Panthers rally for second win

In a game marred by 53 total turnovers and 24 missed free throws, the Creston girls did just enough to win their home opener Monday night.

Scoring a game-high 16 points, Panther junior guard Kadley Bailey capped a Panther comeback in the fourth quarter with the final three points of the night from the free throw line for a 46-43 victory over West Central Valley.

The win moved Creston to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2015 going into Tuesday’s game at Panorama.

“I’m proud of the kids,” said Creston coach Tony Neubauer. “They found a way to win the basketball game. Our kids have been good in close games. We have some grit with that.”

It wasn’t a clean game from an offensive standpoint as Creston finished with 23 turnovers while forcing 30 by the Wildcats. The Panthers converted 18 of 34 free throws and West Central Valley was 4-of-12. Creston shot 29.3% from the field and the Wildcats shot marginally better at 35.4%.

Balanced scoring

The Panthers had balance behind Bailey’s 16 points, however, as Ava Adamson and Hollynn Rieck each tallied eight points, with six each turned in by Ella Turner and Brynn Tussey.

“It looked like a November basketball game,” Neubauer said. “We have to make more free throws and take better care of the basketball, but the kids made some plays down the stretch. You know, I’ve been to five state tournaments and eight regional finals, but this is the first team I’ve had start out 2-0. I had one team 0-2, and the other times it was always 1-1. If we can go up to Panorama tomorrow night and get that one to go into the break 3-0, that would be great heading into the Winterset game next Monday.”

Both teams had their moments with a lead during the first three quarters. Creston struggled offensively in falling behind 13-9 in the first quarter with nine turnovers.

After trailing 17-11 with 4:06 left in the second quarter, the Panthers proceeded to score eight unanswered points to take a 19-17 halftime lead.

The Wildcats started strong in the third quarter in taking a 28-23 lead. Bailey passed the assists to Rieck for two straight transition baskets and and Rieck added a free throw after the second one to close it to 29-28.

Late rally

The Wildcats led 33-29 entering the fourth quarter and had a five-point cushion (38-33) with just under five minutes to play. From that point Creston outscored West Central Valley 13-5.

That stretch included a 3-pointer by Turner and two straight buckets from behind the arc by Bailey that pushed the Panthers into a 43-38 lead. But the cushion was short-lived.

Emily Partlow, who led West Central Valley with 12 points, scored a 2-pointer and sophomore guard Addilyn Richter hit one of her three 3-pointers to get the game even again at 43-43 with 1:00 left. That would be the final scoring by the Wildcats as Bailey finished with 3-of-4 free throws in a wild final 42 seconds that included turnovers by both teams.

Finally, with 1.1 seconds left, Bailey drained two free throws for the final 46-43 margin.

“Kadley is steady for us,” Neubauer said. “Ava started attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line. That was big for us. Earlier we were trying to pass through arms instead of moving and getting a better angle. We’re athletic and we have to attack the rim. We have little things that we have to do better, but this gives us something to build on.”

Creston’s JV also won a tight game, 19-16, to move to 2-0.

W. CENTRAL VALLEY (43) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 17 4-13 43. Emily Partlow 6 0-1 12, Addilyn Richter 3 0-0 9, Hope Hammond 3 1-2 7, Malia Fuller 2 1-4 5, Macy Long 1 2-6 5, Abbie Belden 1 0-0 3, Tia Williams 1 0-0 2. FG shooting — 13-46 (35.4 percent). 3-point goals — 5-23 (Richter 3, Belden 1, Long 1). Turnovers — 30. Team fouls — 22. Fouled out — Long, Partlow.

CRESTON (46) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 12 18-34 46. Kadley Bailey 5 4-6 16, Hollynn Rieck 3 2-3 8, Ava Adamson 1 5-11 8, Brynn Tussey 2 2-6 6, Ella Turner 1 3-6 6, Braylee Pokorny 0 2-2 2. FG shooting — 12-41 (29.3 percent). 3-point goals — 4-17 (Bailey 2, Turner 1, Adamson 1). Rebounds — 27 (B. Tussey 7, Bailey 7, Rieck 5, Turner 4, Adamson 2, Braylee Pokorny 2). Assists — 10 (Rieck 4, Bailey 3). Steals — 17 (Turner 4, Tussey 4, Bailey 3). Blocked shots — 4 (Turner 4, Tussey 1). Turnovers — 23. Team fouls — 18. Fouled out — none.