FC girls get defensive, bounce back from Friday loss

   The Falls City High Lady Tigers’ basketball team improved to 3-1 last night with a one-sided home blowout victory over Southern, spitting out the bitter taste of Friday’s disappointing home-opening loss to Auburn by doubling up the visiting Raiders, 36-18.
    Southern is now 3-2 after starting the season with three straight wins.
    The Tigers again played exceptional defense, holding Southern to just five points before intermission. Thus far, FC is holding its opponents to fewer than 30 points per game.
    Offensively (statistical information from Monday’s win was not available at press time), the Lady Tigers have shot the ball fairly well, particularly in the early going of games. In a 40-38 road win at Atchison, KS, last Thursday, juniors Alyssa Frederick and Molly Brown spurred a 15-point opening quarter rally by draining long-range jumpers. Frederick hit two right away and three on the night, finishing with 11 points (to go with eight boards, five assists and she also drew a charge); Brown also hit a pair of treys in a 10-point first half and finished with a team-high 12 points. In addition, Brown hauled in eight boards, as FC owned a lopsided 51-22 edge on the glass. Sophomore Meredith Poppe and senior Libby Bauman (three blocks) each led FC with nine rebounds, three of which for each came on the offensive end, junior Bailey Armbruster had seven boards, five offensive, and four of sophomore Rylee Scholl’s five rebounds came on FC’s end of the court. The Tigers’ 19 offensive rebounds helped negate 23 turnovers.
    The team has not protected the basketball very well to this point and the fumbles ruined FC’s chances Friday in a 44-27 loss to a quick Auburn team that applied full-court defensive pressure. Led by former Tigers Maggy and Meg Rieschick, the Bulldogs forced 25 Tiger turnovers – 18 in the second half. FC managed seven field goal attempts after halftime and saw a four-point deficit balloon in a hurry. The fouls mounted, too, and Auburn, now 2-2 after a Saturday loss to Elmwood-Murdock, sealed the deal at the line. Maggy Rieschick, a senior, scored seven of her eight in the final stanza. Meg Rieschick, a sophomore, scored nine, as did Ashley Teten, a 5-10 freshman. Senior Taylor Petersen scored 10 team-high points in the Auburn win.
    In the end, Auburn had 30 free throw attempts to FC’s seven. Brown fouled out of the game and Frederick and Scholl each played with four.
    The Lady Tigers tip it up again Friday in Nebraska City against 2-2 Lourdes Central Catholic. They host 2-1 Class B Plattsmouth Saturday.
SCORING vs. Atchison
    FC — Poppe, 2; Frederick, 11; Brown, 12; Armbruster, 4; Bletscher, 2; Scholl, 2; Bauman, 7.
SCORING vs. Auburn
    FC — Poppe, 4; Frederick, 10; Brown, 2; Armbruster, 2; Bletscher, 1; Scholl, 4; Bauman, 4.
     Aub — Me. Rieschick, 9; Wynn, 6; Ma. Rieschick, 8; Gyhra, 2; Teten, 9.

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