Lady Trojans top Wayne, battle GACC to the wire
WEST POINT - The Cedar Catholic Lady Trojans did not make it easy for a nine-game win streak to come to an end and Guardian Angels Central Catholic learned the hard way.
Yes, state-rated GACC won 51-47 Saturday to end the impressive CCHS run, but Cedar put up quite a fight before falling.
The game ended a strong week that saw Cedar win two other road contests, 47-40 at Creighton and 35-24 at Wayne.
Against Creighton, the Lady Trojans built a 30-15 lead by halftime to get the edge they needed to hold on for the win.
Brynn Wortmann scored 16 points and Brooklyn Kuehn pitched in with 13 points.
“It was our ability to play through it with our shots not going in,” head coach Craig Wortmann said. “We didn’t shoot the ball all that well and so we didn’t have as many opportunities to get our press set up. The first half we used our pressure press to create turnovers and points.
“This didn’t happen as much in the third quarter. The girls battled through this and stayed ahead.”
In the defensive slobberknocker against Wayne, the Lady Trojans blew out from a 14-14 tie at halftime.
Brynn Wortmann scored 15 points and Laney Kathol added nine points.
“Wayne has a young but scrappy team that played hard,” Craig Wortmann said. “They have a 6’3” Brooklyn Kruse that was a tough matchup for us. She ended up with 13 points and she was able to control the middle. The girls were able to make just enough plays to stay ahead and keep the second chance shots to a minimum.”
The Lady Trojans (10-6) once again got a big performance from Brynn Wortmann who lit it up for 25 points while Kuehn added 17 points and eight rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to win at GACC (15-2).
“The girls executed our game plan very well and were able to break GACC’s press,” coach Wortmann said. “We played very good defense to keep us in the game and got timely points from Brynn and Brooklyn throughout the game. Brooklyn really played well, she used her height to help us break the press and her defense to tip and deflect many passes.
“We also got some great help from Cady Uttecht on the inside as we had foul trouble early in the game. Overall, the girls are working together on both ends of the court. Our senior leadership is really showing this year and we hope to keep this going late in the year.”
The Lady Trojans tip off the Mid-States Tournament Monday with time, date, location and opponent yet to be determined.
“This will be a big test for our team, but we are looking forward to the challenge,” Craig Wortmann said. “We will need to be very sharp throughout our games to continue our success. If we can continue to play team defense, then we should have a chance in all our games.”
Cedar Catholic senior point guard Megan Heimes has been a key part of the team’s surge as she has played as a key distributor and floor general for Coach Wortmann.
“The winning streak was really nice and fun and (against GACC) we played really well,” Heimes said. “We keep working hard and we are trusting each other more. We are excited for what’s to come. We know we are on a good track.
“(The GACC) game was good to know we are ready to play stiff competition. It’s a good learning experience to know we can do this and we just need to tweak a few things and then next time on that scoreboard we will be up there winning.”
Heimes embraces her roll for the Lady Trojans and hopes to continue to lead the squad into the future.
“We are playing really well together,” Heimes said. “We are moving the ball and taking good shots. Our defense has been on point. Even in those games where our offense isn’t clicking, we step it up on defense and that’s how we get our wins. That’s been the key to this whole thing.”
SCORING Cedar - Brynn Wortmann, 15; Laney Kathol, 9; Brooklyn Kuehn, 5; Jordyn Steffen, 4; Megan Heimes, 2.
REBOUNDS Cedar - Brooklyn Kuehn, 10; Brynn Wortmann, 5; Laney Kathol, 3; Megan Heimes, 3; Cady Uttecht, 2; Gracie Dickes, 2; Jordyn Steffen, 2.
ASSISTS Cedar - Jordyn Steffen, 2; Laney Kathol, 1; Gracie Dickes, 1.
STEALS Cedar - Brynn Wortmann, 2; Laney Kathol, 1; Megan Heimes, 3; Cady Uttecht, 2; Gracie Dickes, 2; Jordyn Steffen, 2.
SCORING Cedar - Brynn Wortmann, 16; Brooklyn Kuehn, 13; Jordyn Steffen, 5; Laney Kathol, 5; Makenzie Arens, 3; Gracie Dickes, 3; Megan Heimes, 2.
SCORING Cedar - Brynn Wortmann, 25; Brooklyn Kuehn, 17; Laney Kathol, 2; Megan Heimes, 2; Jordyn Steffen, 1. REBOUNDS Cedar - Brooklyn Kuehn, 8; Laney Kathol,
REBOUNDS Cedar - Brooklyn Kuehn, 8; Laney Kathol, 4; Cady Uttecht, 3; Jordyn Steffen, 3; Megan Heimes, 3; Brynn Wortmann, 3; Gracie Dickes, 1.
ASSISTS Cedar - Jordyn Steffen, 2; Megan Heimes, 2.
-STEALS Cedar - Brynn Wortmann, 3; Brooklyn Kuehn, 3; Megan Heimes, 2.
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