Cards entertain North in early-season showdown
SSC girls ranked No. 2 in Nebraska Class B, North No. 2 in Iowa Class 4A
By Barry Poe | Posted: Thursday, December 18, 2008
For high school girls basketball fans, it doesn't get much better than tonight's game at South Sioux City's Cardinal Mini-Dome.
South Sioux City, the defending Nebraska Class B state champion, entertains North, unbeaten in six starts and ranked No. 2 in Iowa Class 4A. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
North, which won the 2007 4A state title, is seeking its fourth straight state tournament berth. South Sioux City, meanwhile, has won 11 Class B championships in the last 14 years. The Cardinals are off to a 3-0 start in Coach Kelly Flynn's 25th season at the helm.
And, oh, by the way, North handed South Sioux City its only loss during a 24-1 campaign last season, posting a 66-58 triumph on Dec. 13, 2007 at North.
"This is such a great test because you get to see great pressure defense and a team that has such a great tradition," said Flynn, who is 462-109 at South Sioux City. "We've had to work on our press-breaker all week and really emphasize rebounding because they rebound as well as any team around."
North opened the season in impressive fashion, defeating IKM-Manning, currently ranked No. 4 in Class 2A, 57-42. Since then, the Stars of Coach Kirk Walker have reeled off victories over Lawton-Bronson (81-20), East (73-39), West (84-42), Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson (86-32) and Sioux Center (81-35).
"We have a few new kids in the mix and some kids still trying to identify specific roles," said Walker. "We're getting closer to doing that, but this weekend will tell us a lot about ourselves.
"Of course, we're planning on winning, but ultimately these games will tell us what we need to know about ourselves."
North entertains Ames, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon.
South Sioux City's three wins are over Omaha Duchesne (82-38), East (63-48) and Dakota Valley (78-40). The Cardinals had a game against West postponed because of bad weather.
"All of these kids know each other so well there will be no surprises," said Walker. "It'll be a couple of teams that want to get out in transition and pressure, so it will probably come down to which team executes better."
Each team has a returning all-stater and each has had contributions from a number of different players.
North's Jalyssa Ceasar, a 5-10 senior, averages 17 points and has a team-high 54 rebounds. South Sioux City's McKayla Knudson, a 6-1 senior, is one of four Cardinals averaging double digits at 14.7 an outing.
Tristen Sharp, a 6-2 sophomore, leads South Sioux City at 17.3 points per game. Senior guards Kodi Fischer and Sarah Carothers contribute 10.7 and 9.7, respectively, while 5-11 senior Emily Schroeder has scored 20 points in two games since missing the season opener due to mononucleosis.
North, likewise, was without 5-9 senior Erica Denney in its last outing. Denney suffered a concussion after a collision with Ceasar in the game against Thomas Jefferson, but returned to practice Monday and will play in tonight's game.
Sophomore Brittni Donaldson is North's second-leading scorer at 13.8 a game while Ashlie Stokes, a 5-7 sophomore, averages 9.0. Chelsie Stokes, a 5-4 senior and Ashlie's older sister, is the other North starter. The Stars have gotten strong play from juniors Abby Axthlem and Kari Ceasar, along with sophomore Josee Jansen, in reserve roles.
Nikki Hanish, a 5-10 senior and the team's best defensive player, is South Sioux City's fifth starter.
South Sioux City, the defending Nebraska Class B state champion, entertains North, unbeaten in six starts and ranked No. 2 in Iowa Class 4A. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
North, which won the 2007 4A state title, is seeking its fourth straight state tournament berth. South Sioux City, meanwhile, has won 11 Class B championships in the last 14 years. The Cardinals are off to a 3-0 start in Coach Kelly Flynn's 25th season at the helm.
And, oh, by the way, North handed South Sioux City its only loss during a 24-1 campaign last season, posting a 66-58 triumph on Dec. 13, 2007 at North.
"This is such a great test because you get to see great pressure defense and a team that has such a great tradition," said Flynn, who is 462-109 at South Sioux City. "We've had to work on our press-breaker all week and really emphasize rebounding because they rebound as well as any team around."
North opened the season in impressive fashion, defeating IKM-Manning, currently ranked No. 4 in Class 2A, 57-42. Since then, the Stars of Coach Kirk Walker have reeled off victories over Lawton-Bronson (81-20), East (73-39), West (84-42), Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson (86-32) and Sioux Center (81-35).
"We have a few new kids in the mix and some kids still trying to identify specific roles," said Walker. "We're getting closer to doing that, but this weekend will tell us a lot about ourselves.
"Of course, we're planning on winning, but ultimately these games will tell us what we need to know about ourselves."
North entertains Ames, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon.
South Sioux City's three wins are over Omaha Duchesne (82-38), East (63-48) and Dakota Valley (78-40). The Cardinals had a game against West postponed because of bad weather.
"All of these kids know each other so well there will be no surprises," said Walker. "It'll be a couple of teams that want to get out in transition and pressure, so it will probably come down to which team executes better."
Each team has a returning all-stater and each has had contributions from a number of different players.
North's Jalyssa Ceasar, a 5-10 senior, averages 17 points and has a team-high 54 rebounds. South Sioux City's McKayla Knudson, a 6-1 senior, is one of four Cardinals averaging double digits at 14.7 an outing.
Tristen Sharp, a 6-2 sophomore, leads South Sioux City at 17.3 points per game. Senior guards Kodi Fischer and Sarah Carothers contribute 10.7 and 9.7, respectively, while 5-11 senior Emily Schroeder has scored 20 points in two games since missing the season opener due to mononucleosis.
North, likewise, was without 5-9 senior Erica Denney in its last outing. Denney suffered a concussion after a collision with Ceasar in the game against Thomas Jefferson, but returned to practice Monday and will play in tonight's game.
Sophomore Brittni Donaldson is North's second-leading scorer at 13.8 a game while Ashlie Stokes, a 5-7 sophomore, averages 9.0. Chelsie Stokes, a 5-4 senior and Ashlie's older sister, is the other North starter. The Stars have gotten strong play from juniors Abby Axthlem and Kari Ceasar, along with sophomore Josee Jansen, in reserve roles.
Nikki Hanish, a 5-10 senior and the team's best defensive player, is South Sioux City's fifth starter.
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John Wooden wrote on Dec 18, 2008 9:15 PM:
The KNIGHTmares are coming. . .. "