March 29, 2024

Wolverines and Mount Ayr split varsity games at The Well

DES MOINES — Student athletes from Nodaway Valley and Mount Ayr took full advantage of a special opportunity to play on a big stage Tuesday, playing two junior varsity and two varsity basketball games as part of the Iowa Wolves High School Showcase at Wells Fargo Arena.

In the last two games of the night, Nodaway Valley’s varsity girls outlasted the Raiderettes 50-30, while the varsity boys game went the way of the Raiders, 64-41.

Mount Ayr swept JV action, winning the girls’ game 36-30 and the boys’ game 52-10.

Wolverine girls pounce early

An 8-1 beginning stretch for the Nodaway Valley girls made an early statement against Mount Ayr. The Raiderettes were able to recover, cutting the game to a one-point spread near the end of the first quarter on back to back baskets from senior guard Maddie Stewart — a 3-pointer and a layup — but the Wolverines pulled ahead again, allowing Mount Ayr just four second quarter points.

While neither team felt they put their best feet forward offensively, both coaches were pleased with the defensive effort their girls showed.

“That’s been a focus for us, but again, if you’re going to hold them to bad shots you’ve gotta rebound the ball,” NV head coach Brian Eisbach said. “For us to get out in transition you’ve gotta have the ball, and that’s something we’ll continue to work on.”

Raiderettes’ head coach Thad Streit called Tuesday’s outing his team’s best of the season defensively. Their primary goal was to contain Nodaway Valley guard Maddax DeVault.

“I thought it was a great defensive effort tonight,” Streit said, also mentioning Nodaway Valley’s Lindsey Davis as a point of emphasis. “We manned them up and had three girls back playing at times. It varied on different possessions, but we had girls manning those two up and sometimes the other three are in a zone while other times they’re in a sagging man to man. It frustrated them and got them out of sync a little bit, but they’re good players.”

The Wolverines hit eight shots from long distance in the game, including four in the first half, which allowed them to create some distance and a 28-13 halftime spread. Nodaway Valley led 38-20 at the end of the third quarter.

DeVault and Davis each scored 17 for the Wolverines. Stewart led Mount Ayr with nine.

“This was a good opportunity. They put on a good event and it was fun. Mount Ayr played a good game and always plays hard,” Eisbach said. “It’s definitely a cool experience for the kids and it’s a place every team’s trying to get to at the end of the season.”

Shots fall quickly for Raiders

Football teams talk about establishing a run game, then opening up the passing game once that is established. Basketball is no different.

Mount Ayr boys basketball coach Bret Ruggles liked how his team shot the ball well early from beyond the arc, which opened up shots in the lane later on, as the Raiders rolled at times to their win over Nodaway Valley.

Ryce Reynolds and Riley Stark each had first quarter 3-pointers for Mount Ayr, which led 10-2 early on in the opening frame and 16-6 at the end of the first quarter.

Nodaway Valley junior guard Boston DeVault hit a 3-pointer in the early goings of the second to cut Mount Ayr’s lead to 16-11, but the Raiders were able to use an effective transition game to get players in the lane for open, high-percentage shots.

“We just want to keep working our offensive possessions to getting the ball into the middle. We’ve got a big man who will work his tail off and we don’t quite use him yet like we need to,” Ruggles said. “We’re young yet so there are moments we don’t see the ball inside quite like we need to, but we shot it well from the outside, and if you shoot it well from the outside the inside comes open.”

While a 5-0 run was effective for Nodaway Valley in the second quarter, the Wolverines went on another run in the third, taking a 36-21 game at halftime to a nine-point, 41-32 hole to dig out of with 1:51 left in the period before Reynolds stifled the run with a jump shot from the free throw line.

DeVault led Nodaway Valley with 27 points. The Wolverines played Atlantic before the winter break and had a big run that nearly allowed them to knock off the Trojans. Head coach Jeremy Blake likes what he sees in stretches out of his one-win team and how they compete.

“Everybody wants to win, but the biggest piece for me is if we’re playing hard and are doing the little things,” Blake said. “Especially once we settled in a little bit...Mount Ayr’s a good team and they’re playing really good basketball. We’re playing good competition and that’s going to help us once we get farther into January and February.”

Mount Ayr’s Jaixen Frost did many things well for the Raiders. He led all scorers in the game with 27 points, while Cody Larsen tacked on 13.

“We’re seeing some progression out of our guys,” Ruggles said. “Frost is great but it can’t be one guy, it’s gotta be all of us.”

Mount Ayr hosts Bedford Friday night and Nodaway Valley hosts Lenox.

Caleb Nelson

Caleb Nelson

Caleb Nelson has served as News Editor of the Adair County Free Press and Fontanelle Observer since Oct. 2017. He and his wife Kilee live in Greenfield. In Greenfield and the greater Adair County area, he values the opportunity to tell peoples' stories, enjoys playing guitar, following all levels of sports, and being a part of his local church.