Nips Elmwood with late rally, 46-43
By JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post
BRIMFIELD – The seniors stepped up just in time for Brimfield Monday night.
A Senior Night game that the Lady Indians looked to have won in the third quarter suddenly started slipping away down the stretch. After leading by 12 points late in the third, the state’s No. 2 ranked Class 1A girls basketball somehow trailed young upstart Elmwood, 41-38, with 2:30 left.
Defensive-minded Elmwood (20-5, 5-1 Prairieland Conference) had the lead and the momentum … right up until senior Ella Lune rebounded a teammate’s missed free throw and was fouled.
Lune, who led all scorers with 20 points, made both free throws for Brimfield’s first points of the final quarter.
Then, following a Liv Meyers layup on a pretty feed from Trojans teammate Melody Glenn, senior guard Elynn Peterson drove the lane for a layup for Brimfield. After an Elmwood missed shot, Lune made a power move into the low post to score again for a 44-43 lead Brimfield (22-4, 6-0) would not yield.
Peterson then made two of her final four free throws and the Lady Indians escaped an upset-minded Elmwood team that for most of the fourth quarter was the aggressor.
“I watched Elmwood before. They played some pretty decent teams and they really came out strong,” Lune said. “We didn’t expect Elmwood to be like this. This really helps us focus on what we need to work on.”
Coach Maribeth Dura offered up a long list of things to work on following the game. More hustle. Better free throw shooting. Better shot selection. A faster pace on offense.
“I don’t know if it’s the Homecoming weekend and all that or what, but we were just not ourselves,” Dura said. “We are lucky to get out with a win playing as bad as we did.
“I thought we just came out really lethargic from the get go.”
Elmwood Coach Gregg Meyers was happier with his team’s performance.
“Our defense has been what we have to rely on and I thought they did a good job,” he said. “I was also really pleased that we kept playing basketball. We didn’t stop and start getting, ‘Oh, we’re playing the second-ranked team in the state’ and get in awe. We kept playing our game, which I’m really proud of our girls for doing that.”
The Trojans had a chance to tie with 3.7 seconds left, but were unable to inbound.
“Close games, we haven’t had a whole bunch of them and I think that kind of bit us a little bit,” Coach Meyers said. “I think we’ll be better because of this.”
Meyers’ other main complaint was 40 percent free-throw shooting that he said “killed” Elmwood. The Trojans shot 50 percent from the field.
Liv Meyers (7 rebounds) led Elmwood with 16 points, including 8 in the first quarter to counter Lune, who scored her team’s first 11 points. Mae Herman (11 rebounds, 4 assists) and Melody Glenn added 13 points apiece for Elmwood while Peterson had 9 for Brimfield and Sophie Bedell added 8.
As far as a rematch, if seedings go as expected, the next time these teams could meet would be in a sectional final.
Last Thursday, Brimfield had tuned up with a 63-29 home win over Bushnell-Prairie City. Lune scored 25 and Bedell had 14.
Elmwood topped South Fulton last Thursday, 48-31, as Glenn had 21 on seven 3-pointers and Liv Meyers added 15.
Elmwood is home vs. Lewistown today while Brimfield is at Illini Bluffs today and home vs. Normal U-High on Saturday.
Princeville
The Lady Princes (15-8, 6-2 LTC) lost to Abingdon-Avon Monday, 69-57, dimming their league title hopes. Caitlyn Thole led Princeville with 22 points.
“We scored enough points, but we sure didn’t hold them down at all,” Coach John Gross said.
The Lady Princes had won two games convincingly last week, beating Midland last Thursday, 56-14, and on Jan. 26 ousting Monmouth United, 62-29.
Farmington
After losing two games without top scorer Reece Putrich last week, the Lady Farmers (10-15) enjoyed her return Saturday in a 54-36 win over Kewanee.
Putrich was one of four Farmington players in double figures after a week in which the Farmers’ offense struggled to get going. Putrich and Delaney Foster scored 11 apiece, Riley Jansen led with 12 and Emma Evans tallied 10.
“I was really happy with how we played and it felt like we finally got our team back together,” Coach Brad Whitcomb said.
Whitcomb praised Jansen for stepping up last week. She had 7 in a 26-25 loss to South Fulton last Thursday. Delaney Foster led with 8.
“We struggled getting going on offense early, then gave up some big offensive rebounds late that led to some of their free throws,” Whitcomb said.
Farmington also lost last Friday to Canton, 39-32.
