The Aplington-Parkersburg girls basketball team left no doubt in Tuesday’s 70-33 regional quarterfinal win over North Butler, as aired on 99 The Wave.
The Falcons dictated the pace from the opening tipoff, forcing numerous turnovers in the backcourt to gain extra possessions. A 23-11 first quarter lead expanded to 45-21 at halftime, and the score never got closer. With both teams emptying their benches, the running clock rule went into effect halfway through the fourth quarter to quickly end the game.
“We knew a lot about North Butler coming in, we’ve watched some film on them,” AP senior Emma Wolff says. “But we knew this was a game kind of to prepare for Denver, as well as our last game with Waverly-Shell Rock. So we kind of used that last game and this game to prepare us for what we’re going to do for Denver, I guess. We definitely are a team that likes to run a lot. So that’s something we did a lot this game. But with Denver, I know we’re not going to get as many run-outs as we’re used to. So we’ve just got to really lock down on our offense, run our offense, and then stay solid on defense, really.”
The Falcons shot 42 percent, led by 24 points by Peyton Klooster. Ava Eddy scored 12 and Quinnlyn Schultz added 10. Head Coach Brady Driscol says the team executed its playing style well.
“We got out and ran a little bit more tonight than we have in the past couple games, offense was a little better too,” Driscol says. “Just going in and out, looking inside. Peyton had a really good first quarter for us and really overall good game, but really good first quarter, first half for us and that opened up the outside for some more shots. On the flip side defensively, we wanted to do a little better job on 11. I think she she got away from us a few times for some threes and then went the full length of the floor sometimes for some coast-to-coast layups. So that wasn’t our best effort, but the second half really turned around and kept her in check.”
Zoey Thompson led the Bearcats with 15 points.
North Butler’s season has ended at 3-18. AP (15-7) will play a regional semifinal at #7 (2A) Denver Friday on 99 The Wave.
Emma Wolff interview:
Peyton Klooster interview:
Brady Driscol interview:
