Bailey’s record 41 points paves the way for 68-45 Creston win over Panorama

From the jump, it was clear that Thursday’s game in Creston against Panorama was going to be special even beyond the 68-45 final score.

The opening score was a 3-pointer by Braylee Pokorny, something head coach Tony Neubauer said he didn’t have on his bingo card for the night. The senior averages under 5 points per game but put up 11 against the visiting Panthers.

From there, it was all Kadley Bailey. The 5-7 senior was on fire, making eight shots from the field in the first quarter alone, including three triples.

“It was really fun,” senior Hollynn Rieck said. “We came out to a hot start. I was really proud of us. Usually we start out a little slow and sluggish. But we came out hot which really helped us.”

As the game went on, everyone had an eye on the scoreboard, looking at the points for No. 1.

Bailey’s single-game record prior to Thursday’s game was 31, a mark she nearly beat in the first half alone. The school record was Doryn Paup’s 39 points against Red Oak in 2022.

With six minutes left to play, Bailey nailed a layup to hit 41 points. As Creston had a large lead, Bailey and the starters were pulled for the remaining minutes of the game.

“When I was going into the game, I had no idea I was even in contention to break that record, but the baskets were dropping, the threes were dropping tonight and we had a lot of good run outs,” Bailey said.

She finished 16/26 from the field including six 3-pointers, another school record.

If there’s one thing for sure, it’s that Bailey couldn’t have done it alone, a fact that is now also cemented in the record books as Rieck surpassed Creston’s career assists record in the same game — a mark that has stood for nearly 30 years.

“We’ve played together for how many years now,” Rieck said. “It’s more of a connection than anything. She knows where I’m throwing the ball; I know where she’s going; she’s always there to catch it. We anticipate what the other is going to do. Obviously it’s working.”

The previous record of 300 was held by 1997 graduate Lindsey Courtney. Rieck’s 13 assists against Panorama set her total to 303, a mark that will continue to increase throughout the remainder of the season.

Though Rieck only had one point, she still managed a double-double with 10 rebounds on top of her 13 assists.

Senior Ella Turner came down with 12 rebounds, becoming just the fifth Panther to surpass 500 career rebounds.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Creston. After leading 35-24 at the half, Panorama came out with a triple to start the third quarter. Rieck missed both free throws on a foul, a trend for Creston that night, and the visitors hit another shot from the field to close Creston’s lead to just six points.

Creston was just 9/17 from the free-throw line, 52.9%. But not even that struggle could tarnish what would be a solid victory for the home team.

But by the end of the third quarter, Creston was back on a hot streak, putting up 18 unanswered points in a streak that went into the fourth quarter.

After a 3-pointer by Bailey, the Creston defense snagged a takeaway, and Bailey took the ball down on a fast break. Though she had a shot at the basket, sophomore Jensan Tussey had a closer look. Bailey got the ball to Tussey who was fouled on the made shot, giving her the chance to score one more on the play.

“I know Kadley is our leading scorer, but we’re a really ‘whole over part’ team,” Neubauer said. “We have to have all five kids playing well. They’re a good group. There’s not a lot of ego; they just want to win basketball games.”

Friday the Panthers made the trek to Denison-Schleswig where they finished the week 3-0 with a 54-44 conference win.

Bailey had another standout night, racking up 27 points including three 3-pointers. Rieck was close to a triple-double, logging 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals. She added five assists to her career total, making the new record 308.

This week the Panthers have two conference games. Tonight they host 4-7 Red Oak and Thursday they make the drive to Council Bluffs with big plans for the game against 4-8 Lewis Central.

“We haven’t beat them in a really long time - since 1995,” Neubauer said. “We want to go into that game 7-5.”

The win against Denison improved Creston to a 6-5 record.

Beyond this week, the girls are looking at the postseason.

“Our goal is to rack up as many wins as we can so we get a good seed for the postseason, and get a good game,” Rieck said. “Hopefully we get a home game.”