Panthers fall just short of state-tournament berth

GRIMES – A rematch with Dallas Center-Grimes (20-2), this time in the Class 4A Region 3 Final Tuesday, ended with a second defeat for Creston (14-7), ending the run of the winningest senior class and one that helped turn the corner for the girls basketball program.

The No. 3 Mustangs proved to be too much for the No. 13 Panthers, topping Creston 50-28 behind relentless defense and spot-up shooting.

“The hardest part about coaching is the last five seconds after a game, the five minutes talking to kids,” Creston head coach Tony Neubauer said. “I told our kids we didn’t get our outcome, but they have nothing to hang their head about. Three years ago the state tournament was a pipe dream. Now, we’re disappointed because we didn’t make it.”

In the first matchup, DC-G shot 44.4% from beyond the 3-point line, knocking down threes. Tuesday, the Mustangs connected on nine 3-pointers despite Creston switching out of the 1-3-1 zone it played in Dec. 22′s 64-44 loss.

“They’re athletic, and they really extended our offense,” Neubauer said. “Rylie (Driskell) has done a sensational job. Rylie has played two-guard her whole high school career and had to get thrown into the fire at point guard. She did a great job all year long. (DC-G) did a great job of not letting us get to our offense. They’re a little bit deeper, and they extended us and made it really hard for us to get the ball inside.”

The Panthers fell behind quickly, turning the ball over on its first six possessions, allowing for open Mustang shots. DC-G started out the game 5-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first quarter.

Creston was held scoreless until 3:12 in the first quarter when Sam Dunphy scored underneath the goal following an offensive rebound. DC-G’s defense continued to pressure ball handlers in the back court with a press and kept up the pressure in the front court, not allowing any space.

The sweltering defense carried through all four quarters, keeping Creston to eight points at halftime. DC-G’s offense, however, continued to find ways to score in the first half, leading 28-8 at the break.

In the second half, Creston made the defensive switch to man-to-man and slowed down the long-range shooting, only allowing two 3-pointers in the second half.

“For us to play them in man all game just wasn’t feasible. That’s not how we’re built,” Neubauer said. “I thought we did a good job. We could have hung out in zone and made it a 14-point game or a 12-point game, but you’ve got to try to win the basketball game, so we went to man. That’s just how things shook out.”

Creston’s offense continued to struggled with the Mustangs’ constant pressure starting to wear on the six-man rotation Creston has relied on through the large portion of the season.

Turnovers leading to quick shots continued to plague the Panthers, but the group battle back to scored 20 points in the second half, scoring 12 in the third quarter and eight in the fourth quarter.

With Dunphy being fouled at 2:25 in the fourth, she went to the line as her team trailed 48-24. Neubauer subbed the injured Braelyn Baker into the game for the first of two free throws. He then took his seniors on the floor out of the game – Kelsey Fields, Rylie Driskell and Baker.

Dunphy knocked down her second free throw, finishing with a team-high 10 points on the night, before being subbed out for the final time of her career.

The loss, Neubauer said, is never easy, but the pain stings a little more than usual losing a group that he’s been with for three years and meant so much to the program.

“They were 8-13 the year before I got here to now they went to back-to-back Regional Finals. That’s on them,” Neubauer said. “They’ve worked hard, they’ve bought in, they’ve believed. It’s just a great group of kids, and I’m just going to miss them.”

Fields scored six points, and Driskell scored five in their final game. Baker did not score.

Dallas Center-Grimes 50, Creston 28

CRESTON (28) — (FG FT PTS) Totals — 11 5-8 28. Sam Dunphy 3 4-4 10, Kelsey Fields 3 0-0 6, Rylie Driskell 2 0-1 5, Doryn Paup 2 1-1 5, Bri Fields 1 0-0 2. 3-point goals — 1 (Driskell). Team fouls — 12. Fouled out — None.

DALLAS CENTER-GRIMES (50) — (FG FT PTS) Totals — 17 7-10 50. Vanessa Bickford 5 1-2 13, Julia Reis 5 0-0 13, Emma Miner 2 4-4 9, Avery Korsching 2 1-2 7, Ella Lampe 3 0-0 7, Lexi Protzman 0 1-2 1. 3-point goals — 9 (Reis 3, Korsching 2, Bickford 2, Lampe 1, Miner 1). Team fouls — 12. Fouled out — None.