The Hampton-Dumont-CAL and Iowa Falls-Alden girls and boys basketball teams will face off in round two of the Battle for Bradford on the hardwood on Tuesday on 99 The Wave. The Bulldogs swept the first meeting, as the girls won 45-30 and boys held on 67-65 on January 7.
The #12 (3A) Hampton-Dumont-CAL girls (17-1, 9-1 NCC) have won seven games in a row, including a 63-48 win over Saint Edmond on senior night on Friday. The Bulldogs defense during the win streak has frustrated opponent offenses, by allowing fewer than 40 points in five of the seven games. Jordan Valley leads with 12 points per game and Lily Hambly defends the boards with 11 rebounds per game.
Bulldogs Head Coach Miranda Stafford on not overlooking the Cadets in a busy final week.
“Iowa Falls is a tough place to play. It’s a rivalry game and their team is going to look a little bit different than the last time we played them,” says Stafford. “Definitely not somewhere where we’re walking in and overlooking. We’re not even thinking about that Algona game until we go into Iowa Falls and do what we need to do there. We’ve got to focus one game at a time.”
The Iowa Falls-Alden girls (9-9, 3-6 NCC) won 59-10 over North Butler in non-conference play on Thursday. The Cadets defense fuels their transition game with 10 steals per game. Elody England leads with 12.7 points per game and Brooklyn Handland provides a three-point threat at 31.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Cadets Head Coach Michael Collison on working for best shot and making the most of balanced scoring.
“I feel like that’s always been something that we want to be. We want to have lots of kids who can score and to try to have our team find the best shot. We’ve got a lot of girls that the shots they take are good shots, and I think we got to be committed to finding what’s the best shot,” says Collison. “I think as long as we stay committed to that, good things will happen. I’m really proud of our scoring balance, some of these nights.”
The Hampton-Dumont-CAL boys (3-13, 1-9 NCC) have lost eight straight games, including a 72-43 loss to #7 (1A) Saint Edmond on senior night on Friday. Brady Harr averages a double-double with 16.4 points and 12.9 rebounds.
The Iowa Falls-Alden boys (8-9, 3-7 NCC) ended a five-game losing streak with a competitive 74-70 win over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows on Friday. Kale Kalous leads the Cadets into battle with 21.8 points per game and shooting 41 percent from the field.
Pregame coverage on 99 The Wave begins just after 6:05 p.m. followed by the opening tip at 6:15 p.m. in Iowa Falls.
