NAPOLEON — Napoleon girls basketball must have been working hard on shooting recently.
That extra practice paid off in a big way Thursday night, as Napoleon sank 10 3-pointers and pulled away from invading Bowling Green for a 57-40 Northern Lakes League win in the Grand Canyon.
It was a closer game than the final score as Napoleon pulled away late.
Four players made three-pointers for the Wildcats, including three each for Sophie Chipps and Makayla Kruse. Lily Jruse added a pair of triples and Ella Tassler’s triple in the fourth quarter triggered Napoleon’s pivotal run.
“The girls have been working very hard to improve, especially making shots,” said Napoleon coach Corey Kreinbrink. “We are well aware one of our deficiencies is our ability to knock down shots.
“The girls have been doing the work, especially Lily Kruse, who had two three-pointers tonight, and Makayla Kruse, who has been coming in early and staying late after practice to work on her shooting,” added Kreinbrink.
“We had too many lapses with our defensive communication and switches,” said Bowling Green girls basketball coach Jake Vanneman. We let their shooters get too many open looks and they knocked them down. Chipps just outworked us tonight.”
Chipps and Makayla Kruse each had 18 points to pace Napoleon, which is now 8-12 overall and 5-8 in the NLL.
Chipps sank a pair of three-pointers in the opening period, but the game was tied at 14 after eight minutes as Jamie Sayen scored six of her team-high 14 points in the opening stanza.
Chipps opened the second period with a triple, sparking a 12-2 run to start the quarter for the Lady Cats. Makayla Kruse and Lily Kruse made consecutive triples to cap the run and give Napoleon a 26-16 lead.
Anne Konecny scored in the final minute of the first half and Macyn Dean-Scheele added a free throw with 1.7 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 31-24 at intermission.
“From an offensive standpoint, we were able to keep ourself close,” said Vanneman. The girls did a good job attacking the basket and getting the ball to the open gap.
“I challenged them before the game to be the better rebounding team, and I thought we did that early,” added Vanneman.
BG held Napoleon to just five points in the third quarter — the only period the Wildcats did not make a three-pointer – and closed the gap to 36-31 on Londyn Thompson’s bucket to close the third period.
“We got a little tired in the third quarter and we were waiting around for Sophie (Chipps) to make a play,” said Kreinbrink. “We were able to get some stops (in the fourth quarter) and get out in transition a little. Then we were able to move the ball around and get some good looks. More importantly, we were able to knock them down.
Leading 39-34, Makayla Kruse scored with 6 1/2 minutes remaining and Tassler followed with her three-pointer. After a time-out by Napoleon, Lily Kruse and Makayla Kruse sank back-to-back threes, capping an 11-0 run to give the ‘Cats a 50-34 lead.
Fittingly, Makayla Kruse sank a three-pointer with less than a minute remaining to cap all scoring.
BG did not make a three-pointer in the game, but did a nice job getting to the foul line, sinking 12 of 18 free throws. Dean-Scheele added nine points for the Bobcats, who are now 6-15 overall and 2-11 in the NLL.
Tassler finished with seven points for Napoleon, while Lily Kruse added six points.
