The Paton-Churdan Rockets notched two more wins in Rolling Valley hoops with wins over the Glidden-Ralston Wildcats in Glidden Jan. 30. Both games featured spotlight playing from individuals.
Paton-Churdan won the girls game 49-42. P-C junior Carleigh Paup is fourth in 1A in point average with 24.3 points a game. She scored 37 of the Rockets’ 49 points, including four 3-pointers, eight field goals and nine of 11 free throws. Sydney Koch made a pair of long baskets for six points, Kasey Lane scored four points and Gracie Geisler scored two.
G-R sophomore Julia Fleecs scored almost double her season average of 14.6 with 28 points. She made one 3-pointer and 11 field goals. She was three of four in free throws.
The Wildcats took a while to find the hoop; after six minutes of play the Rockets were up 14-3. Score at the end of the first quarter was 21-9. The Wildcats found their stride and put up eight unanswered points to start the second quarter, and at halftime it was a two-point game, with the Rockets ahead 25-23.
The game was a nail-biter for the second half, with the scored at 29 halfway through the third quarter. The Rockets were up 37-33 at the end of the third, but the scored was knotted at 42 with just two minutes left to play. The Rockets scored the last seven points of the game to claim a 49-42 victory.
In the second half, Paup scored all but three of the Rockets’ points and Fleecs scored all but four of the Wildcats’ points.
The win put the P-C girls at 10-6 in the Rolling Valley Activities Conference. Glidden-Ralston is 11-6.
In the boys game, Glidden-Ralston was able to hold junior Noah Juergensen to 11 points (his season average is 18.4) before he fouled out, but senior Jake Carey filled any gap by nearly doubling his season average. Carey is averaging 17.1 points per game; he scored 33 of the Rockets’ 58 points in the 58-39 victory. Carey made three 3-point shots and one field goal in the first half; he made nine field goals and was four of five in free throws in the second half.
Dylan Burgart scored three points and Jake Berns and Joe Towers each scored two.
The Wildcats had more balanced scoring, with no players in double figures but 10 players putting points on the scoreboard.
The score was tied at six points after three minutes of play, but the Rockets scored seven unanswered points and held a 13-6 lead midway through the second quarter. The score was 25-15 at halftime.
The Wildcats scored the first six points of the second half to narrow the margin to four points, 25-21, but their shooting went cold while the Rockets burned. Score after three quarters was 38-24. The Wildcats rallied in the last four minutes of play but it was too late to overcome a 23 point deficit. Final score was 58-39.
The Rocket boys team is now 13-3 in the Rolling Valley while the Wildcats are 9-9.
