Peetz runs past Warriors

With a balanced scoring attack the host Bulldogs upended the Leyton 43-29 in a non-district game Tuesday night.

Hampered by the absence of senior Katy Ernest and two quick fouls on Kaitlyn Berner, the Warriors stumbled out of the gate, falling behind 12-2 after the first quarter. Though Kelsey Waite gave the visitors a quick 2-0 lead, the Bulldogs finished out the period on a 12-0 run.

Peetz drew from many sources to register their their shattering start, but Beth Bernhardt contributed most frequently, tacking on 6 points in the frame. Baskets by Morgan Burns, Jodie Schumacher and Bailey Lewis accounted for the other scores to round out the Bulldogs' dominant first period performance.

"I try to get my post moves down for shots to where if I'm not getting buckets I can at least get to the line," said Bernhardt.

As for playing a non-district opponent they will only face once this year, Lewis wasn't sure what to expect.

"Scouting and knowing a lot about this team so early in the season is hard so I'm happy we were able to play so well tonight," she said. "We got on a couple of hot streaks in the first and third quarters that really helped us out."

After the Bulldogs extended their lead to 14-2 opening the second frame, the Warriors began to warm up offensively.

Dani McKay sparked the visitors momentarily, making a steal at mid court and charging hard the other way for a lay up. But Peetz responded to McKay's solo effort with a 7-1 exchange in their favor that proved decisive.

Schumacher accounted for 5 of those Bulldogs points. First she scored on a clever pass from Burns. Moments later she hit from three-point land.

Bernhardt finished the run with a lay up giving the Dogs a 21-5 lead with just under two minutes left in the half.

"I hit some nice shots tonight but I thought I was shooting better on Saturday," said the sophomore Schumacher. "We've all played a lot together so that's a big reason we play so well together. Not losing anybody from last year has been a big help to us also."

The Warriors stopped the bleeding by finishing the half off with 5 straight points.Emily Gill sank the front end of a one-and-one.

Berner then scored on two layups. Berner's first two pointer came after she stole the ball in the Bulldogs end and raced back the other way. Her second one came on a charge to the hoop with two seconds left.

Already up by 11 points at 21-10 entering the second half, the Bulldogs saved their best offensive game for the third quarter. Bjerke took a Lewis assist in the opening moments to set their momentum going. After a response from Berner, Peetz went on an 11-2 run, powered by a Burns three and a floor-length drive by Melissa Schumacher.

While the Warriors again had the last say in a quarter with Jessica Houk's jumper and a free throw by Kelsey Waite, they were still in a 38-19 hole entering the final quarter.

While the Bulldogs cooled off a little in the final eight minutes, the Warriors were able to reel the hosts in, but it mattered little in the final outcome.

After Leyton's Diedra Waite and Peetz' Bernhardt traded buckets to open the frame Leyton went on a 6-0 burst.

The streak included a Diedra Waite hoop sandwiched in between two Natalie Cruise scores. Without the services of Ernest, Leyton still clearly had some offensive punch. Three points by Peetz were all that interupted the Warriors 8-3 edge to finsh the game.

"I feel really confident with where we are right now," said Bernhardt. "I feel like our two wins have given us a real boost and I think we'll remain strong as long as we continue to improve."

The Bulldogs balanced offensive attack was led by Jodi Schumacher, Bernhardt and Bjerke with 11, 10 and 8 points, respectively.

The Peetz offensive scoresheet was completed with 6 points from Burns, 4 by Melissa Schumacher and two each by Curlee and Lewis.

Defensively, the Bulldogs pulled off 12 steals, led by Melissa Schumacher's 4. Burns, Whitney Christian and Jody Schumacher each had a pair. Bernhardt also recorded 4 blocks and 6 rebounds.

Bjerke led the team with 9 boards.

For the Warriors, Berner's 10 points led four other teammates with 4 each. The four-point scorers were Kelsey Waite, Cruise, Diedra Waite and McKay. On the defensive end, Kelsey Waite led all players with 10 boards and 4 steals.

McKay grabbed 7 rebounds of which 3 were off the offensive glass. She also added 3 steals to what was a strong defensive night.

Peetz opens district play on Friday afternoon when they host Pawnee. The junior varsity girls will get the action started at 3 p.m.

Leyton, meanwhile will again take to the road at Big Springs for a game with South Platte on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball

Peetz 43

Leyton 29