Northeast Nodaway’s girls avoided a letdown against Union Star, breaking open a tight game in the second half and pulling away for a 42-22 win Tuesday night, January 30th. After a long slump at the end of December and the start of January, the Bluejays finally righted the ship with two wins over Maysville and wins over Stanberry and King City to win the King City Tournament. But Union Star, after a bad start, was finally finding their footing under new skipper Ken Holdsworth, who is doing the girls as well as the boys this year for the Trojans. They got wins over Tri-County and North Nodaway to grab the consolation trophy at Gilman City.
Gone is the chaotic brand of basketball under Josh Rector,
who made the Trojans into a dangerous team who could put points on the board against
anyone. In is ball control on offense, closing out the driving lanes and the
inside with skyscraper Kelly Clibon anchoring the defense, and highly physical
play, especially on anyone trying to bring it into the paint. With only six
players on the squad, this could be Union Star’s last season on the girls side
unless they find more bodies to put on the floor next year, as two of their
current players, including Clibon graduate.
“I’ve been warning the girls about this game for two days,”
said Bluejay skipper Sheldon Saxton. It looked like a perfect trap game,
especially since the Bluejays were coming off some big wins and they had beaten
the Trojans handily earlier in the season. Three years ago, North Nodaway came
into Union Star only to run into a 62-59 buzzsaw. But after some anxious
moments in the first half, the Bluejays finally took control in the second and
got their fifth straight win.
Jill Boswell hit from the right side and Baylie Busby drove
and scored to make it 4-0. Clibon got Union Star on the board, but Auffert hit
two free throws to make it 6-1. But then the hacking and fouling started,
starting with Auffert going to the bench with two fouls. Baylie Busby scored
three to make it 9-2, only to follow Auffert to the bench with two fouls as
Star chipped away behind Clibon and Kenzie Pettijohn to make it 9-6.
After a defensive standoff that lasted the first three
minutes of the second quarter, Jill Boswell got a steal and turned it into two
free throws to make it 11-6. Auffert picked up her third foul, but Boswell hit
from outside, Busby got a steal, and then Busby went coast to coast and made
one of two to make it 16-6.
But after Clibon struck to make it 16-8, Busby got the ball
away from her on an offensive rebounding situation only for the referee to blow
a late whistle and call her for her third foul. But the Bluejays couldn’t blame
the officials for missing four straight free throws as the Trojans chipped away
for the remainder of the half, getting their deficit down to 16-12 before
Boswell scored to make it 18-12 at the half.
But Busby came back to start the third quarter and this time
stayed out of foul trouble. She started off with a steal and finished. Then,
Jill Boswell got a steal, fed Busby, who kicked it out to Brianna Meyer to make
it 22-10. Busby got it into Auffert, then Busby scored off a Brianna Meyer
steal, then knocked down a baseline shot after Meyer got her the ball again.
Busby then went coast to coast to make it 30-12.
Union Star then started extending their defense, creating
more pressure and getting more stops. Kenzie Pettijohn hit one of two from the
line, missed the second, but Clibon put it back in. Auffert picked up her
fourth foul and Clibon hit another free throw to cut the Trojan deficit to
30-16 after three.
Brianna Meyer was getting Busby the ball inside at will in
the fourth quarter as she scored a free throw, drawing Clibon’s fourth foul,
and then Busby scored again to make it 33-16. Clibon came out of nowhere to
jump a pass and score, but Busby got a steal and scored, and Auffert added a
putback to make it 37-18. Clibon slashed and scored to make it 37-20, but Busby
hit a free throw and scored off a steal and Auffert grabbed a putback and drew
Clibon’s fifth foul for the dagger to make it 42-20.
Baylie Busby had 24 to lead the Bluejays. Jill Boswell and
Dalanie Auffert had 8 each, and Brianna Meyer had 2.
Dalanie Auffert had 9 boards despite sitting much of the
night with foul trouble. Baylie Busby had 5, Blair Nelson 4, Hayley Yost 3,
Jill Boswell and Sasha Deardorff 2 each, and Hadley DeFreece, Mylee Wilmes, and
Brianna Meyer 1 each. Blair Nelson and Hayley Yost gave the Bluejays valuable
minutes off the bench when they were needed.
Brianna Meyer had 5 assists. Baylie Busby had 3, Dalanie
Auffert 2, and Hayley Yost and Hadley DeFreece had 1.
Baylie Busby had 6 tips. Jill Boswell, Brianna Meyer, and
Hadley DeFreece had 2 and Sasha Deardorff had 1.
Baylie Busby had 6 steals. Brianna Meyer had 5, Jill Boswell
and Dalanie Auffert 3, and Sasha Deardorff, Mylee Wilmes, Blair Nelson, and
Hayley Yost had 1 each.
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