Eleva-Strum basketball wins out over Gilmanton, falls to Macks
by Doug Sands
The Eleva-Strum Lady Cardinals basketball team put a pair of difficult losses to start the season behind them earlier this week, topping the Gilmanton Panthers with a solid 41-25 victory, but the McDonell Bulldogs proved themselves another worthy adversary.
Taking on the Panthers on Tuesday, Dec. 2, Eleva-Strum made impressive progress.
The game started off slow with a 2-2 stalemate to end the first quarter, but the Cards recovered to take an 18-7 lead at the half.
Coming out of the locker room, both teams stepped up their offense. Gilmanton pushed hard against the Cardinals, but E-S held its ground. Down by 17 points entering the fourth, the Panthers struggled for a comeback, but the Cardinals were in control and closed out the game with a 16-point lead.
Leading the Cardinals on offense was senior Alexis McDonald with 15 points followed by Josie Olson with nine, Greta Monson with eight, and Lauren Jaskowski with six.
The Lady Cards then hosted McDonell Central for a hard-hitting matchup on Saturday, Dec. 6, not ready for the blow they would receive.
The Bulldogs struck with an intensity that left the Cardinals reeling. McDonell piled on a 27-point lead before the first quarter had ended. Struggling under the crushing momentum, the Cardinals put up scores in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs continued to increase their lead, burying E-S under a 50-point deficit by halftime.
Coming out of the half, the Cardinals were eager to make headway, but the Bulldogs put the game on lock-down. Neither side scored a point in the third. Eleva-Strum fought hard in the fourth, but McDonell’s iron-clad defense kept the Cardinals at bay as the home squad fell to McDonell Central 68-18.
McDonald led the Lady Cards with six points followed by Jenna Booth and Jaskowski with four points and Olson and Abby Palkowski with two points apiece.
The Lady Cardinals will look to get back on track with a non-conference game vs. Durand on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at home followed by a Dairyland Conference contest at Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran on Thursday, Dec. 11.
