The ride has come to an end.
The Mount Vernon girls varsity basketball team soared to new heights this year, overcoming a few seasons in the weeds to gel into the 16-8 squad they became this year under the stewardship of head coach Nate Sanderson.
Last week, the team got a taste of postseason action, defeating Assumption on their home court before falling to Solon in regional play.
Wednesday, Feb. 15
The Mustangs advanced to 16-7 overall with a 46-39 home win against the Assumption Knights.
The home team ruled every quarter, but never by much (ranging from one to three points), as they eked out a key win to see another game.
In a sight not seen every day, a freshman led all scorers in the contest, with Mount Vernon’s Courtney Franck leading the charge with 14 points.
Kameron Brand, in her second-to-last basketball game for the Mustangs, contributed eight points and pulled in 10 rebounds.
Chloe Meester, a sophomore, also had eight points, and came up with seven boards. 44.1 28.2
The Mustangs shot 44.1 percent from the field, while the Knights were just 28.2 percent.
Saturday, Feb. 18
In what amounted to their third meeting of the 2022-23 season, the Mustangs (no. 11) headed to Solon (no. 2) for regional final action.
The Spartans took the contest 58-44, advancing to the state tournament and closing the book on Mount Vernon’s season.
Solon jumped out to a 20-11 lead after the first quarter, aided in part by hitting their first three three-point attempts of the game.
The second period found Solon slightly outscoring the visiting team 9-8 and taking a 29-19 lead into the half.
The third quarter score was a draw, with each team posting 16 points and Solon still on top by 10.
The Spartans added four more points to that deficit in the fourth quarter, ending the game, and the Mount Vernon season.
Meester led the way for the Mustangs with 18 points and six rebounds.
Peyton Simpson contributed 13 points.
“It has been an absolute joy to coach this team, with this incredible staff, and these amazing kids,” Coach Sanderson said in a statement.
“We could not be more proud of them.”
Wednesday, Feb. 15
Mount Vernon vs. Assumption
ASP 12 8 10 9 39
MV 13 11 11 11 46
Mount Vernon
Points | Courtney Franck, FR PTS 14 FG 5/6 3PT 2/3 FT 2/4
Points | Kameron Brand, SR PTS 8 FG 2/5 3PT 2/5 FT 2/3
Points | Chloe Meester, SO PTS 8 FG 3/4 FT 2/4
Rebounds | Kameron Brand, SR RBD 10
Rebounds | Chloe Meester, SO RBD 7 OFF 1 BLK 1
Rebounds | Lilly See, SR RBD 4 STL 3
Assists | Peyton Simpson, JR AST 4 TO 3 A/TO 1.3
Assists | Kameron Brand, SR AST 3 TO 2 A/TO 1.5
Assists | Lilly See, SR AST 3 TO 4 A/TO 0.8
Assumption
Points | Ava Schubert, SR PTS 12 FG 3/8 FT 6/6
Points | Annika Kotula, SR PTS 11 FG 3/13 FT 5/6
Points | Addy Voss, FR PTS 10 FG 3/10 3PT 2/5 FT 2/2
Rebounds | Ava Schubert, SR RBD 8 OFF 1 BLK 2 STL 2
Rebounds | Addy Voss, FR RBD 5 OFF 1 BLK 1
Rebounds | Annika Kotula, SR RBD 4 OFF 1 BLK 1 STL 3
Assists | Maddy Nigey, JR AST 2 TO 2 A/TO 1.0
Assists | Ava Schubert, SR AST 1 TO 1 A/TO 1.0
Saturday, Feb. 18
Mount Vernon vs. Solon
MV 11 8 16 9 44
SOL 20 9 16 13 58
Final WaMaC-East Standings
Solon 13-1 W8 22-2
Mount Vernon 8-5 L1 16-8
Marion 6-5 L1 11-12
West Delaware 4-8 L1 7-16
Independence 1-12 L2 6-16
Mustang girls ball falters in postseason play
February 23, 2023
Trent Bowman
Mount Vernon’s Courtney Franck looks for a shot in regional play at home last week.
