First-half deficit too much for Central women’s basketball team
Central College
WAVERLY — A 15-2 Wartburg run to close the first half proved to be the difference in a 66-42 road loss for the young Central College women’s basketball team Wednesday.
After Wartburg (10-4 overall, 1-2 Iowa Conference) jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the contest the teams traded baskets and the Dutch (9-5, 0-3) cut the deficit down to 14-10 with 9:42 to play in the opening half.
“Wartburg came out with a lot of energy, but we defended them extremely well for the first 10 minutes,” said coach Chelsea Petersen.
The Knights then started to pull away and ended the half on a 15-2 run to take a 29-12 lead into halftime. Wartburg was led by forward Kailey Kladivo, who scored 10 of her 17 points in the first half.
“It became a 17-point halftime deficit because we didn’t hit shots,” said Petersen. “Kladivo was a big key for Wartburg. She’s one of the best post players in the conference and she really got them going in the first half.”
The teams played closer in the second half with Wartburg outscoring Central by just seven after halftime to bring the final score to 66-42.
“I thought we did a great job attacking the rim in the second half,” said Petersen. “I felt like our players played with a lot of heart and effort, but during stretches where we could have made a run, we didn’t make free throws.”
One bright spot for Central was its ability to force turnovers. The defensive pressure led to 19 Wartburg turnovers that the Dutch turned into 18 points on the offensive end. Guard Jessica Helton (freshman, Nevada) came up with five steals and guard Lauren Sharp (senior, Grinnell) was also active on defense for Central.
“Lauren was talking to her teammates and on the defensive end of the floor and she got her hands on a lot of basketballs,” said Petersen.
Despite playing just 13 minutes, Sharp scored a team-high 10 points. She was 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
“Lauren played extremely well,” said Petersen. “She came off the bench and hit shots. I thought she played with a lot of confidence and a lot of poise tonight.”
Forward Tina Lane (freshman, Williamsburg) finished with six points and four assists for Central.
The Dutch will travel to Loras (8-6, 2-1) Saturday with tipoff set for 2 p.m.
