Cedar opens new season with loss to O’Neill
HARTINGTON — It was a welcome sight for Cedar Catholic basketball fans as the girls team got its footing on the hardwood after a weeks-long COVID-19 delay to the opening of the season.
It may not have been the ideal start – a 55-46 home loss to O’Neill – after a slow first half saw the Lady Trojans trail 30-21 at halftime, but they are back and playing and that’s a win in itself.
Brynn Wortmann led the Lady Trojans with 15 points while Brooklyn Kuehn added nine points and Jordyn Steffen added eight points. Kuehn added a team high seven rebounds.
“Turnovers played a big role in the game,” CCHS head coach Craig Wortmann said. “We had 13 in the first half and dug a hole that we struggled to get out of. We played much better in the second half. This was our first game and it showed.
“We will continue to work and get better all-around as the season goes on. I feel this group will get stronger the more time we have together.”
Cedar Catholic hosted Norfolk Catholic Monday and traveled to Crofton Tuesday and will wrap up this week with a road contest at West Holt Friday night.
“We have two games this week against conference opponents which will be great games to get an idea of what and who we are as a team,” Coach Wortmann said. “We also will play West Holt later in the week. We look forward to the chance to play three games in a week.
“We only had one game, but we struggled with decision making on the press break. Brooklyn Kuehn and Jordyn Steffen both played well for our team. These are two girls that didn’t get big minutes last year but stepped into the varsity game with lots of confidence. I feel both of these girls will help us to have a successful season.”
The O’Neill contest was the first start for both Steffen and Kuehn.
Steffen’s rise is due to her love of the sport and some hard offseason work.
“I wanted to get more playing time this year so I knew I had to do something to get more time this year,” Steffen said. “My dad helped me and worked with me at times and we worked on little things. It was just shooting around and dribbling every now and again. Also, I played with my brother and I think that might have helped.”
She admitted that the summer of COVID-19 limited her ability to get players together to gain more experience and confidence through direct competition.
SCORING Cedar - Brynn Wortmann, 15; Brooklyn Kuehn, 9; Jordyn Steffen, 8; Gracie Dickes, 5; Laney Kathol, 4; Makenzie Arens, 3; Megan Heimes, 2. O’Neill - Kiersten Welke, 13; Meg Schluns, 12; A Eichelberger, 10; Zelie Sorensen, 7; Lauren Young, 6; Blair Gutshall, 6.
REBOUNDS Cedar - Brooklyn Kuehn, 7; Laney Kathol, 4; Brynn Wortmann, 3; Megan Heimes, 1; Jordyn Steffen, 1; Makenzie Arens, 1. O’Neill - Meg Schluns, 10; Blair Gutshall, 7; Zelie Sorensen, 5; Lauren Young, 4; A. Eichelberger, 4; Kiersten Weilke, 2.
ASSISTS Cedar - Brooklyn Kuehn, 3; Megan Heimes, 2; Laney Kathol, 2; Jordyn Steffen, 2; Brynn Wortmann, 1; Makenzie Arens, 1. O’Neill - Meg Schluns, 4; Blair Gutshall, 2; A Eichelberger, 2; Zelie Sorensen, 1; Lauren Young, 1.
STEALS Cedar - Brynn Wortmann, 3; Brooklyn Kuehn, 1.