East Union girls hang on to defeat Lenox, 38-37

East Union 38, Lenox 37

AFTON — East Union saw a 13-point second half lead dwindle, but held on in the end for a 38-37 win over Lenox here Friday.

The Eagles held a 22-11 lead at halftime, and took a 13-point lead early in the second half before Lenox started a furious comeback.

Lenox senior Aurora Arevalo had a good look to win the game for the Tigers in the final seconds, but drew front iron and East Union’s Chelsea Hoyt pulled down the rebound to clinch the victory.

Hoyt had a big game for the Eagles, scoring 20 points and grabbing 26 rebounds.

“What she lacks in height, she makes up for in heart,” East Union head coach Carol McGuire said. “She never gives up.”

Danielle Riley added six points and six rebounds for the Eagles, while Mara Weis recorded six points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter. Kacie Ripperger scored four points and freshman Olivia Eckels added two points in her first varsity start.

After Weis fouled out, sophomore Ashley Malone came in and gave the Eagles solid minutes on the floor with three steals.

“Very proud of the girls, their efforts, their attitudes and the way they are learning to play together as a team,” McGuire said.

Katie Dukes led the Tigers with 17 points and nine steals. Arevalo added nine points with eight rebounds.

“We dug ourselves a hole in the first quarter and didn’t quite climb out in the end,” Lenox head coach Mandy Stoaks said.

Nodaway Valley 41, SW Valley 29

GREENFIELD — Nodaway Valley outscored Southwest Valley 25-14 in the second half here Friday for a 41-29 victory.

“We played solid defense tonight,” Nodaway Valley head coach Tom Thompson said. “Good ball pressure, good help and better rebounding were key. Seven blocks by Josie Clarke were very big and set the tone in the second half. Not our best shooting night, so a 12-point win feels pretty good.”

Paige McElfish scored 13 points with nine rebounds and five steals to lead the Wolverines. Clarke added seven points with eight rebounds and five steals to go with her seven blocked shots. Jessica Nelson scored 10 points with five rebounds and four steals.

Mercedes Harter scored six points with two steals, while Josie Carter had five points, four rebounds, five assists and six steals.

In total, Nodaway Valley recorded 24 steals.

Lexi Bronner and Marie Palmer each scored seven points to lead the Timberwolves. Bronner finished with eight rebounds and Palmer added seven. Kelsey Means scored four points, while Regan Jessen added three points.

Katie Taylor, Jonnie Weeks, Janelle Gibler and Jade Peterson scored two points apiece in the loss.

“We played them extremely tough, but were unable to get consistent enough offense throughout the game,” Southwest Valley head coach Allen Naugle said. “We did exactly what we wanted to accomplish in the first half. We did a great job of beating their press, didn’t turn the ball over in critical situations and did a nice job of keeping them off the boards. The second half, we started to make mistakes at the wrong moments and gave them some easy baskets.”

Nodaway Valley improved to 5-0 with the win.

Bedford 70,

Mount Ayr 61

BEDFORD — Unranked Mount Ayr gave third-ranked Bedford all it could handle here Friday, but came up short in a 70-61 loss to the Bulldogs.

“We played with a ton of heart tonight,” Mount Ayr head coach Thad Streit said. “We gave the number three team in the state a run for their money and came up a tad short. The game was won and lost at the free throw line, as the Bulldogs were 25-for-33 and the Raiderettes were 15-for-35. Total team effort by our girls, very proud of their performance, desire and effort. I think we took a huge step forward tonight.”

Sophomore Kelcie Shields scored 21 points with nine rebounds to lead the Raiderettes. Tess Shields added 15 points with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Senior Allie Shields finished with 15 points and six rebounds.

Megan Warin and Ashton Johnson each scored four points, as Johnson added five assists and four steals. Alyssa Johnson scored two points.

Junior Fallyn Beemer led undefeated Bedford with 29 points.

The Raiderettes return to action tonight at home against Nodaway Valley.

Moravia 55, Diagonal 39

MORAVIA — A 19-9 third quarter sank Diagonal in a 55-39 loss to Moravia here on Friday.

Katie Sobotka led the Maroonettes with 19 points, including three made 3-pointers. Kasydi Klommhaus scored 10 points, including two made 3-pointers. Jaci Haidsiak and Cassidy Becker each scored five points. Haidsiak grabbed a team-high five rebounds.

Grand View Christian 67, O-M 25

DES MOINES — Grand View Christian picked up a Bluegrass Conference win over Orient-Macksburg here Friday, winning 67-25.

Lisa Moss scored 11 points for Orient-Macksburg with six rebounds and three steals. Shannon Eads added seven points. Shyla Waldhauser scored four points and Katie Walter scored three points.

O-M 57, Seymour 34

SEYMOUR — Orient-Macksburg bounced back with a 57-34 win over Seymour here on Saturday.

It marked the first time in four years both the Orient-Macksburg boys and girls basketball teams won a game on the same night.

Lisa Moss scored 27 points and collected eight steals to lead the Bulldogs. Shannon Eads recorded a double-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Courtney Neal scored six points, while Rylee Woosley added two. Katie Walter finished with one point and six rebounds.