Bluebirds can’t recover from early scoring woes
Staff writer
For the first time in recent history, the Goessel girls went 9 minutes without a field goal Friday at home against Berean Academy, and it cost them a rare loss.
The Bluebirds tallied a solitary free throw in the first quarter as Berean got out to an 8-1 lead. The visitors tacked on 4 more points before Eden Hiebert finally broke the ice for Goessel with a stolen pass and lay-up.
Berean dominated inside and hit high percentage baskets or converted from the free-throw line. Goessel trailed 22-11 at halftime, and by as many as 18 with 2 minutes to play in the third quarter.
Jenn Meysing hit 5 fourth-quarter points, but the Bluebirds were too far behind to make a significant dent in the deficit. The game ended with a 45-33 Goessel loss.
Eden Hiebert scored 13, Brittney Hiebert 7, and Jenn Meysing 6.
Although the Bluebirds have averaged 34 percent from the field for the season, they have been below that average the last four games.
The Bluebirds are now 16-3 for the season. They will close out the regular season with a home game against Udall, and will be home Monday for a 1A Division I substate game.
Goessel defeated Little River for the third time this season Feb. 14. Eden Hiebert dropped in a game-high 24 points as the Bluebirds prevailed 38-30.
Boys
The Goessel boys began Friday’s game matching Berean basket for basket, with the Bluebirds leading 6-4. At that point, the Warriors went on a 10-0 run, and the first quarter ended with Goessel trailing 15-9.
Josh Schmidt weaved his way into the lane for a floating field goal and Dylan Lindeman hit a 3-pointer and a free throw to get the Bluebirds as close as 19-15 in the second quarter. The half ended with Berean ahead 25-18.
The Warriors pushed their lead to 42-25, but Rhett Makovec ended the third quarter with a lofty 3-pointer. Schmidt scored 3 to begin the fourth, but 11 points would be as close as the Bluebirds would get in a 50-39 loss.
Lindeman ended the evening with 12 points, followed by Schmidt with 9. Makovec and Jordan Griffin each had 8.
The Goessel boys ended the week with a 6-13 record.
Goessel fought back from a 12-point deficit Feb. 14 at Little River and trailed 43-42 with 3 minutes to play, but Little River iced the game from the free throw line to win 51-44.
Griffin led the Bluebirds with 16 points.