Girls Basketball: Bombers show life, but fall to Medford

CANNON FALLS – Cannon Falls head girls basketball coach Eric Mace knows his team will still have growing pains.

Playing five freshmen, three sophomores and three juniors, nothing this season has come easy as the Bombers have been outscored by an average of 29.3 points per game heading into Monday’s non-conference matchup with Medford.

“This season is about getting better and building for the future,” Mace said.

And though Cannon Falls fell 59-45 at home Monday, the Bombers coach said his team showed some promise in their performance.

“(Medford’s) press was giving us problems all night, but I was impressed with how we were able to play better in the second half and beat the press,” said Mace, whose team outscored the Tigers in the second half, 24-22. “I can see some good things in our future.”

Like it has gone all season, the start of the game was disastrous for the Bombers, who missed a layup and committed two turnovers in their first three possessions. After Medford’s Nicole Morgan scored on a layup to make it 2-0, Cannon Falls called timeout just 38 seconds into the game to regroup.

Up 9-6, the Tigers (2-1) pulled away on a 10-0 run sparked by three-pointers by Morgan and Abby Chappuis to go up 19-6. The Bombers never got closer than 11 points for the rest of the game.

Medford’s long-range shooters were lights-out in the first half, hitting six 3-pointers and several long-distance twos to take a 37-21 halftime lead.

“There was a 15-minute stretch in that first half where they couldn’t miss a three,” Mace said.

And after scoring buckets, the Tigers’ full-court press gave the Bombers fits, resulting in 29 turnovers. Capitalizing the most was Morgan, who finished the night with 34 points and 10 steals.

In the second half, Cannon Falls did a better job of breaking the press and was able to generate a more consistent offense. Spearheading the Bombers in the second half was junior center Courtney Woodcock, who finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

“We did a better job rebounding tonight than we have all season,” Mace said. “We grabbed about 35 boards, and we’ve been averaging about 25 a night.”

Dropping to 0-4 on the season, the Bombers stay at home today, facing Kasson-Mantorville. The KoMets (3-2) are coming off a 49-32 loss to Waseca on Monday.

Facing off with Kasson-Mantorville today, Mace is expecting the same kind of full-court pressure. But after facing it against Medford on Monday, his hope is that the Bombers are ready for the press.

“It’s easier to learn from a loss than it is to learn from a win,” Mace said. “We’re going to lose some, but we’re building for the future, and hopefully, some things will get better as we go.”

Tags: girls basketball, cannon falls, sports, prep