Kcc Girls Basketball team falls to Roseau and defeats Grygla-Goodridge for the second time this season

By Mark Johnson
KCC 46 – Roseau 80
The Bearcats played host to the Roseau Rams last Monday, Jan. 7. KCC faced a high powered offensive duo in Roseau’s back court tandem, but had hopes of slowing down the Rams’ offensive attack.
The first half of play unfolded and had the Bearcats hanging tough with the visitors. The two teams exchanged baskets for a significant part of the first half, but the problem with the Rams is that exchanging baskets is not a recipe for success against the Rams or for that matter any other team. Roseau put together a couple sustained runs in the first half to build a 44-29 lead at the end of the first half of play.
KCC and Roseau returned to the floor for the second half and played a virtual stalemate until the eleven minute mark of the second half. Unfortunately, for the Bearcats, the offense went cold and they only scored one single basket in the final 11 minutes of play, and that basket did not come until the final possession of the game. The Bearcats fought from the opening tip until the final buzzer, but the Rams proved to be too much and handed KCC the 46-80 loss.
Scoring leaders: Cora Kujava 14, Andi Strege 10, Morgan Olson 8, Shelby Pankratz 6, Allie Cassels 4, and McKenna Peterson and Gracie Whitlock 2 each.
Rebound leaders: Olson, Pankratz and Allie Cassels 5 a piece and McKenna Peterson 4.
Assist leaders: Kujava 6 and Marlee Turn 4
KCC  65 – GG 43
The Bearcats finished last week’s action at home against the Grygla-Goodridge Chargers in Lancaster. The two teams met earlier in the season with KCC getting the win. The Bearcats were looking to repeat the performance, while the Chargers were hoping to flip the script. In the end, the night would belong to the Bearcats.
The early minutes of the game proved to be an even battle on the scoreboard. KCC created a number of quality offensive scoring opportunities but kept coming up empty. Meanwhile the Chargers got a few shots to fall and kept the score close. The Bearcats went on a quick 9-0 run and gained control of the contest for the remainder of the first half. The two teams went to the half with the Bearcats holding a 28-17 lead.
The second half played out much like the first half. The opening minutes of the half witnessed the Chargers make a little run at the Bearcats, but the home team mustered a response and pushed back out in front by double digits. Slowly, KCC pushed their lead out to over twenty points and managed to prevent the Chargers from making any sustained run in the second half of play. KCC captured the 65-43 win and moved their season record to 8-4 on the season and 3-1 in the conference.
Coach’s Comments
“We did a much better job of taking care of the basketball. The majority of the game we kept our turnovers under control, with only a couple spurts of carelessness. We also did a better job of keeping our opponent off the offensive glass and limiting second chance points. When we do those two things, we usually have success. Our girls are relentless in their fight, and when we couple that with deliberate and efficient play, we can be very good. When we don’t, we make it more difficult on ourselves. We just need to be cleaner in our execution.”
Scoring leaders:  Andi Strege 21, Cora Kujava 18, Morgan Olson 11, Allie Cassels 6, Gracie Whitlock 4, Josie Steen and Mariah Olson 2 each and Shelby Pankratz 1.
Rebound leaders:  Kujava 7, Pankratz and Marlee Turn 5 each and  Cassels 4.
Assist leaders:  Kujava 6, Turn 5 and Steen 4.