(Elk Horn) Exira-EHK hosts CAM in a Rolling Valley Conference doubleheader Friday night. Both games will air on KSOM with live video at WesternIowaToday.com.
In the previous girls meeting it was Exira-EHK prevailing 62-58. Spartan coach Tom Petersen was asked what set his team over the top. “Probably pretty much luck in a lot of situations.” Petersen says, “You can take a few things away from the first game, but everyone has improved a lot. It’s going to come down to execution and it’s going to be a tough challenge for our kids.”
CAM is led by Eva Steffensen averaging 19.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. The junior shoots 50.7% from the field and has scored at least 25 points in two of the last three games. “It’s going to come down to all five girls being on the same page defensively.” Petersen says, “You’re not going to stop a lot of them, you just have to try to hopefully limit some of their touches. Every time we play them it usually comes down to the wire.”
On January 3rd the Spartans lost to Woodbine 38-37. It was their first conference loss since January 25th, 2019. They’ve responded with five straight wins. “Offensively we just didn’t make a lot of shots. 3/23 from the 3-point line. Our defense kept us in the game. It went back and forth the entire game. It’s something you learn from. It’s a loss, but the ‘L’ stands for learn.”
Quinn Grubbs leads the Spartans with averages of 17.7 points, 4.5 rebounds. 4.3 assists, and 3.9 steals per game. Other double digit scorers for Exira-EHK include Jaelynn Petersen (13.2 ppg) and Shay Burmeister (12.5 ppg).
Exira-EHK coach Tom Petersen:
