Both Bearcat teams fell further behind in the MIAA race last week as they both dropped two games. The women lost to Fort Hayes 65-53 and then lost to Washburn by a nearly identical score of 64-53 Saturday. They have some positives to build on, though; they were the first team in almost a month to score over 50 on MIAA leader Washburn. They have been in nearly all of their games this year; the challenge for them down the stretch is to take better care of the ball and finish these games off.
They are now 5-8 in the MIAA standings, which means that they are fighting for their playoff lives. However, most of their remaining games will be at home, where they have played much better.
For the men, their 52-51 win over Emporia put them right back into the title race; however, they did not capitalize on that as they lost by one to Hayes 59-58 and lost 80-67 to Washburn Saturday.
Against Hayes, the women led for much of the first half, but gave up a 12-0 run in the second half in the loss. The Bearcats did one of their best jobs of taking care of the ball this year, limiting their turnovers to 12, one of their lowest totals this year. However, they were killed on the boards as Hayes nearly doubled their total at 45-26. That, plus their 34% shooting, proved to be fatal.
Ashleigh Nelson led the scoring for Northwest with 15 points. Maryville product Meridee Scott followed with 9, Maggie Marnin had 8, and Annie Matthews had 7. Monique Stevens, Alexis Boeh, and Ashley Thayer each had 4 while Tember Schechinger had 2. Northwest landed eight in the scoring column. Annie Matthews led the team with nine boards; however, nobody else had more than 3. Stevens had 5 assists while Alexis Boeh had two blocks.
The men had won two straight games by one point; however, against Hayes, they lost by one. Sometimes, the nature of the game is that if you live on the edge, you fall off the edge at some point. The Bearcats could not hold a nine point lead in the second half as Hayes used strong shooting to come back and win.
DeAngelo Hailey did all he could to help the Bearcats win, getting 23 for the night. Grant Cozad followed with 16. Kyle Schlake, Conner Crooker, and Bryston Williams each had four. Matt Wallace had three while Tyler Funk and Alex Sullivan had two. The challenge for the Bearcats since the loss of Dillon Starzl has been to find some consistency; different people have gone off in different games for the Bearcats. Against Northeastern Oklahoma, it was Conner Crooker and Bryston Williams; against Hayes, it was Cozad and Hailey who went off.
The women had some positive things to look back on despite their loss to Washburn. Playing against one of the best defensive teams in the country, they shot 50% from the field including 63% in the second half. They went back to their bread and butter, feeding their posts with effectiveness. But they turned the ball over too much, surrendering it 24 times, far too many against a team like Washburn.
Maggie Marnin led the scoring for the women, getting 17 points. Annie Matthews followed with 12. Ashleigh Nelson had 9, Tember Schechinger had 7, Monique Stevens had 4, Denise McEnaney had 3, and Alexis Boeh had 1. Monique Stevens had 7 assists and Annie Matthews had 5.
The men suffered their worst loss of the year against Washburn, but found some positives to build on despite the loss. They played evenly for much of the first half; however, a late run by Washburn put them in control 34-22 at the break. The Ichabods continued to pull away to lead by 18 at the 17 minute mark.
In desperation, Coach Ben McCollum put in little-used Kyler Erickson at the 17 minute mark and he showed that he was ready to play, getting 17 points while playing for 16 of the last 17 minutes of the game. Like the Lincoln loss, this game might be a blessing in disguise as the Bearcats showed that they have developed some new-found depth down the stretch.
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