Junior high girls wrap up season

After the Thanksgiving break, Superior hosted the Sutton Fillies for two junior high games on Dec. 3. The B team tipped off first. The Cats got off to a slow start, trailing at the half 6 to 2. Nothing would fall for Superior in the third, but the Cats made a comeback in the fourth, pulling within three. A last second shot attempt from beyond the arc missed the mark, and the Cats fell to the Fillies 12 to 9. Ariana Heusinkvelt led Superior with eight points and Ava Kirchhoff made a free throw.

The A team would go to battle next. Superior won the tip and then the action was back and forth with the Cats taking a one point lead to the locker room at the half. The Cats pulled away in the third quarter and the left the Fillies behind for good in the fourth, taking the 29 to 12 win. Sadie Cornell was high scorer with 11, followed by Halle Bargen with eight, Mia Gardner with six, Faith Butler and Rayne Biltoft with two each.

Next stop was the Blue Hill Tournament on Dec.5. Four schools entered one team each. Superior took on the Red Cloud Warriors in round one. The Cats came out strong, taking a commanding 33 to 8 lead into halftime. Red Cloud nearly matched Superior's scoring output in the second half, but the Cats came out on top with a 45 to 19 victory. Sadie Cornell had a tourney high 20 points to go with a team high 12 steals. Halle Bargen put up 16 points, and had four steals of her own. Mia Gardner was good for four points. Ava Kirchhoff and Cora Schnakenberg each had two, and Faith Butler had one.

Superior took on the host Blue Hill Bobcats in the championship game. In a hard fought first half, Blue Hill led by one point at the break. Superior pulled away with a ten point lead after the third, and finished with a 40 to 22 victory.

It was a balanced scoring attack with all five Wildcat starters putting points on the board. Halle Bargen led the way with 17 points, with Sadie Cornell putting up 16 points including two buckets from beyond the arc. Faith Butler had a 3-pointer of her own. Rayne Biltoft had a field goal and made one from the free-throw line. Mia Gardner added a free-throw of her own. Halle Bargen grabbed the most boards with nine and she took her third charge of the season! Ariana Heusinkvelt was close behind with seven boards. The trio of Cornell, Bargen and Gardner each had three steals, and Gardner led the team in assists.

The final contest of the season was a home tournament. Superior met the Sandy Creek Cougars in the first round. After winning the tip, the Cats shut the Cougars out in the first quarter and took a 23 to 2 lead into the half. Superior outscored Sandy Creek in the second half, and went on to a 41 to 18 victory. Halle Bargen led all scorers with 16, followed by Sadie Cornell with 10. Faith Butler was good for five, Ava Kirchhoff had four. Mia Gardner and Ariana Heusinkvelt each put up two, and Khloe Mundorf sunk a buzzer beating shot to close out the game. Superior defeated Sandy Creek 41 to 18. Bargen again pulled down the most rebounds with nine, the backcourt duo of Butler and Cornell each snagged six steals.

For the second time in 10 days, Superior took on Blue Hill in the championship game. After a first quarter tie, Superior shut the Bobcats out in the second quarter, taking a 10 point lead at the half. The Cats dominated the second half and went on to a 49 to 19 victory. Halle Bargen led all scorers with 20 points and had a team-high nine rebounds. Sadie Cornell followed with nine points of her own, including the only 3-pointer of the game. Rayne Biltoft and Mia Gardner each chipped in six. Ava Kirchhoff, Cora Schnakenberg, and Faith Butler each had two points. Gardner led the team in assists, and six Wildcats combined for 14 steals.

Between the A and B teams, the final record for Superior Junior High girls basketball was 12 wins and 1 loss (by 3 points). The future looks bright!