The Mount Vernon girls basketball program continued its ascent last week, splitting the week 1-1, but at times playing “as well as we have all season,” according to head coach Nate Sanderson.
Tuesday, the team defeated Dubuque Hempstead on the road 65-32 before dropping a narrow decision Friday to Center Point-Urbana 48-42 at home.
Sanderson said the team will be tested again this week as they would take on No. 5 Benton Tuesday before hosting No. 7 Vinton-Shellsburg Friday, Dec. 9.
“We know we will only continue to get better,” said Sanderson.
Tuesday, Nov. 29The coach was happiest with his team’s play Tuesday, for obvious reasons.
“We probably played as well as we have all season,” Sanderson said.
“We did an outstanding job attacking the Hempstead defense inside. Brynley Rasmussen and Chloe Meester each finished with 13 points, while Peyton Simpson was in double-figures with 12 points,” the coach noted.
“Despite the long road trip, we were able to jump on them early leading 40-13 at the half. We continue to share the ball well, totaling 16 assists on 25 field goals.
“Defensively, we held Hempstead to just 19 percent shooting on the night. We have been really pleased with our defensive intensity in the early going this season, and in this particular game, we were disruptive all night,” said Sanderson.
The team totaled 10 deflections and 14 steals.
Friday, Dec. 3The Mustangs didn’t fare as well Friday as they faced No. 4 CPU at home. Each team enjoyed a 3-0 record until their clash.
“CPU relies on their defensive pressure, and though we turned the ball over 20 times, we felt like we handled it well,” noted Coach Sanderson.
Despite the game being a back-and-forth affair, the team built up an eight-point lead at the half, and eventually led by one with under two minutes in the game.
In the end, the No. 10 Mount Vernon team’s efforts fell just shy of enough.
Peyton Simpson led the Mustangs with 16 points, and Chloe Meester finished with 14 points.
“Despite the loss, our competitiveness was on full display, and our growth since last season (a 35-point loss) is evident,” Sanderson said.
“Defensively, we rebounded at the highest percentage of the season.”
Mount Vernon vs. Dubuque Hempstead
MV 18 22 19 6 65
DH 5 8 9 10 32
Points | Brynley Rasmussen, JR PTS 13 FG 5/8 FT 3/5
Points | Chloe Meester, SO PTS 13 FG 6/9 FT 1/2
Points | Peyton Simpson, JR PTS 12 FG 4/9 3PT 2/6 FT 2/2
Rebounds | Chloe Meester, SO RBD 9 OFF 1 BLK 2
Rebounds | Kameron Brand, SR RBD 8 STL 1
Rebounds | Lilly See, SR RBD 4 OFF 1 STL 4
Assists | Kameron Brand, SR AST 5 TO 2 A/TO 2.5
Assists | Peyton Simpson, JR AST 4 TO 4 A/TO 1.0
Assists | Lilly See, SR AST 3 TO 3 A/TO 1.0
Mount Vernon vs. Center Point-Urbana
CPU 14 5 11 18 48
MV 12 15 6 9 42
Points | Peyton Simpson, JR PTS 16 FG 6/13 3PT 4/5
Points | Chloe Meester, SO PTS 14 FG 5/10 FT 4/4
Points | Kameron Brand, SR PTS 3 FG 1/2 3PT 1/2
Rebounds | Chloe Meester, SO RBD 7 OFF 3
Rebounds | Lilly See, SR RBD 6 OFF 2 STL 3
Rebounds | Peyton Simpson, JR RBD 6 OFF 4 STL 1
Assists | Lilly See, SR AST 4 TO 4 A/TO 1.0
Assists | Kameron Brand, SR AST 3 TO 5 A/TO 0.6
Assists | Courtney Franck, FR AST 2 TO 2 A/TO 1.0