Concordia girls defeat Pike Valley

COURTLAND — A 17-4 run to open the second half propelled the Concordia High School girls' basketball team to a 49-36 victory over Pike Valley on Tuesday.
Concordia, playing for the first time in a week, overcame a slow start to pull even with Pike Valley, 19-19, at halftime.
Getting off to a fast start in the second half, Concordia opened up a double digit lead.
Pike Valley was unable to get closer than nine points over the final eight minutes of the game as Concordia improved to 4-11.
“They played well the third quarter,” Concordia coach Carly Bloomfield said. “We started converting some things offensively and I felt like we started playing better.”
A baseline jumper by Cianna DeLeon 3:25 into the game would be the only field goal in the first quarter for Concordia.
Concordia would go four minutes without scoring before Taylor McDaniel made one of two free throws.
“We didn't make the shots we should have made and there is not energy when you don't make shots and it is hard to keep playing through that,” Bloomfield said.
Pike Valley would manage just a pair of baskets in the period, and led 4-3.
“Us limiting their ability to score kept us in the game and allowed us to be able to come back,” Bloomfield said.
DeLeon gave Concordia its first lead at 5-4 when she scored with 1:15 gone by in the second period.
Pike Valley scored the next six points to go back on top, 10-5.
Trailing 13-9, Concordia got one free throw by Kenlee Williams, two by Ashley Bartlett and then a three-point shot by Erinae Flesher to go up 15-13.
Pike Valley would reclaim the lead at 19-17.
Concordia tied the game at 19-19 on a bucket by Bartlett late in the first half.
McDaniel scored the first two points of the second half.
Consecutive baskets by Carlie Carlgren gave Concordia a 25-19 advantage.
Breanna Reaves, who led all scorers with 18 points, hit a jumper for Pike Valley to make it a 25-21 game.
Carlgren connected on her first three-point shot of the season.
Bartlett scored off of an offensive rebound and Hanna Acree hit a three to put Concordia on top, 33-21.
Reaves made two free throws for Pike Valley, but Acree drilled another three to extend Concordia's lead to 36-23.
“Hanna hitting those threes, I felt like gave the team momentum,” Bloomfield said.
A layup by Isabella Beckmann-Rogers left Pike Valley trailing 36-25 heading into the forth quarter.
The two teams spent the first 4:30 of the final period exchanging baskets with Pike Valley getting within nine points on three occasions.
Concordia would then extend the lead to as many as 14 points on its way to the win.
Eight Concordia players scored in the game, led by Bartlett with 12 points.
Carlgren, who got into early foul trouble, scored all 11 of her points in the second half.
Acree made three threes on her way to scoring nine points.
Concordia will again be off for a week before hosting Riley County next Tuesday night.

CONCORDIA (49)
Parker 0-0-4 0, DeLeon 3-0-0 6, Acree 3-0-2 9, Flesher 1-0-0 3, Carlgren 3-4-4 11, Bethune 0-0-1 0, Blackwood 1-0-0 2, Williams 0-1-1 1, Britt 0-0-1 0, Bartlett 3-6-1 12, McDaniel 2-1-2 5. Totals: 16-12-16 49.
PIKE VALLEY (36)
Reeves 6-6-3 18, Douglas 1-0-2 2, Bray 3-0-4 6, Beckmann-Rogers 1-0-1 2, Benne 2-0-5 4, Bolte 1-0-4 4. Totals: 14-8-19 36.