For the teams trying to match up with No. 1 Mount Vernon girls’ basketball this winter, it may be a case of pick your poi-
son.
All five starters reached double figures in scoring Thursday, Dec. 5, in a blowout win over Grinnell, 77-20, at Mount Vernon.
“And look at the number of assists,” Mount Vernon coach Nate Sanderson said. The Mustangs had 17 on 29 made baskets. “That’s a hallmark of our team. Everyone is willing to share it and move
it to the person that’s open. “Obviously, that’s fun to watch, but it’s fun to play that way, too.”
Sydney Huber led the scoring with 16 points. She was followed by Taylor Franck (15), Chloe Meester (12), Savanna Wright (12) and Courtney Franck (10). The bench also chipped in 12 points.
“Having a lot of people that can score is helpful,” Courtney Franck said. “And it shows what we want to become.” Courtney and her sister Taylor were mostly known for their ability to distribute the ball and play great defense a year ago. Taylor averaged 7.8 points per game, and Courtney, 6.7 ppg.
“They put a lot of work in during the offseason,” Sanderson said. “Courtney is really attacking the basket and using her footwork near the rim. Taylor has improved her 3-point shooting, plus she can get to the rim.
“They’ve added a lot to their game. Then you throw Savanna in there, who is way advanced for a freshman coming in. She is unbelievable.”
That was always the plan. All three sisters spent the summer on the AAU circuit, improving their offensive game.
“AAU has taught us to be aggressive,” Courtney said. “And to take it to the hole if you can, and shoot it if you are open.
“This year is going to be fun.”
It certainly wasn’t much fun for the Tigers. The Mustangs raced out to a 15-3 lead midway through the first quarter, and just expanded the margin from there. Grinnell had 22 turnovers and shot just 7-of-30 (23 percent).
“We tried to challenge the team and switched defenses between possessions, which we haven’t really done,” Sanderson said.
And the Mustangs were able to use their bench a little more. Something they haven’t been able to do much with a difficult early-season schedule.
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the Mustangs lost 66-54 to Class 5A No. 6 Cedar Rapids Prairie.
It was 44-41 after three quarter before the Hawks pulled away. Wright led the team with 17 points. Meester had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
“They were a really, really physical team,” Sanderson said. “They have lots of athletes.
“We wanted to be challenged in the non-conference schedule. Every time we play a good team, they are showing us things on film that we can work on to get better.”
Mount Vernon battled another 5A team Thursday, Dec. 5, this time topping Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 61-43. Wright again led with 20 points, followed by Huber with 14 and Meester with another double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds).
“Those are not teams we’ll see in 3A,” Courtney Franck said. “It just gets us looking forward at who we are going to become.
“We may lose, and that’s okay. It shows us what we need to work on and get better at.”
Moving into WaMaC play, the schedule remains tough. After traveling to Benton on Tuesday, Dec. 10, the Mustangs host No. 7 Williamsburg on Friday, Dec. 13, and host defending 3A champion Solon on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Then it is a trip to No. 10 West Delaware on Friday, Dec. 20, and a trip to Bolingbrook (in the Chicago suburbs) for an afternoon game on Saturday, Dec. 21.
“It is going to get more difficult,” Sanderson said. “And we are still figuring ourselves out a little bit. We’re still a little bit of a work in progress.”