PETERSON: Former sports reporter joins NV bandwagon

I’ve watched this state-qualifying girls basketball team from Nodaway Valley as an opposing coach in middle school games and many times later in their careers as a sports reporter for the Creston News Advertiser.

But, I think the most enjoyable times have been more recently as a fan buying a ticket to regional games this season.

Before the Feb. 16 home regional victory over East Sac County, the last time I had seen the Wolverines in person was covering the regional semifinal loss in 2020 to AHSTW in Atlantic.

Last week I found myself back in Atlantic High School for the redemption game in this year’s regional final against many of the same players on the AHSTW team. I retired from the News Advertiser on Dec. 31, so I’m getting reacquainted with the process of standing in line as a ticket buyer.

I got hooked watching these Wolverines in that visit to the Nodaway Valley gym for the regional quarterfinal game against East Sac County. I was fascinated by how the veterans had matured with more efficiency in their game, and the contribution of freshmen like Lindsay Davis and Annika Nelson was noticeable.

The previous two winters I had coached the Orient-Macksburg girls junior high team. NV coach Allen Marnin did a nice job with that group and they were impressive even at that age. It was obvious they had put time into their game. I’m not shocked those freshmen are helping at the varsity level already, but for a ninth-grader like Davis to contribute 16 points — second only to all-state teammate Maddax DeVault’s game-high 21 points — in the tension-filled atmosphere of a regional final is pretty impressive.

Actually, my experience with this state-qualifying group goes back much earlier. When NV seniors Lexi Shike, Corinne Bond and Macy Kuhns were about to start their seventh-grade year, I was getting ready to coach the Creston seventh grade team that would include the likes of Northwest Missouri State signee Kelsey Fields, fellow all-conference post player Sam Dunphy, point guard Braelyn Baker and shooting guard Rylie Driskell of this year’s Class 3A regional final team from Creston.

I knew it was supposed to be a good Creston group, so when I went to take a look at them in the Indianola Sunday league, I also saw this year’s Nodaway Valley seniors. I watched them closely, because I knew Nodaway Valley was on our schedule.

So, I knew as long ago as November 2015 that Lexi Shike was a nifty lefthanded player who seemed to play bigger than she was (at 5-foot-6, Shike ranks third among all Class 2A players this year with 295 rebounds). I could tell Corinne Bond could be someone that Fields would have to contend with around the basket as a rebounder, and Kuhns played like a little Energizer Bunny flying around the court to make steals and hand out assists (ranking 11th in 2A with 84 assists this year.)

As I recall, our Creston seventh grade was undefeated that season, but the Nodaway Valley team coached that year by Ray Stewart gave us one of our toughest tests in the Creston Middle School Storm gym.

The next year, when DeVault, Terrin Gettler and Whitney Lamb, among others, were part of the team that opposed us, I knew that when you put them all together on one high school team you’d really have something.

That’s where we are. They secured the school’s first girls basketball state banner with the dominant 55-33 win over AHSTW.

During an early timeout with the score 17-2, longtime Harlan News Advertiser sports editor Mike Oeffner came over and said, “(AHSTW) likes to play fast, but not this fast.”

That’s what coach Brian Eisbach’s team will do to opponents. They get rushed out of their own rhythm trying to keep up with Nodaway Valley’s hectic pace. And, these Wolverines almost always finish those fast break possessions with well-timed passes to the open teammate, without many costly turnovers.

All five starters have between 36 and 84 assists in the 23-0 season. It’s a faster team with more offensive threats, and I’m all in.

I purchased my tickets shortly after the regional final victory for Tuesday night’s state tournament game against North Linn. No notebook and no camera in tow this time, like so many times in that arena covering coach Burmeister’s boys teams.

I’ll just take my seat and enjoy the show.

•••

Contact the writer:

Email: malachy.lp@gmail.com

Twitter: @larrypeterson