Peetz guards spark Lady Bulldogs past Coyotes

POTTER — Clinging to a narrow halftime lead Tuesday night, Peetz High School girls basketball coach Tera Segelke gave her starting guards the thumbs-up to step up their respective games, and Morgan Burns and Melissa Schumacher didn’t disappoint.

Forcing turnovers and bad shots on defense, and finishing in double figures, Schumacher and Burns paved the way to the Lady Bulldogs’ 41-29 win at Potter-Dix.

“we typically don’t come out and play well in the first and third quarters,” Segelke said. “Potter-Dix has plenty of size, so we decided to pack the zone in and allow Melissa and Morgan to put pressure on their guards.”

The ploy worked: P-D (9-7) led 10-4 after a quarter, but Peetz (7-8) reversed the scenario with a 14-5 second period to take an 18-15 halftime lead. The Bulldogs forced the Coyotes into eight second-quarter turnovers.

“We stopped running our offense and began forcing up shots,” P-D coach Jeff Einspahr said. “Peetz took advantage of it.”

In the third frame, Peetz’s guards did all the scoring: Burns knocked down a pair of treys and Schumacher added a basket and free throw, good for a 27-19 command at the third stop.

Potter got to within four points, 31-27, with 3:37 to play on a Taylor Juelfs 3-pointer and three points from Conner Wolff.

But it was lights out the rest of the way for P-D: Peetz drew off by running off 10 of the game’s final 12 points. Schumacher added a long 3-pointer to help pad the lead.

Peetz hit five 3-pointers to just one for Potter; ironically, that 12-point edge proved to also be the margin of victory for the Bulldogs.

“We came out and shot ball a little better tonight,” Segelke said. “Any time Melissa and Morgan can hit those shots, it’s huge.”

Schumacher finished with 12 points, Burns 10 and Beth Berhardt eight (10 rebounds).

Conner Wolff led P-D with 12 points (with eight rebounds), and no other Coyotes player had more than five.

“We had breakdowns on defenese, and we didn’t match their energy and intensity,” Einspahr said.

The Bulldogs and Coyotes are back at it Friday, weather permitting: P-D hosts Pine Bluffs, Wyo., while Peetz goes to Briggsdale (Colo.)

Peetz 41, Potter-Dix 29

PEETZ (7-8)

MSchumacher 5 1-2 12, Burns 3-7 1-3 10, Curlee 0 0-0 0, Berhardt 4 0-0 8, Bjerke 2 2-4 6, Harless 2 0-2 5, Christian 0 0-0 0, JSchumacher 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 4-9 41

POTTER-DIX (9-7)

Livingstone 0 1-4 1, CWolff 5 2-6 12, Juelfs 1 0-0 3, MWolff 2 1-2 5, Maas 1 2-2 4, Langley 0 0-0 0, Ball 0 0-0 0, Harms 1 0-0 2, Long 0 0-0 0, Ramsey 1 0-2 2, Lewis 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 6-16 49

Peetz 4 14 9 14—41

P-D 10 5 4 10—29

3-point goals — Peetz 5 (Burns 3, MSchumacher, Harless), Potter-Dix (Juelfs). Rebounds — Peetz 32 (Berhardt 10), Potter-Dix 28 (CWolff 8). Turnovers — Peetz 19, Potter-Dix 18.Team fouls — Peetz 16, Potter-Dix 12. Fouled out — Bjerke.