Strong performances on defense were the key for the Alliance St. Agnes junior high girl’s basketball teams on Tuesday in their opening matches against Sioux County. Harrison was held to just one point in the first game as the Crusaders got the win 18 to 1. In the late contest, it was the Academy also getting the win, besting the hosts 35 to 13 in the varsity battle. Alliance goes to 1 and 0 for the year on both levels. Leading the offense in the JV match up was Natalie Mullen who totaled 8 points. Seventh grader Penn Vergil scored 17 points in the finale while fellow 7th grade Kale Hulquist added 10 points. St. Agnes jumped to a 17 to 5 halftime lead in the varsity showdown in getting the win.
In the JV game, the Crusaders scored 9 points in each period to down the Warriors. The affair was a 2 quarter ball game due to low numbers by both clubs. Mullen had 2 quick hoops to help SA grab an early advantage. Alliance also got buckets by Nala Raza and Paisley Intermill to surge ahead. Meanwhile, the Lady Crusaders were stingy on defense with the Warriors failing to score. The quarter closed with a free throw by Intermill and the guest leading 9 to 1. Four more tallies by Mullen in the second put the game away. Intermill added three more points in the period and another score by Reza ended the game with SA winning 18 to 1.
SA 9 9 18
SC 0 1 1
scoring Mullen 8 Intermill 6 Reza 4
Defense again was the name of the game in the nightcap. St. Agnes held Sioux County scoreless in the first stanza while taking the lead with 7 points. Baskets by Vergil, Hulquist, and Intermill plus a Vergil free throw made the board read Alliance 7 Harrison 0 after one period of action. In quarter 2, the Crusader margin grew. Vergil had 2 buckets in the second to lead the offense. Also scoring were Hulquist who had 4 points and Alexis Shelmadine who had a tally. At half, the Academy was up 17 to 5.
Ten more Academy scores in the third put the contest out of reach. SA got 4 points each from Vergil and Hulquist along with a bucket by Addison Intermill to extend their lead. Heading to the fourth, the Lady Crusaders enjoyed a 27 to 9 cushion. Vergil ended her big night with a 6 point fourth period effort as Alliance kept the hosts on their heels. Reza also added a bucket in the final 6 minutes. Harrison would score 4 points in period. Final Alliance 35 Harrison 13
ALL 7 10 10 8 35
HAR 0 5 4 4 13
Scoring Vergil 17 Hulquist 10 Shelmadine 2 Addison Intermill 2 Paisley Intermill 2 Reza 2
The Crusaders will host AMS on Saturday with a 9:00 tip off scheduled.