Contributing writer
The Goessel High School Bluebirds girls’ basketball team played in the Bluebird Classic tournament last week in Goessel, earning a 1-2 record and placing fifth.
Central Christian
Aimee Flaming scored her first points of the season against Central Christian to keep the Bluebirds close to highly ranked Central Christian in the first quarter on Tuesday. After the Bluebirds tied the score at four, the Cougars rattled off 10 consecutive points and the Bluebirds could never threaten to get close for the rest of the game.
Goessel trailed, 26-14, at halftime, but missed opportunities sealed their fate as Central Christian finished the game ahead, 55-22. Central Christian is the top-ranked team in 1A Div II according to the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
Leaders for the Bluebirds were Alex Hiebert with sixpoints and eight rebounds, Aimee Flaming with five points, D’Ambra Kruger and Jessica Harvey each had four points and two assists, and Johanna Hoffman scored three points with five rebounds.
Elyria Christian
Hoffman did not penetrate into the lane very often against Elyria Christian, but her shot from 10 to 20 feet worked well in the Bluebirds’ loss on Friday.
Goessel could not score in the first six minutes of the contest, but fortunately the Eagles only posted two points in the same time frame. Hoffman scored five points in the first quarter to give the Bluebirds a 5-4 lead. Elyria played a collapsing zone defense, so any attempts to get the ball close to the basket were smothered.
In the second period Ali Buller scored her first basket of the season, and Hoffman dropped in two baskets to keep the game tied at 12 at halftime.
In the second half, the Bluebirds again went scoreless for more than four minutes before Aimee Flaming made a 3-pointer, but Elyria crept ahead with five unanswered points to end the third period with a lead, 21-17.
The Eagles put up a full court press in the fourth quarter, forcing nine Bluebird turnovers, and Goessel’s chances for a victory disappeared quickly. Elyria won the game by a final score of 36-22.
For the first time in her high school varsity career, Hoffman hit double figures with 15 points. Flaming ended with three points, Buller had two, and Hiebert and Samantha Jarvis each had one point.
Canton-Galva
The Goessel girls’ basketball team won their first game of the season in a battle with Canton-Galva. The Bluebirds scored 12 points in the first and fourth quarters to hold off the neighbors.
Jessica Harvey, Hiebert and Kruger each scored four points in the first period to lead, 12-3, but midway through the second quarter the Eagles got as close as 16-15.
Harvey got a steal late in the quarter and made the layup, and Jarvis grabbed a rebound and put in a basket at the buzzer to give the Bluebirds a 20-15 lead going into the half-time break.
Although the Bluebirds only scored four points in the third quarter, they still led, 24-20. Hoffman hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, gaining a 7-point lead for the Bluebirds. However, Canton-Galva scored six consecutive points to get within one and then tied the game at 31 with 1 minute, 10 seconds to play. Harvey made a difference in the final minute with an assist from Kruger to make a lay-up. Three successful free-throws out of four attempts by Harvey sealed the win for the Bluebirds, 36-31.
Harvey scored a season high 13 points, followed by Hiebert with nine points and 10 rebounds. Flaming scored five points, Kruger scored four points, Hoffman scored three, and Jarvis had two points.
The win gave the girls a record of 1-3 going into a Tuesday home game with Moundridge. They begin the Wheat State League competition on Friday with a home game with Wakefield.