Rebels rip Komets
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 2, 2011
United South Central’s Danielle Koestler brings the ball up the floor Tuesday against Kasson-Mantorville in Wells. USC beat K-M 66-51 after a strong first half. -- Jon Theuer
WELLS — Kristie Ovrebo scored 18 points Tuesday and Katie Ovrebo chipped in 15 as the No. 4-seeded United South Central Rebels girls’ basketball team defeated the No. 5 Kasson-Mantorville Komets 66-51 in the first round of the Section 2AA tournament in Wells.
Val Sahr also recorded 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Rebels.
Early in the first half, the Komets scored a 3-point play on Abbey Lacey’s layup and got the free throw to take a 5-1 lead.
United South Central’s Val Sahr drives toward the basket Tuesday against Kasson-Mantorville in Wells. Sahr had 11 points and 15 rebounds, helping USC win and advance to the Section 2AA quarterfinals against NRHEG. -- Jon Theuer
The play turned out to be a wake-up call for the Rebels. After that play, the Rebels went on a 10-0 run to take a 11-5 lead with 10 minutes and 43 seconds left in the first half.
The Rebels were just getting started as they turned up the defensive intensity and stymied the Komets’ offense while their offense flourished. The Rebels outscored the Komets 27-13 to end the half and led 38-18 at the break.
“I was very pleased with our first half,” Rebels coach Stu Hendrickson said. “The first half was about as good as we could play. I’m really proud of our effort. We came ready to play.”
The Rebels continued to show their dominance in the opening minutes of the second half as they went on a 16-6 run to increase their lead to 54-24 with 12:46 left in the game.
The Komets tried to get back into the game as they went on a 16-1 run to cut the Rebels’ lead to 55-40 with 8:04 left.
The Rebels responded with a 6-0 run to push the lead to 21 points with five minutes remaining.
The two teams traded baskets down the stretch before the Rebels secured the victory.
“We cut of their driving lanes and forced them to shoot from the perimeter,” Hendrickson said. “We contested every shot and got a lot of rebounds.”
The Rebels finished the game out-rebounding the Komets 45-27.
“We pride ourselves on rebounding,” Hendrickson said. “Our goal is one shot and it’s ours. We did an excellent job in the rebounding department.”
On offense, the Rebels were led by Kristie and Katie Ovrebo as the two sisters combined to score 33 points for USC on the night.
“They were both on fire,” Hendrickson said. “They were both hitting shots and it was huge for us.”
With the win, the Rebels move on and will face No. 1-seeded New Richand-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva at 7 p.m. on Friday in New Richland.
“It should be fun,” Hendrickson said. “It’s a team we’re familiar with and they are familiar with us. It should be a very intense game.”
