Hounds get fourth win in a row

FORT MADISON – Dayonna Davis hit from just about everywhere in Friday night’s Lady Hounds win over Mt. Pleasant, but she left a bigger mark on the program than her 26 points.
Davis became the first Bloodhound girls basketball player to reach 500 rebounds in her career as the Hounds rolled to a 53-35 win over visiting Mt. Pleasant in the HoundDome.
Fort Madison’s up-tempo ball movement and full-court pressure set the tone early in the Southeast Conference win.
Davis said the better ball movement is opening up scoring opportunities for all the Hounds. It was the senior’s turn after fellow senior Hadley Wolfe went off for 29 points, setting a school record with nine 3-balls. Davis and Head Coach Landon Bentley both said the focus on quicker rotations has helped the ladies offensively.
“Against a zone, reversing the ball opens up gaps to attack. The girls are starting to execute and we’ve been seeing some shots,” Bentley said.
“We talk about no hold basketball. .5 decisions.  Catch shoot, catch rip, or catch and give it up.”
Davis said Friday night they were really breaking down the Panthers' zone.
“When teams run a zone, ball movement is really important in getting open. The zone takes a moment to shift back and that gives you some time to adjust and get your shot down,” she said.
Davis and the Bloodhounds held Mt. Pleasant to just two offensive rebounds all night, and a full court pressure defense kept the Panthers out of any real rhythm most of the game.
Aside from a 2-2 score out of the gate, and a 9-7 mark with 1:31 left in the first quarter when Mt. Pleasant Abigail Shelangoski hit a 3-pointer from the right baseline, Fort Madison dictated play the whole night.
A 10-0 run midway through the second quarter opened up a 23-12 advantage on a 3-ball from Davis off the left wing. Most of the Hounds' damage came from the left side where the senior, playing with four other seniors on Senior Night, kept getting the ball in open space. Maleena Bentley, another of the Hound seniors, banked in another 3-ball just before the halftime buzzer for a 29-14 lead.
“It’s freezing out, but the bank’s still open,” Landon Bentley, her older brother, said at the break.
The Hounds would keep the Panthers at bay the rest of the night with another 9-0 run in the third quarter which helped provide some room for a cool shooting final 11 minutes. Fort Madison had a stretch where they missed seven consecutive shots in three offensive possessions, but offensive rebounds kept them in the half court.
Davis said the Hounds' athleticism and getting to the ball off misses has been a key to her 500 mark.

“My athleticism helps a lot, and it’s a mindset of assuming your teammate is going to miss. That’s not a bad thing. Then you’re always ready to go,” she said.
Wolfe had one of the few 3-pointers from the right side Friday night when she connected for a 41-23  lead to cap off the nine-point run in the third. Then Davis took over in the fourth, scoring the last eight points for the Hounds.
Bentley said the press has been a priority for Fort Madison in a stretch where they’ve won five of their last seven and four in a row.
“We took some time to break down and teach that press recently and it’s been a focal point of ours to get really good at it,” he said.
“We started five seniors tonight, two girls that don’t have starts and seamlessly ran it right.  Program wide, we're starting to figure some things out.”
He said controlled ball movement is another part of the game that’s giving the girls some confidence down the stretch.
“If you talk to any of the girls and ask them about the last three weeks, the first 20 minutes of practice is passing and ball handling. When we share the ball, I feel like we’re extremely hard to beat. We have five or six girls that can score on any given night," Bentley said.
The Hounds would have to win out to share part of the conference title, and that would require wins over Washington and Burlington, both of whom have wins over Fort Madison this year.
“When you come off a week like we had, it’s easy to get complacent. We’re in January still. We want to continue to get better and better as we close in on March.
Bentley had special praise for the seniors and the team's two senior managers.
“The two managers have been there for four years every single practice running the clock. They dedicate just as much time as the basketball girls and seeing them get recognized was a heartfelt moment for me,” he said.
“We started all five seniors, and obviously, I have a special place in my heart for my sister. The other four I feel just as much love for and I’m proud of them. They’ve devoted to the community for four years, whether that’s Community Thanksgiving and things like that, so it was good to see the community here to support them.”
Wolfe finished with eight points and Bentley had six.
The Bloodhounds (8-4, 4-2)  have three games next week starting with Clark County, Mo. on Tuesday and then BHS comes down Hwy. 61 for an important tussle in Fort Madison on Friday. Pella comes to town for the Saturday afternoon game.