Second half Wolfe hunt leads Hounds

FORT MADISON - Hadley Wolfe started out quietly before roaring through the second half, finishing what teammates Dayonna Davis and Halle Menke had started.

Wolfe, Davis and Menke all had double-digit scoring nights in Fort Madison’s 63-34 win over Mount Pleasant in a Southeast Conference game Friday night.

Wolfe had 20 points, all in the second half. Davis had 16 points and Menke had 10 as the Bloodhounds improved to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in the conference.

Fort Madison led 31-16 early in the third quarter before Wolfe took control of the game. She had 15 of her points in the quarter, the last coming on a layup with 1:40 to play that capped a 19-5 run by the Bloodhounds.

It wasn’t like Wolfe wasn’t contributing in the first half — she was the leader of a swarming defense that held Mount Pleasant to 12 points in the first two quarters. And it was her defense that led to her offensive outburst in the second half.

“I didn’t have it going in the first half, so I decided I was going to get on it defensively, and defense led to me getting some shots that started to fall,” Wolfe said.

“Hadley has been a horse for two years now, probably her whole life before I got a hold of her,” said coach Landon Bentley. “She has really stepped up this year. She's an on-court leader, she's an in-the-classroom leader most importantly, and she is an off-the-court leader. She's a friend to all, as you can see when she hits a shot, everybody in the gym is excited. She's just a great person. She deserves every ounce of success she's getting because she works hard for it.”

The Bloodhounds’ success is coming from their combined hard work, Bentley said. They haven’t lost since the season-opening defeat at Ottumwa, and have held opponents to an average of 28.5 points in their four wins.

“Our pressure defensively, we live and die (with defense) right now,” Bentley said. We're number one in the conference in points allowed 31 points. It’s our defense and our rebounding — we pride ourselves in leading the conference with our rebounding.”

Wolfe said the Bloodhounds are also making an effort to be efficient offensively.

“We’re moving the ball and passing it to each other,” she said. “Just not being selfish and letting our teammates shoot it and drive.”

What is making the Bloodhounds’ offense work is the ability to score inside and outside, and Menke is the perfect example of that. Menke, the tallest Bloodhound at 6-0, can operate inside but has also shown an increased shooting range that extends to the 3-point arc.

“We actually have been moving her around a little bit,” Bentley said. “She's playing a little bit of the perimeter. She's got great vision on the floor. She's got a nice shot and great skill. So we're seeing if that can work out for her, moving her around a little bit, throwing defenses off and not letting them necessarily plan for what we're going to do.”

Fort Madison plays at Pella on Saturday before closing the pre-Christmas schedule with a game at Burlington next Friday.

“I really like where we're at,” Bentley said. “I think our team chemistry is at an all-time high. These girls are best friends on and off the court. That's pretty special.”