Wolverines knock off pair of POI teams, roll past 1A No. 13 Blue Devils

After dropping their season opener, the Nodaway Valley girls basketball team got back on track last week with a pair of key Pride of Iowa Conference victories.

The Wolverines opened the week with a dominant 77-41 win over Lenox on Tuesday, then closed it Friday by rolling past Class 1A No. 13 Martensdale-St. Marys, 73-47.

“We’re feeling good,” Nodaway Valley coach Brian Eisbach said. “Although Lenox may be down a little bit, I thought we did some of the things we wanted to do in the Mount Ayr game, and that carried over against a Martensdale team that is historically really tough. I felt like the girls punched them in the mouth right off the bat and held the lead the entire game. I was very happy with their effort.”

A fast start proved decisive against the Blue Devils. Senior forward Emma Boswell scored the game’s first six points to spark an early surge that led to steals and transition layups for teammates, including freshman Abby Nelson and senior Izzy Eisbach.

Nodaway Valley led 13-2 just over five minutes into the game and took an 18-9 advantage into the end of the first quarter. The Wolverines continued their strong defensive effort in the second quarter and carried a 37-19 lead into halftime.

“Our defense is really important,” Boswell said. “We were just looking to jump passes. That was really big, getting ahead early and having a chance to jump on their passes.”

Boswell and Nelson each finished with 15 points, while Izzy Eisbach poured in a game-high 37. It marked the first time this season the Wolverines had three players score in double figures.

“That’s what we’ve been going for all season,” Izzy Eisbach said. “We’re starting to get into the flow of things. When you have three or four girls who can score, you’re really hard to stop. To have Emma come out right away and score those first couple of buckets was awesome, and Abby getting in there — we’re all threats, and it’s hard to take that away.”

Nelson said the win over Martensdale-St. Marys was an important early-season milestone.

“This was a really big win, especially against a ranked team,” she said. “It definitely brings a lot of motivation for future games, and it really means a lot.”

Izzy Eisbach also had a milestone-filled week. In the win over Lenox, she tied her single-game scoring record with 51 points, became the program’s all-time assists leader with 313 and set a school record by making 21 field goals. Earlier against Mount Ayr, she surpassed 500 career rebounds.

Nelson added 11 points against Lenox as Nodaway Valley shot a higher percentage than it did in its season opener and moved the ball more effectively. The Wolverines also rebounded well, with Nelson grabbing 16 rebounds — including 12 offensive — Boswell pulling down 11 and Izzy Eisbach finishing with 10.

“We had not just one or two girls crashing the boards, but everybody did a really good job rebounding the ball, which is a point of emphasis for us,” Eisbach said.

Nodaway Valley played at Southeast Warren on Tuesday and hosts Wayne on Friday, Dec. 19. On Saturday, Dec. 20, at 2:30 p.m., the Wolverines will compete in the 12 Courts of Christmas event at Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City against Green City, Missouri. The Lady Gophers won more than 20 games last season.

Saturday’s nonconference game against Atlantic was postponed due to slick roads following snowfall and will now be played Monday, Dec. 22 with junior varsity at 6 p.m. and varsity to follow.

“We just want to continue to focus on us,” Eisbach said. “I think the girls are settling in. Our timing is better, and they’re becoming more comfortable with each other. A lot of teams aren’t going to be able to junk us as much as they have in the past because we rebound so well. Izzy’s able to hit rollers, and if they double her, we’re probably going to get a layup on the backside.

“We want to finish this part of the schedule strong,” he added. “You always want to win all your games, but we know we have some challenges coming up, and we’re looking forward to it.”