Davison’s 13 points send Mustangs to semis
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
North Nodaway junior forward Madison Thompson turns and takes a shot in the post Monday as she finished with 12 points to help lead the Mustangs to a 45-29 win in the first round of the Class 1, District 15 Tournament against Northeast Nodaway.
After a three-point decision went Northeast Nodaway’s way last week in Ravenwood, the North Nodaway girls’ basketball team avenged the loss on Monday night in the first round of the Class 1, District 15 Tournament.
Junior forward Madison Thompson’s defensive prowess in the lane, coupled with her 12 points, paced the fifth-seeded Mustangs to their round one win over the fourth-seeded Bluejays, 45-29.
“It felt great,” North Nodaway head coach Sami Jackson said. “Coming into this game we knew how big it was, how important it was. It was just huge for us to win like that.”
North Nodaway boosted the pace in the first quarter to enhance its chances at transition points and took a 10-4 lead midway through the frame on a turnaround jumper from Thompson.
With 1:40 left in the first period, Mustangs sophomore guard Alisha Davison knocked down a triple from the left wing to increase the lead to 15-8. At the end of the first quarter, the lead stood at 15-11 for North Nodaway.
“The adrenaline of districts (got us going),” Jackson said. “Our whole goal tonight was to not ever get comfortable, no matter what the score got to. No matter what the score was, no matter what we were up by, we just put our foot on the throttle.”
As Thompson dominated defensively in the post with a flurry of blocked shots in the second quarter, the Bluejays struggled to get going.
That allowed the Mustangs to continue building their lead, scoring the final four points of the first half for a 23-15 advantage at halftime despite the slowed tempo in the second quarter.
Northeast Nodaway’s only four points in the second quarter came on four free throws from senior Dallis Coffelt as the Bluejays were unable to convert a field goal in the frame.
“They really guarded Dallis and Taylor (Coffelt) on the inside and made every shot hard on us. We had to rush shots,” Northeast Nodaway head coach Joyce Stiens said. “ … With that strong of a defense inside, I think it got to us mentally.”
A standout third quarter for North Nodaway helped it to pull away in the eventual win as it outscored the Bluejays in the period, 13-0. Senior Breann O’Riley and freshman Ashley Thompson hit jumpers for the first four points of the half before another left-wing three-pointer from Davison extended the lead to 32-15 with 1:44 left in the third.
Madison Thompson beat the buzzer from the left elbow to give the Mustangs their 36-15 lead at the end of three, setting themselves up to finish strong and advance to the district semifinal round.
“There in the fourth, we started playing hard and getting some things going,” Stiens said. “But we just started slow and dug ourselves into a hole that we couldn’t get out of.
“You just talk to the girls about playing with some pride and finishing out on a strong note and working back to get into it as much as you can. … I thought in the fourth quarter, we did that.”
Finally, with 7:26 left in the fourth quarter, Northeast Nodaway scored its first point of the half on a free throw from senior forward Talina Nelson. But the Mustangs would hold on for their postseason victory, advancing to the semifinal round of the district tournament.
Davison led all scorers with 13 points for North Nodaway, followed by Madison Thompson’s 12. Senior guard Jill Spire led the Bluejays with 12 points.
Northeast Nodaway finishes its season at 16-10 and will lose the following seniors: Dallis Coffelt, Allie Runde, Jill Spire and Talina Nelson.
With their first-round win in hand, the Mustangs (11-13) are set to face top-seeded Jefferson at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Stanberry.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Senior forward Dallis Coffelt hauls in an offensive rebound against North Nodaway on Monday night as Northeast Nodaway saw its season come to a close, 45-29, in the first round of the Class 1, District 15 Tournament in Stanberry.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Sophomore guard Alisha Davison launches a three-pointer for North Nodaway during its 45-29 win over Northeast Nodaway in the first round of the Class 1, District 15 Tournament on Monday night.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Northeast Nodaway sophomore Taylor Coffelt dumps a pass into the post on Monday night against North Nodaway, a 45-29 loss in the first round of the Class 1, District 15 Tournament hosted by Stanberry.
