Iowa City West hands City High its first loss, 63-58

IOWA CITY — Second verse, just as good as the first.

Class 5A third-ranked Iowa City West had the final, decisive push and outlasted No. 2 Iowa City High, 63-58, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls' basketball game in front of a nearly packed house Tuesday night at City High.

'My adrenaline is still high,' West's Cailyn Morgan said a few minutes afterward. 'City High is a very good team. We know about them, they know about us.

'We had to play together, because if we'd have played as individuals, we wouldn't have won this one.'

It was the second spellbinding game between these teams. City High won the first contest, 74-73 in overtime, Dec. 13 in a game that didn't count in the MVC standings.

This one did, and this time, the Women of Troy (14-2, 9-0) had more at the end.

'It came down to rebounding and free throws,' City Coach Bill McTaggart said. 'There were a couple times we didn't box out, and that was huge.'

West enjoyed a 40-22 rebounding advantage.

'I just think we got tougher,' West Coach B.J. Mayer said. 'The first quarter, they were getting every loose ball.'

City High (14-1, 8-1) led 24-15 early in the second quarter, but the Women of Troy responded with a 10-0 run for the lead, and took a 32-27 advantage into the locker room.

The second half featured four ties and four lead changes. The final deadlock was at 54-54 on Ashley Joens' drive with 2 1/2 minutes left.

But Emma Koch's putback put West in front for good, then the Women of Troy made 7 of 8 free throws in the final 1:54.

Koch entered the game at 1-for-10 this season from 3-point range, but hit 4 of 5 Tuesday and led West with 16 points.

'I hit the first one, and that loosened me up,' Koch said. 'I felt good once I got loose.'

Mayer said, 'We don't have a red light for anybody until the end of games. We're trying to score.'

Morgan added 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Logan Cook registered 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Rachael Saunders tallied 11.

A junior and an Iowa State recruit, Joens paced the Little Hawks with 16 points and eight rebounds. Rose Marie Nkumu posted 15 points and six steals, and Aubrey Joens scored 12 points.

'This should get our attention,' McTaggart said. 'We can't just turn it on and expect to win.'

City High officials flip-flopped the order of Tuesday's boy/girl double-header, putting the girls' game in nightcap position. The crowd stuck around, making it a rare loud atmosphere for an MVC girls' contest.

'It was so much fun,' Koch said.

IOWA CITY WEST 63, IOWA CITY HIGH 58

At Iowa City High

IOWA CITY WEST (63): Lauren Zacharias 2-3 2-2 6, Rachael Saunders 4-8 2-2 11, Maddie Huinker 0-6 1-2 1, Logan Cook 5-11 1-2 11, Emma Koch 5-11 2-2 16, Cailyn Morgan 5-6 4-4 15, Ali Tauchen 1-1 1-2 3, Paige Beckner 0-2 0-0 0, Katie McGrane 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-48 13-16 63.

IOWA CITY HIGH (58): Rose Marie Nkumu 6-8 3-4 15, Sydney Schroder 3-10 0-1 8, Ashley Joens 5-15 5-8 16, Aubrey Joens 3-8 4-5 12, Kenya Earl 3-9 0-0 7, Paige Rocca 0-1 0-0 0, Samantha Greving 0-0 0-0 0, Mikayla Lacey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-51 12-18 58.

Halftime: West 32, City 27. 3-point goals: West 6-16 (Saunders 1-4, Huinker 0-2, Cook 0-2, Koch 4-5, Morgan 1-2, Beckner 0-1), City 6-20 (Nkumu 0-1, Schroder 2-5, Ash.Joens 1-6, Aub.Joens 2-4, Earl 1-4). Team fouls: West 16, City 16. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: West 40 (Cook 11), City 22 (Ash.Joens 8). Assists: West 11 (Zacharias 4), City 6 (Schroder 2). Steals: West 4 (four with 1), City 11 (Nkumu 6). Turnovers: West 16, City 10.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com