Audrey Koch’s big 3rd quarter helps send Iowa City West past Prairie

CEDAR RAPIDS - There's a fine line between playing fast and playing reckless.

For the most part, Iowa City West was on the right side of the boundary. The reward was a third straight win. And a little more momentum going forward.

Audrey Koch scored 13 of her game-high 23 points in a pivotal third quarter, and the Class 5A seventh-ranked Trojans downed No. 15 Cedar Rapids Prairie, 60-45, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls' basketball game Tuesday night at Prairie High School.

'We've been working a lot on transition, and Emma (Ingersoll-Weng) did a good job looking up on our fast break,” said Koch, a Providence College recruit.

Trailing 23-21 at halftime, West (5-3, 4-1 MVC) scored the first seven points of the second half (five from Koch), and ruled the quarter by a 24-11 margin. Ingersoll-Weng added a pair of 3-pointers in the onslaught.

'We made some adjustments, and we got out and ran really well,” West Coach B.J. Mayer said.

Koch made 10 of 13 shots. Ingersoll-Weng, who missed last season with a torn ACL, added 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

'She's trying to get back and trust things,” Mayer said. 'She's a huge key for us. She can rebound, she can score.”

Despite surrendering a 13-0 West run, Prairie (5-4, 3-3) led 23-21 at halftime on the strength of 7-0 and 16-4 surges.

But after shooting 30.4 percent in the first half, West heated up to 58.3 percent in the second, including 5 of 8 from long range.

Of course, when you're getting a transition layup here and there, the percentage is going to rise.

'Sometimes we get in the habit of one pass and jack it up,” Mayer said. 'But most of the time, the kids understand that if they don't get an opportunity, not to pass and let it fly.”

Koch said, 'A lot of it goes back to the drills we work on. We recognize when we're going too fast, and we bring it back a notch.”

Meena Tate added eight points for the Trojans, and Anna Prouty delivered seven points and nine rebounds.

Kamryn Grissel paced Prairie with 11 points and six rebounds. Natalie Bennett and McKenna Murray posted 10 points apiece.

IOWA CITY WEST 60, CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE 45

At C.R. Prairie

IOWA CITY WEST (60): Emma Ingersoll-Weng 4-11 0-4 11, Meena Tate 3-8 0-0 8, Jenna Saunders 0-1 0-0 0, Audrey Koch 10-13 3-4 23, Anna Prouty 1-5 5-6 7, Matayia Tellis 2-6 0-0 5, Avery Vest 0-0 0-0 0, Melae Lacy 0-1 4-4 4, Lucy Wolf 1-2 0-0 2, Liv Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-47 12-18 60.

C.R. PRAIRIE (45): Catie Reittinger 1-2 0-0 2, Kamryn Grissel 5-10 0-0 11, Hailey Cooper 2-12 0-1 4, Natalie Bennett 3-9 1-2 10, McKenna Murray 4-4 2-5 10, Ryann Decker 3-8 0-1 6, Ella Nove 1-2 0-0 2, Megan Mallicoat 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 19-48 3-9 45.

Halftime: Prairie 23, West 21. 3-point goals: West 6-17 (Ingersoll-Weng 3-7, Tate 2-5, Saunders 0-1, Tellis 1-3, Wolf 0-1), Prairie 4-12 (Grissel 1-3, Bennett 3-6, Decker 0-2, Nove 0-1). Team fouls: West 15, Prairie 15. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: West 30 (Prouty 9), Prairie 29 (Reittinger, Grissel 6). Assists: West 9 (Saunders, Tellis 3), Prairie 11 (Cooper 5). Steals: West 13 (Ingersoll-Weng 4), Prairie 4 (Decker 3). Turnovers: West 11, Prairie 18.

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