TR Photo by Jake Ryder Marshalltown junior forward Ellie Hughes (35) drives to the hoop past Fort Dodge’s Mackenzie McElrath for two of her eight points in the Bobcats’ 59-34 loss Friday at the Roundhouse.
A more experienced Fort Dodge team outlasted the Marshalltown girls on Friday in a 59-34 defeat to the Bobcats in the Roundhouse.
Fort Dodge sophomore LJ Myhill led the Dodgers with 19 points, dropping the Bobcats to 3-5 overall. Frankie Long and Eli Hughes each had eight points to lead MHS.
“We felt like we could force a lot of bad decisions if we had enough pressure on the ball and kept the ball out of Mayhill’s hands,” Marshalltown coach Brian Murphy said. “We did a pretty good job, especially in the first quarter, but as the game went on and turnovers came in, we didn’t do a good job of sticking to that game plan the whole game.”
The Dodgers led 18-8 after the first quarter and led 27-14 at halftime. Fort Dodge dominated the second half, outscoring MHS 21-5 in the third quarter alone. Mia McCaleb added 17 points for Fort Dodge.
“The other thing we knew was going to be a challenge for us was how to deploy it,” Murphy said. “That puts someone like Frankie in a tough position where she’s more effective under the rim, trying to prevent that from happening. We did a good job of helping her out in the first half but in the third quarter especially, we were too slow to turn over and they made too many easy attempts on the edge.’
Long added eight rebounds and four blocked shots for the Bobcats. Sydney Cabalo and Kinsley Bowie each had three assists.
But 37 turnovers were hastily added for the Bobcats against a Fort Dodge pressure defense.
“It took a lot of iteration to learn from our previous mistakes,” Murphy said. “We showed our age tonight. Our decision-making started to fade after that first quarter as fatigue set in. We have to work on it from a maturity standpoint and make good decisions consistently, regardless of the situation.
Also shuffling the lineup to accommodate missing players is nothing new during the peak of cold and flu season, but it impacts a younger, less experienced team more, Murphy said.
“We’re going to have to continue to work through that,” Murphy said. “I think as the group continues to take shape, we’re really seeing progress. “The next step is to show that progress against a team like Fort Dodge that has a little more experience than we do.”
Marshalltown heads to Des Moines East on Tuesday.
Fort Dodge 59, Marshalltown 34
Fort Dodge (4-3, 1-2) – Mackenzie McElrath 1 3-3 5, Myah McCaleb 7 3-7 17, Ashlyn Wells 2 1-2 5, Brooklyn Boomer 0 0-0 0, LJ Meehl 4 10- 12 19, Destiny Phillips 0 0-0 0, Dakota Boomer 4 0-0 10, Addison Lynch 1 0-2 3, Madison Hucho 0 0-0 0, Janelle Derrigue 0-0 0, Bella Lee 0 0-0 0, Eli Doster 0 0-0 0. Total 19 17-26 59.
Marshalltown (3-5, 1-2) – Amaira Johnson 2 0-0 4, Kinsley Bowie 1 0-0 2, Sydney Cabalo 2 1-3 6, Ellie Hughes 4 0-1 8, Frankie Long 3 2-4 8 , Aubrey Tejada 0 0-0 0, Tania Mora 1 0-0 2, Millie Heitmann 0 0-2 0, Thalia Gallegos 0 0-0 0, Esmeralda Gutierrez Cantu 0 0-0 0, Jorja Janssen 1 0-3 2, Harper Wilson 1 0-0 2. Total 15 3-13 34.
Fort Dodge 18 9 19 11 – 59
MHS 8 6 5 15 – 34
3-Point Goals – FD 4 (D. Boomer 2, Lynch, Myhill), MHS 1 (Cabaio). Team Fouls – FD 15, MHS 17. Out Foul – None.
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TR Photo by Jake Ryder Marshalltown junior forward Ellie Hughes (35) drives to the hoop past Fort Dodge’s Mackenzie McElrath for two of her eight points in the Bobcats’ 59-34 loss Friday at the Roundhouse.
In a highly anticipated matchup, the Fort Dodge girls’ basketball team came out on top with a decisive 59-34 victory over the MHS girls. The game was filled with intense action and impressive performances from both teams, but ultimately it was Fort Dodge who prevailed. This win solidifies Fort Dodge’s position as a force to be reckoned with in the state, while the MHS girls will no doubt be looking to bounce back strong in their next game. The game was a true display of skill and determination, and both teams should be proud of their efforts on the court.