Balanced scoring, good ‘D’ propels girls to convincing wins

Scoring cushions propelled Nodaway Valley to a pair of decisive home victories to open the 2026 portion of the girls basketball season.

The Wolverines followed a 52-34 Pride of Iowa Conference win over Central Decatur on Friday with a dominant 71-36 nonconference victory against West Central Valley on Monday. Nodaway Valley extended its winning streak to eight games and its overall record to 8-1.

The Wolverines jumped out to a 17-5 lead after the first quarter against West Central Valley and never looked back, leaning heavily on seniors Izzy Eisbach and Emma Boswell. Eisbach scored 35 points and Boswell added 26 as Nodaway Valley buried nine 3-pointers. Eisbach connected on five from long range and Boswell hit four.

The outside shooting proved critical against a stingy West Central Valley zone defense.

“We told the girls it was going to be like a Central Decatur game,” Nodaway Valley coach Brian Eisbach said. “They play really hard and have a really good zone. When Emma is hitting shots, you can’t face-guard Izzy as much, so you have to worry about both. Then you saw other girls step up and be aggressive. That’s what we need.”

Nodaway Valley also controlled the game defensively, forcing turnovers and creating scoring chances in transition.

The Wolverines’ win over Central Decatur was fueled by a strong second half. Nodaway Valley held the Cardinals to 12 points after halftime and outscored them 19-7 in the fourth quarter.

“First game out of break with no school definitely made things interesting,” Eisbach said. “We had some uncharacteristic turnovers and missed some easy shots early, which kept it closer than it should have been. But our second-half defense was really strong.”

Nodaway Valley led 15-14 after the first quarter before opening the second with a 7-0 run. Abby Nelson capped the stretch with a 3-pointer that forced a Central Decatur timeout with 5:08 left in the half. The Wolverines carried a 27-22 lead into halftime.

After a slow start to the third quarter, Nelson scored in the lane to extend the lead to 29-24. Nodaway Valley took control from there, opening the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run and pushing the lead to its largest margin of the night.

The Wolverines finished with 10 turnovers and shot 35.7% from the field, including 4-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc.

Eisbach, the state’s leading scorer, finished with 27 points on 11-of-27 shooting and added five assists and three steals. She scored 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Nelson totaled 12 points, nine of them in the first half. She shot 4 of 6 from the field, hit her lone 3-point attempt, grabbed six rebounds and recorded four steals.

Emma Boswell finished with eight points, 19 rebounds, three steals and two blocks, surpassing 1,400 career rebounds. Sophomore Ella Boswell added a 3-pointer, her fourth of the season.

“I felt good to see that shot go in and help extend the lead,” Ella Boswell said. “Talking, boxing out and working together made the difference in tonight’s game.”

Central Decatur was led by Breegan Lindsey with 13 points and Piper Helton with 12.

Senior Lea Stonebraker credited improved communication on defense.

“We just want to pressure the ball, help when we get beat and be aggressive,” Stonebraker said. “That helped us get into better offense.”

Nodaway Valley outrebounded Central Decatur 41-28 and held a 12-2 edge in second-chance points. The Wolverines faced Southwest Valley on Tuesday and travel to Wayne on Friday.