Panthers cruise in opener, 63-12

DES MOINES — Creston’s defense overwhelmed an inexperienced Des Moines Hoover team Friday, forcing 35 turnovers in cruising to a 63-12 victory in the girls’ season opener.

Creston scored 36 points off turnovers while giving all 12 girls dressed for varsity action plenty of time on the floor in the easy win. The 35-point mercy rule running clock was in effect the entire second half after a commanding 47-3 lead at the break.

Junior guard Kadley Bailey, who plays at the front of Creston’s 1-3-1 zone defense, collected 23 points and eight steals in just two quarters of action. Point guard Hollynn Rieck, who missed Tuesday’s scrimmage against ACGC with an ankle injury, saw limited time but still managed a team-high five assists while scoring eight points.

Freshman guard Jensan Tussey came off the bench to score nine points with four steals. Starting forward Ella Turner grabbed a team-high five rebounds. As a team Creston had 30 steals.

Returning starter Meleah Davis led Hoover with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Hoover attempted only seven two-point shots in the game, finishing 5-of-26 overall from the field.

“We knew we had a pretty good chance of winning this basketball game,” Creston coach Tony Neubauer said. “Kadley is tough for us in the zone. I call her the cerebral assassin. She’s just steady and quiet and does her job. She anticipates well and she’s a little longer (with her reach) than her height. We got out in transition well tonight. It helps to have Hollynn back.”

The win was Neubauer’s 64th as Creston’s head coach beginning his seventh season, becoming the winningest coach of the five-player era. Mike McCabe had 63 wins from 1990-2003, which including the final three years of six-player basketball from 1990-93. Eldon Gammell had more than 200 six-player wins when the program began in the 1970s through 1989.

Creston also sailed in the JV game Friday, 65-3. This was the final year of the contract between Creston and Hoover, which has won only seven varsity games in the past four seasons.

Neubauer said the competition level will be stiffer when the Panthers host West Central Valley Monday night and travel to Panorama on Tuesday before the Thanksgiving break. Both varsity games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (Any girls in grades 3-8 who attended the summer basketball camp will be admitted free Monday night if wearing their camp T-shirt.)

“West Central Valley lost their leading scorer but they are going to be decent,” Neubauer said. “Their coach (Dan Druivenga) has been to five state tournaments (with more than 450 wins) when he was at Panorama and he coaches them well. They will try to pressure. Panorama was in the state championship game last year, but they graduated all but one of those kids. These are two winnable games, but we have to play well.”

DM HOOVER (12) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 5 0-4 12. Meleah Davis 3 0-2 8, Hillary Martinez 1 0-0 2, Eleanor Ekwell 1 0-0 2. FG shooting — 5-26 (19.2 percent). 3-point goals — 2-19 (Davis 2). Steals — 9 (Ekwell 3, Ernestine Kennedy 3). Rebounds — 12 (Davis 3, Kennedy 3). Turnovers — 35. Team fouls — 11. Fouled out — none.

CRESTON (63) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 27 6-10 63. Kadley Bailey 10 1-4 23, Jensan Tussey 4 1-2 9, Hollynn Rieck 3 2-2 8, Kennedy Strider 2 2-2 7, Ava Adamson 2 0-0 4, Braylee Pokorny 2 0-0 4, Brynn Tussey 1 0-0 2, Adyson Morrison 1 0-0 2, Hope Henderson 1 0-0 2, Cora Smith 1 0-0 2. FG shooting — 27-59 (45.7 percent). 3-point goals — 3-8 (Bailey 2, Strider 1). Rebounds — 34 (Ella Turner 5, Henderson 5, Pokorny 4, Strider 3, Morrison 3, Adamson 3). Assists — 14 Rieck 5, Bailey 3, J. Tussey 2). Steals — 30 (Bailey 8, Rieck 4 J. Tussey 4, Turner 2, Adamson 2, Morrison 2, Reese Strunk 2, Smith 2). Turnovers — 17. Team fouls — 6. Fouled out — None.