Wildcat girls no match for Comets, Cavaliers

Going against the top two teams in Region 8A last week, the Custer High School girls basketball team was likely going to have to play its best games of the season—and maybe see a downturn from its opponents—in order to come away with wins, or at the very least close losses.
Unfortunately for Custer neither of those things ocurred, as the Wildcats were blown out in both games, including last Saturday against St. Thomas More in Rapid City.
The Wildcats tried employing a 3-2 zone against the Cavaliers to give them a different look, but it didn’t take long for the Cavaliers to jump out to a 9-0 deficit on the way to a 35-8 halftime lead and a 57-20 win.
“They hit some shots early. We struggled to get any offense going or shots to go down,” head coach Gage Winkler said.
Scoring has proven a problem for the Wildcats, especially lately, as the Wildcats did not score double figures in a quarter in either game last week. Against More, the Wildcats shot only 25 percent, with Kylee Ellerton scoring 12 of Custer’s 20 points.
The Wildcats only attempted 28 shots the entire game, making seven.
“We took a fraction of the shots they took. They are a very good shooting team,” Winkler said.
The numbers back that up, as the Cavaliers shot 51 percent from the floor, including 39 percent from three-point range.
A positive that emerged from the game was a drastic reduction in turnovers for the Wildcats, as they turned the ball over only 22 times. The team had been averaging well over 30 in its last few games.
“We were taking care of the ball,” Winkler said. “We are trying to find ways to get better looks. We are going to tighten up some of our plays. We need to figure out how we can execute better. It’s little details.”
Winkler praised St. Thomas More, calling the Cavaliers a well-coached team that plays hard.
“They are skilled and shoot the ball well,” he said.
On Jan. 27 the Wildcats welcomed the Rapid City Christian Comets to the Armory.
The Wildcats were treated rudely by their guests, as the Comets jumped out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back in a 66-14 demolition of the ’Cats.
Poor shooting and copious turnovers plagued the Wildcats in the game, as they made only five baskets the entirety of the game, shooting 17 percent from the field while committing 35 turnovers. The Comets turned those turnovers into 38 points.
“We got too reliant on passing (against the press). We were catching and throwing it right away,” Winkler said, adding the team had worked on passing to beat the press but needs to find a balance between when to pass and when to put it on the floor and attack. “There were times the pass wasn’t there and we’re tying to find when to throw it and when not to.”
Custer’s first points came via an Ellerton free throw after Winkler called a timeout following the 14-0 start by the Comets.
Rylan Lowe hit a three-pointer to cut the Comet lead to 12, but that lead went back to 15 following an Alex Love three-pointer, one of nine triples the Comets made in the game.
Nora Kieffer started the second quarter with a three-pointer that she followed up with a basket off a Wildcat turnover that made the score 29-4 in favor of the visitors.
Custer’s lone basket of the quarter came via Emarysn Jaure, which was followed by a 17-0 Comet run to end the quarter, which included a three-pointer from Sadie Marshall and another triple from Kieffer. The Comets led by 40—46-6—at the half.
Winkler said his message to the team at halftime was simple: forget the score.
“We’re aren’t going to let the scoreboard affect our play and attitude. It’s zero-zero every possession,” he said. “When you see someone giving it their all, especially when they are losing, it’s inspiring. It’s noticeable, and it transfers to life. Let’s go see who we are as people. Are you able to forget the number on the scoreboard and play passionately with heart? I challenged them. They really heard it and took it to heart.”
The second half was played with a running clock due to the large Comet lead, and Winkler emptied his bench with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Winkler said in watching the film the team was much closer to making things happen than it appears, saying there were times a sooner pass, lower pass, etc., would have led to an easy score.
“Again, it’s just little details. Not finishing at the rim, not executing passes,” he said.
Ellerton and Lowe were the team’s leading scorers with five points.
Winkler said many of the girls playing don’t have varsity experience, and he continues to remind them to play hard and be in the moment. Making a mistake is OK, he said, not giving your best after that mistake is not.
“It’s human nature to make a mistake, not get rewarded and say, ‘why would I give my best anymore?’” he said. “I feel they are starting to see that never translates to winning. You stay losing if that is what your mindset is.”
Winkler said he believes his team will come out of the tough games against ranked teams stronger, and that the girls will lean on each other as they face adversity.
“I don’t want them shying away from playing good teams. Iron sharpens iron,” he said. “In the locker room it hurts, and it should. As long as it hurts to lose, we’re good. That means you care. There’s a big difference between being a loser and losing. We aren’t losers. We lost. I can tell they still care. We are tighter because of it.”
The Wildcats play a pair of games this week, first welcoming the Hot Springs Bison Thursday evening for a 6 p.m. game before heading to Belle Fourche Saturday for a matinee 2 p.m. tip.
The Bison, like the Wildcats, are young and struggling this season, coming into the game at 2-11. The Broncs are in a similar boat at 4-11.
On paper, these are two games the Wildcats can win, and Winkler said he knows the team feels the same way, although he stressed that’s not the total focus.
“It’s going to come down to who wants it more  and who is going to play harder,” he said. “I’m excited for the next two or three weeks. We have a chance to get rewarded for all our hard work. Hopefully we can get some wins. This group has a lot of chemistry. They love to play together.”
Custer    2    6    4    8    —20
STM    18    17    11    11    —57
Custer—Brianna Noble 2-2 1-2 5, Emarsyn Jaure 0-3 0-0 0, Kylee Ellerton 4-11 3-6 12, Myley May 1-5 1-2 3, Rylan Lowe 0-5 0-0 0, Keira Nelson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 7-28 5-10 20.
St. Thomas More—Finley Young 0-1 0-0 0, Kaitlin Strain 1-2 0-0 3, Emma Henry 1-2 0-0 2, Brianne Katzenstein 0-1 0-0 0, Allison Crawford 1-4 0-0 3, Amity Strand 0-1 0-0 0, Molly Benda 1-2 0-0 2, Brynn Donnelly 5-8 1-2 14, Leighton Scherr 4-11 0-0 8, Rachael Hyde 6-8 3-6 15, Emily Crawford 5-7 0-0 10. Totals: 24-47 4-8 57.
Three-point goals: Custer 1 (Ellerton), STM 5 (Donnelly 3, Strain, Crawford). Rebounding: Custer 21, STM 27. Steals: Custer 3, STM 13. Assists: Custer 6, STM 21. Turnovers: Custer 22, STM 10. Total fouls: Custer 5, STM 12. Fouled out: none.
Custer    4    2    7    1    —14
RCC    23    23    10    10    —66
Custer—Brianna Noble 0-3 0-0 0, Emarsyn Jaure 1-7 0-0 2, Kylee Ellerton 1-6 3-6 5, Myley May 1-5 0-0 2, Rylan Lowe 2-5 0-0 5, Keira Nelson 0-4 0-0 0. Totals: 5-30 3-6 14.
Rapid City Christian—Sadie Marshall 2-5 2-2 7, Shaylie Griffith 2-6 0-0 4, Nora Kieffer 6-9 0-0 16, Maddison Kooiman 3-6 0-0 7, Bryann Casey 1-4 2-2 5, Liza Kieffer 2-4 1-2 5, Alex Love 1-5 0-0 3, Emma Swenson 3-6 0-0 7, Nia Selfridge 4-7 0-0 8, Miley Johnson 1-5 2-2 4. Totals: 25-57 7-8 66.
Three-point goals: Custer 1 (Lowe), RCC 9 (N. Kieffer 4, Marshall, Kooiman, Casey, Love, Swenson). Rebounding: Custer 27 (Nelson 7), RCC 27 (Johnson 7). Steals: Custer 4, RCC 21 (Selfridge 6). Assists: Custer 3, RCC 16 (Casey 5). Turnovers: Custer 35, RCC 11. Total fouls: Custer 6, RCC 11. Fouled out: none.