Villisca falls short in quarterfinals

DES MOINES  — A 29-4 second quarter put a damper on the Villisca girls basketball state tournament run.

Villisca lost to Newell-Fonda Monday morning in the quarterfinals of the 1A State Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena 75-28.

“Today, we just didn’t come with the right game,” Villisca girls basketball coach Donna Williams said. “I’m still very proud of all of them.”

Villisca stayed close with Newell-Fonda early, even holding a three-point lead in the first quarter.

The Mustangs scored a bucket late in the first quarter to lead 11-10 by its end.

The second quarter began with Newell-Fonda scoring the first 11 points  in the first several minutes.

“They came into their own, they double-teamed on the guards tightly and we couldn’t get the ball in,” Williams said.

Amanda Focht scored the first basket of the quarter near the halfway point on a jumper inside the paint.

However, Focht picked up her third foul of the game around the halfway point of the second quarter, forcing her to sit on the bench until halftime.

“That was hurtful because we couldn’t put her in there with the offense,” Williams. “She’s a force that we have to have in there. Then she got frustrated and missed a few easy shots.”

Newell-Fonda continued to pressure Villisca, forcing the Blue Jays to turn over the ball.

Villisca didn’t score a point again in the half until the final minute when Bree Ann Fisher made a pair of free throws.

Newell-Fonda had a lead at halftime of 40-14.

In the first half, Villisca was held to 4-for-20 shooting from the field, including 1-for-8 from three-point range.

Turnovers were an issue for Villisca as they had 22 in the first half, 31 total for the game.

Newell-Fonda turned those turnovers into scoring opportunities as they scored 31 points off the turnovers.

The scoring for Newell-Fonda continued in the third quarter as their lead grew bigger and bigger.

The Mustangs reached the 35-point mercy rule running clock by the halfway point of the third quarter. The lead was 62-21 for Newell-Fonda as they entered the fourth quarter.

The running clock continued for the fourth quarter as the scoring slowed down.

The 28 points scored by Villisca was the fewest they had all season. As a team, Villisca shot 9-for-39 from the field.

It was the final game for several seniors, including Jill Vanderhoof, who scored 11 points and had nine rebounds.

Focht, another senior, scored six points with five rebounds and three blocks.

Haer, Fisher and Jenny King are the other seniors for Villisca. Haer had three points, while Fisher scored two.

King had two rebounds in the game.

“I’m proud of the fact that I’ve had an opportunity to coach them for the years that I have,” she said.

Despite the loss, Williams said she’s proud of the team and that making it to the state tournament has been a dream come true for the girls.

“They represented our town so well,” Williams said. “They’re a class act and I couldn’t be prouder of any of them.”

There was a strong contingent of Villisca fans at the game, cheering on in what was their last basketball game as Villisca High School.

“These people are here to support the girls. They’ll support them anyway they can,” Williams said. “They’re here to encourage them and they’re proud of them and I couldn’t ask for a better community.”

Villisca finishes their final season of basketball with a 21-5 record.

Starting next season, Villisca enters a whole grade sharing agreement with the Corning School District and will be known as Southwest Valley High School.

For Newell-Fonda, the leading scorer was Renee Maneman, who finished with 15 points.

Andrea Christiensen scored 14 and Jordan Wilken recorded 11.