Girls Game
Okoboji beat Rock Valley 48-44 on Thursday night in a hard-fought Siouxland Conference battle. The Pioneers jumped out to an early 11-0 lead behind 9 points from Montana Wilson but the Rockets would not go away and trimmed that lead to 14-6 at the end of the first quarter. Okoboji kept the lead at eight before Rock Valley scored the last three points of the quarter to make it 26-21 at halftime. The Rockets would pull even at 32-32 but a Lynnae Abrahamson 3-pointer put the Pioneers up 35-32 entering the final quarter. The fourth quarter saw both teams go back and forth, with Rock Valley tying it at 37-37 before an Ava Packebush 3-pointer put Okoboji up for good at 40-37. The lead would get to 43-37 after a basket by Montana Wilson but a Tielyr Rozeboom 3-pointer trimmed it to 43-40. Packebush and Carly Carstens would hit clutch free throws in the final few minutes to salt the game away for the Pioneers. Montana Wilson led Okoboji with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks; Ava Packebush added 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists; Lynnae Abrahmson chipped in with 9 points and Carly Carstens added 7 points and 3 assists. Kavri Van Kekerix led Rock Valley with 16 points and Rozeboom added 13 points. Okoboji improves to 10-8 on the season while the Rockets fall to 2-14.
Comments From Okoboji Coach John Adams
“Wow, what a great high school game in an awesome environment. Rock Valley is playing some really good basketball right now; Levi has done a great job with that young group and they just keep battling and improving. We knew it would be a tough game as they just beat MOC-FV and have played teams like Spirit Lake, Sheldon and Boyden-Hull incredibly close. Montana got us off to an excellent start, and then we had some other kids step up in that second half and hit some big-time shots. Makenna Helmers, Lynnae Abrahamson and Ava Packebush all hit some huge 3-pointers for us in that 3rd and 4th quarter, and we did a really good job on the defensive end of the court. Ella Stoll took a huge charge late in the game when we were up 4 that really helped us secure the win, and Ava and Carly Carstens hit some clutch free throws. It was great to have Ava back from her ankle injury; our trainer, Kayla Eisenbacher did a fantastic job with her rehab and Ava worked extremely hard to get back out there with her teammates. She played a great game on a very sore ankle and is such a tough kid. We’re really proud of our girls for how they responded when Rock Valley made their runs and tied the game several times, and just love how together this group is.”
Boys Game
The Rock Valley Rockets traveled to Milford Thursday night for a make-up conference game. The Rockets got out to a good start ending the first quarter with a 18-7 lead. Both teams competed hard into the half with a 28-20 Rock Valley lead. Rock Valley maintained a 47-37 lead going into the final quarter, and ended the game with a 62-50 victory. The Pioneers were led by Lucas Lorenzen’s 18 points. Kaleb Peschong also contributed 14. Okoboji falls to 9-7. The Rockets were led by Landyn Van Kekerix’s 19 points. Dawson Van Beek contributed 15, and Bryson VanGrootheest added another 13.
Comments From Okoboji Coach Ryan Stumbo
We dug ourselves too big of a hole tonight to start the game against a really good team. We fought and worked to close the gap and give ourselves a chance but we were a few stops and shots away from breaking through. Give Rock Valley a lot of credit. They simply outworked us in many areas and made it difficult for us offensively. It was a good opportunity for us to learn from, and we will keep working to get better going into the final push of the season.
