Panthers struggle with consistency

GLENWOOD — Despite only trailing Glenwood (3-3) by three at the end of the first quarter Thursday, the Panthers (2-5) struggled through the latter three quarters and the Rams took advantage, winning 64-34.

“Overall, the main thing we have to do is be more consistent in everything we do,” Creston Coach Tony Neubauer said. “I thought we played well and with a ton of energy the first quarter against Glenwood, but we left a lot of points on the floor that quarter not converting easy shots and free throws. Had we done that, instead of being down by two, we could have been up by six to eight points. Our defense was solid in the first and third quarters, but was inconsistent in the second and fourth.”

It was Creston’s Hollynn Rieck who put the first points on the board with a shot from the field. Just a few minutes later, she was fouled, stepping up to the line to shoot for the next points of the game. Neither shot went in, starting what would be a rough night of free throw shooting for Creston.

In the first half, the Panthers made four out of 10 attempts for 40%. The second half they shot four of eight for 50%.

“There’s no magic formula on free throws,” Neubauer said. “We absolutely have to start knocking them down. We work on them daily, so hopefully that will start translating in games.”

With 1:30 remaining in the first quarter, Kadley Bailey knocked down a three for the Panthers to take a 9-8 lead, but it was their last of the game as Glenwood went up by three at the end of the first.

The Panthers’ starters got into foul trouble, Rieck and Bailey with three and two in the first quarter, respectively, and Ella Turner fouled out in the fourth quarter.

Glenwood continued the momentum shift into the second quarter, outscoring the Panthers 17-8. “We struggled getting into our half court offense consistently against Glenwood,” Neubauer explained. “We let them speed us into some bad shot selection at times. We need to take better care of the basketball. Twenty-two of their points were off turnovers.”

The Rams had a 20-11 lead early in the second as Bailey banked a 3-point shot off an offensive rebound by senior Lydia Goins. Later in the quarter, Goins had a steal, tossing the ball to Turner who took it up for a layup. Turner was fouled on the shot, getting a chance for a third point and sinking it.

“The last three games have been very similar in the fact that we’ve played well in spurts,” Neubauer said. “To win on the road in the Hawkeye 10, you have to play consistently for four quarters to give yourself a chance to win.”

The third quarter saw a stalling of points by both teams, Glenwood putting up only 11 and Creston with six. Rieck had four of those points while Turner had the other two.

Bailey led the team in scoring with 13. Rieck added eight and Turner had six. Turner led the team with 10 rebounds. Bailey and Brynn Tussey each added seven.

The team was playing without one of their tallest players, Braylee Pokorny as she’s sidelined for the remainder of the season with a broken ankle. Neubauer said Ady Morrison has done a good job filling that role.

The fourth quarter got away from the Panthers, Glenwood with their best offensive quarter, putting up 22 points to the Panthers’ nine.

“I do think that we ran out of gas a bit in the fourth quarter against Glenwood,” Neubauer said. “It was our fourth road trip in nine days.”

The loss saw the Panthers fall to 2-5. Ranked 10th out of 11 in the Hawkeye 10, the Panthers will look for redemption at the Hy-Vee Arena Wednesday and Thursday against Hogan Prep and Odessa. After the holidays, they get back to conference action against Clarinda.

CRESTON (34) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 12 8-18 34. Kadley Bailey 5 2-3 13; Hollynn Rieck 3 2-2 8; Ella Turner 2 2-5 6; Brynn Tussey 2 0-4 5; Jaycee Hanson 0 2-2 2. 3-point goals — 2 (Bailey 1, Tussey 1). Fouls 18, Fouled out — Turner.

GLENWOOD (64) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 19 17-25 64. Danika Arnold 4 8-9 17; Neyla Nanfito 5 2-4 15; Maggie McChesney 3 1-2 9; Lauren Hughes 3 1-2 8; Maggie Smith 2 0/0 6; Lydia Fuoss 2 0-2 4; McKenna Koehler 0 4/4 4; Maya Schau 0 1-2 1. 3-point goals — 9 (Nanfito 3, McChesney 2, Smith 2, Hughes 1, Arnold 1). Fouls 17, Fouled out — McChesney.