(Avoca) Audubon devised a strong defensive game plan, executed it well, and got a lot of things to break their way in handing AHSTW their first loss of the season in girls basketball. The Wheeler’s cap off a big week with a 54-48 overtime win in Avoca. It was the team’s 4th straight win and follows their first victory over Treynor in seven years.
Aleah Hermansen played her best when it mattered most and contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals. The sophomore standout went 5/8 from the field and 3/4 beyond the arc. Three-point shooting was a big plus for the Wheelers on the night. They made 9 from long range on the night including 7 in the 2nd half. None was bigger than senior Leah Subbert’s only basket of the night which essentially put the game out of reach in the closing moments of overtime. Subbert finished with 10 points and spearheaded a great showing at the free-throw line. Subbert went 7/7 and the team was 17/20 compared to AHSTW’s 3/5. The Lady Vikes attempted just one free throw in the 2nd half. Subbert is an incredible 27/28 from the line on the season, that’s 96.4%.
Rylie Hartl came up big from 3-point range with 4 makes on the night and McKenna Petersen hit one off the bench. The team shot 9/16 (56.5%) from long range on the night, a far improvement from their 24/91 (26.4%) prior to Friday. Petersen and Hartl who had combined for just four made three’s on the year, ended up with five between the two of them in the upset over the #13 ranked team in Class 2A. Hartl finished with a career high 16 points. Jaci Christensen had 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists in the win.
The Wheelers won despite being outscored 11-2 in the 2nd quarter. The game featured 9 lead changes and 6 ties. AHSTW struggled from the field as Audubon packed the paint and made a point of taking away the top four scoring options for the Lady Vikes. Claire Harris had a team high 12 points, Claire Denning had 11, and Kailey Jones finished with 10.
Audubon Scoring: Aleah Hermansen 16, Rylie Hartl 16, Leah Subbert 10, Jaci Christensen 7, McKenna Petersen 3, Mallory Riebhoff 2
AHSTW Scoring: Claire Harris 12, Claire Denning 11, Kailey Jones 10, Kinsey Scheffler 7, Julia Kock 6, Morgan Heiny 2