Younge each grabbed four rebounds.

    Spilman led the team in steals and assists, with five steals and three assists.

    “Until we can put a complete game together we are going to have difficulty beating quality competition.  We will learn from this performance and move on, knowing we are capable of correcting the problems we had in this one,” said Erpelding.

    The Cardinals’ record now stands at 2-1, 3-3.

    Due to early holiday deadlines, the results of the GHV vs. Central Springs game, along with pictures, will be printed in next week’s edition of the Clear Lake Mirror-Reporter.