Lady Hounds locked in and loaded

FORT MADISON - The score still bothers Fort Madison girls basketball coach Landon Bentley and his players.
The 39-37 loss at Burlington in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal hasn’t escaped the Bloodhounds’ memories.
“This group has been ready since 39-37, the final buzzer of last season,” Bentley said. “We talk about that game, at least, every other day. We just mention the score. We keep that fire burning in our stomachs.
“We want to stay hungry.”
The Bloodhounds went 13-7 last season, finishing third in the Southeast Conference with a 7-3 mark. And all five starters return from that team.
“It’s new for me to experience,” Bentley said. “Considering, just a couple of years ago, I was starting a few freshmen. So having five returning varsity starters is a good feeling.”
The Bloodhounds led Class 4A last season in scoring defense, allowing just 36.2 points per game. Bentley wants an offense that can put up points to go along with that.
“We've got to be aggressive, and we've got to want to get to the foul line,” Bentley said. “We’ve worked on shooting, but our game is to work the ball inside, drive to the basket and get shots in transition. We just got to look to hunt shots. I felt like we were passive last year. A lot of times we were second-guessing taking a good shot, and we can’t do that.”
Seniors Dayonna Davis and Halle Menke, along with junior Hadley Wolfe, did the bulk of the scoring last season.
Davis (12.8 ppg) was a 40.1% shooter last season, and was also the team’s leading rebounder at 8.6 per game.

“I could talk about her for 30 minutes,” Bentley said. “She's a great athlete, a really good kid to coach. She battles, gets rebounds. We’re looking to build on her numbers this season. She’s our go-to, the one we want to get the ball in tough situations. Her leadership has grown from her freshman to her senior year. She is a brand new person, and I'm excited to see her enjoy the season.”
Wolfe (11.6 ppg), a first-team all-district pick last season was a 44.6% shooter from the field, and also led the Bloodhounds in assists.
“She brings undeniable leadership by leading by example,” Bentley said. “She's not super outspoken, but she's the hardest worker in the gym. She's just a great student-athlete, and the girls really look up to her, especially the young underclassmen, they're really looking up to her and learning from her.”
Menke (7.1 ppg) was second on the team in rebounding. She was a 38% shooter last season.
“She's our anchor, she's our glue,” Bentley said. “She holds us together. She keeps the girls close, she keeps girls accountable. She's the one person on the team that I could say, ‘Hey, what's this, this and this?,’ and she knows it all. She knows the system like her own head coach. So having an extension of me on the court is huge, and most coaches don't get to experience that.”
Juniors Reilynn Turnbull (5.7 ppg) and Charley Huebner (3.6 ppg) also return as starters.
“Last year was the first year for Reilynn to play a lot of minutes,” Bentley said. “Last year was her first big jump, and I've seen a lot of improvement early in the season for her, being active on defense, getting steals, getting layups.
“(Assistant coach) Kent Bailey helps out in the weight room, and he said Charley is an absolute workhorse in there. She’s worked for everything she’s getting, and it’s cool to see that.”
Junior Molly Schulte (3.5 ppg) and senior Ellie Huebner (1.2 ppg) are two of the top bench players back.
“We have a fun team,” Bentley said. “The kids are great, and I know they’re ready to go for the season.”