Assumption too tall of an order for Central Lee girls

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Lady Hawks end season with home loss in Class 3A regionals

BY JOHN BOHNENKAMP
PCC SPORTS

DONNELLSON — The height disadvantage was well known even before Central Lee played Davenport Assumption in Saturday’s Class 3A regional quarterfinal.The Hawks’ tallest players were Macy and Maura Watkins at 5-foot-7. The Knights countered with junior Ava Schubert at 6-1, and three other starters who were 5-9.
It explains why Assumption dominated inside early and often on the way to a 60-43 win that ended the Hawks’ season.
Assumption (13-9), which advanced to play West Liberty in Wednesday’s semifinal, used its height advantage to take control of the game early. The Knights led 13-5 at the end of the first quarter, then opened the second quarter with a 15-2 run on the way to a 35-14 halftime lead.
“It was just about keeping our energy up,” said Schubert, who led Assumption with 20 points. “It’s high on our list to put the game away early, no matter who we play. That’s what we did tonight. So it was nice.”

Central Lee's Alivia Myhre battles for a shot at Assumption's Dawsen Dorsey contends. The Knights downed Central Lee 60-43 in Class 3A Regional action Saturday night ending the Lady Hawks' year. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

The Knights played their strength to near perfection.
“We expected that they would be a smaller team,” Schubert said. “But we didn’t want to take them lightly, at all. We wanted to play with the same intensity we always do.”
“Our focus was to play our game,” said Assumption assistant coach Samantha Johannsen, acting head coach in the place of Jake Timm, who is out with an illness.
“And that’s what I’m going to keep harping on them throughout the postseason — playing to our strengths.”
Johannsen said the 50-40 regular-season finale win over Davenport Central provided some of the momentum.
“We played with a lot of intensity in that game, and we wanted to keep that up,” she said.
Schubert was especially effective right away.
“Ava got great position and was able to finish around the rim,” Johannsen said. “And we kept going at her and the others.”
And then when the Knights hit four first-half 3-pointers, the Hawks (13-9) couldn’t find any sort of defensive answer.
“They’re a good team,” Central Lee coach Jay Baldwin said. “They took advantage of their height, and then they started making threes, and we had to pick our poison.”
The Hawks lost point guard Mikayla Morrison early in the game. Morrison had been bothered by back pain all week and when it flared up on her in the first quarter, she had to leave the game.
“Bless her heart,” Baldwin said. “She really tried to go. Basically her practices all week were her getting her back iced down. She tried to go and just couldn’t.”
Assumption led by as much as 30 points in the second half before the Hawks rallied.
Alivia Myhre scored 20 points, 15 in the second half, as Central Lee tried to crawl back in the game.
“We told (Alivia) she had to take over,” Baldwin said. “And she did.”
Macy Watkins added 10 points for Central Lee.
Baldwin liked how the Hawks had progressed all season.
“I’m proud of these kids,” he said. “They just kept working hard and getting better. And you could see that at the end of the season.”

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