GHV girls end week on an upswing with two big wins

(Above) GHV freshman Chloe Frank has been putting up the numbers for the Cardinals.  During Friday night’s Coaches vs. Cancer game against Lake Mills, Frank scored 32-points.  She was six-for-10 from the three-point arc.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

By Michelle Watson

The Garner-Hayfield-Ventura girls may have started the week slow, but they ended it on a strong upswing.  Not only did they pick up two wins, they also set some new school records in the process.  The Cardinals moved their record to 9-6, 9-9.

Bishop Garrigan 59, GHV 52

It was a tale of two halves Monday night, when the GHV girls traveled to Bishop Garrigan (8-3, 11-4).  The Golden Bears won the first half, but the Cardinals claimed the second half.  Unfortunately for GHV, Bishop Garrigan scored more points in their half and the Cardinals fell, 59-52.

“As a team we struggled in the first half with decision making and committing turnovers,” said Coach Matt Frank.  “The team adjusted well after the half, outscoring them by six and only having five turnovers.”

Strong shooting from the perimeter in the first quarter and a seven point run at the end of the quarter gave Bishop Garrigan a 22-12 at the end of the period.

The Golden Bears followed that with a nine-point run to open the second quarter for a 31-12 lead.  Morgan Ryerson got things rolling for the Cardinals with a three-point shot followed by two free throws, 31-17.  The half ended with GHV trailing by 13, 33-20.

The Golden Bears came back and picked up where they left up, scoring the first five points of the second half.  The Cardinals finally found their groove and put in nine unanswered points to close the gap, 38-29.

Heading in to the fourth quarter the Cards trailed by 10, 47-37.  Free throws were the shot of choice in the fourth, with GHV connecting on five and Bishop Garrigan sinking 10, five of those coming in the last minute of play.  Despite their best efforts, the Cardinals couldn’t make up the first half deficit and fell, 59-52.

Jayden Frank had a strong game for the Cards, scoring 21-points.  She also led in rebounds with eight.

Rounding out the scoring was Chloe Frank with 10, Jade Hanson had nine, Ryerson scored eight and Mara Anderson had four points.

Hanson also had a strong night under the basket with seven rebounds.  Ryerson and Anderson had four apiece.

Ryerson led the team in assists with four and in steals with three.  Anderson also had three steals.  Hanson and Ryerson had two blocked shots apiece.

GHV 75, Lake Mills 51

A very focused effort helped the Cardinals to a 75-51 victory over Lake Mills (5-8, 7-10) on Friday, Jan. 25.  GHV put their press and transition game on display early and did not look back.

“We felt we had something to prove after being challenged by Lake Mills earlier in the year,” said Coach Matt Frank.  “We knew we had to stop Jessa Gasteiger, who scored 25-points against us. She was the focus of our defense and Chloe Frank was tasked with shutting her down.”

Frank did a sensational job of keeping Gasteiger out of the game, limiting her to just one-point.

The first half was exciting for the Cardinals, as they scored 40-points.  GHV’s defense was stellar in the second quarter, holding Lake Mills to just six points.  The

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Cardinals took a comfortable 40-19 lead into the break.

The Bulldogs came back from the locker room and outscored the Cardinals 17-13 in the third quarter.

Chloe Frank was on fire from behind the three-point line in the fourth quarter, hitting three treys before being subbed out in the final minute of play.  Coach Frank was able to play 14 players and nine of them scored.

Chloe Frank had her best game of the season.  The freshman had 32-points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals.  She was 6/10 from the three-point line

Also scoring in double figures was Jayden Frank with 12 and Jade Hanson had 11-points.

Jayden Frank led the team under the boards with 10 rebounds.  Jade Hanson grabbed seven and Mara Anderson hauled in six.

The team was sharing the ball well, with 21 assists.  Morgan Ryerson led the charge with six assists.  Jayden Frank dished out five.

Ryerson also had five steals and one blocked shot.

GHV 75, Eagle Grove 52

The Cardinals faced a much improved Eagle Grove (2-11, 2-15) team on Saturday, Jan. 26.

“I told the girls that it’s important to not overlook their record and to play our game,” said Coach Matt Frank.  “It was not a cleanly played game, but we were able to have control.”

Not only did the Cardinals post a victory over the Eagles, but the team also had other major accomplishments.  Lending to the Cardinal win was an amazing field goal percentage.  GHV was 23/27 in field goals.  Another highlight of the night was Chloe Frank breaking the freshman scoring record, set by her sister, Jayden, last season. The team also broke the GHV record for three-pointers in a season. Five players scored in double figures and 12 of 13 players who saw playing time scored. The future looks bright for the Cardinals.

The team cruised to a 40-23 lead by halftime.  They kept up the pace for the 75-52 win.

Morgan Ryerson had strong game, collecting 11-points, six rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

“Morgan’s adjustment to the starting line-up has been really good,” said Coach Frank.  “She is playing well on both ends of the court and gaining confidence every game.”

Others scoring in double figures include Chloe Frank with 16, and Jade Hanson, Nicole Upmeyer and Vanessa Olson all had 10-points each.

Other rebounding leaders included Mara Anderson with six, Jayden Frank hauled in five and Jade Hanson ended with four rebounds.

Anderson posted other strong stats, with five assists and three steals.  Lorna Whelan had three steals and one blocked shot.

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