Entering Friday night’s conference matchup with rival Spencer, Spirit Lake’s KJ Veldman needed 15 points to reach 1,000 for her career. Early in the fourth quarter, the All-State guard stepped to the free throw line sitting on 999 and sank the second of two tries. Veldman becomes the third member of the 1,000-point club in program history (Amber Kirschbaum – 1,259; Kaisha Brown – 1,087). She is also the youngest to get there, doing so as a junior. As for the game, the Indians found themselves on top by a bucket after a back-and-forth first quarter and never relinquished the lead, earning a 45-33 win over the Tigers. Veldman led all scorers with 18 points, connecting two of Spirit Lake’s five 3-pointers. Cara Vale pitched in with eleven points, all in the second half. Ashley Mahrt and Ashley Williams combined for nearly a third of the Tigers points, scoring eleven and ten, respectively. Spencer falls to 7-6 overall and 3-4 overall. They host Cherokee on Tuesday. Spirit Lake reaches double digit wins at 10-3, while going to 5-2 overall and will host county rival Okoboji on Saturday. That matchup will air on KUOO.
Click here for postgame interview with KJ Veldman and coach Rick Reinking.
Emmetsburg let a 15-point first half lead evaporate at Cherokee Friday before the E-Hawks regrouped to win the fourth quarter by six, and eventually the game, 50-45 over the Braves. Paige Naig dropped in 17 points, with Ashton Connelly reachgni 14 points and Alexa Naig ten. Emmetsburg boasts an 8-5 record overall and a 3-4 mark in league play. They travel to second-ranked Estherville-Lincoln Central on Tuesday for a game on Y100.
The Midgets will enter that game in sole possession of first place in the Lakes Conference, following last night’s narrow 42-41 victory over Western Christian, who lost for the first time in league play. Also, LeMars routed Storm Lake, 46-19.
A four-point third quarter doomed Okoboji on Friday night, as Sioux Center overcame a six-point Pioneers lead at halftime to win in Milford, 44-35. The Warriors outscored Okoboji 27 to 12 in the second half. Skylar Hanson registered nearly half of the Pioneers points, finishing with 17 on the night. Amber Bakker paced Sioux Center with 19. Okoboji drops to 4-10 overall and 3-9 in the Siouxland Conference. A county showdown at Spirit Lake is set for Saturday night on KUOO.
Click here for the postgame interview with coach Abby Goodlaxson.
The rest of the Siouxland games saw Boyden-Hull down Sheldon, 47-35. Central Lyon topped Rock Valley, 71-34, for a lopsided win. Sibley-Ocheyedan earned their fourth league win, beating George-Little Rock by a point, 48-47. And third-ranked MOC-Floyd Valley won a laugher at West Lyon, 79-15.
In the Cornbelt Conference, Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire fell for the eighth-straight game, a 61-51 setback at CWL. And West Bend-Mallard topped Clay Central-Everly, 67-18.
Elsewhere, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn lost a War Eagle game on their home floor, 50-41 to Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn. Also, Sioux Central won for the 14th time in 15 games, pounding Southeast Webster-Grand, 67-18.
North of the border, Southwest Star Concept lost, 68-42, to Edgerton, and Worthington ran by Redwood Valley, 76-45.
