Abby Neumiller’s 3-point barrage sends West past Washington, 53-45

IOWA CITY — Thirty-four 3-point attempts? That’s more than a green light.

It’s evergreen.

“We all have the green light,” Abby Neumiller said. “We can all knock it down. We’re encouraged a lot to take the long shots.”

Neumiller hit six of them, including three during a pivotal fourth-quarter surge, and Class 5A ninth-ranked Iowa City West topped No. 7 Cedar Rapids Washington, 53-45, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls basketball game Saturday afternoon at West High School.

“We were fighting a two-front battle,” West Coach Nate Frese said. “We were coming out of the (holiday) break, and we knew were going to take some body blows against their inside presence.”

The Trojans (7-3 overall, 4-0 MVC) solved that inside dilemma, outrebounding Washington (4-3, 2-1) by a 37-25 margin. And Neumiller’s long-range heroics took care of the rest.

Neumiller was 6-of-12 from deep, 3-of-3 in the fourth quarter.

“When I feel I can get it off, I’ll shoot it,” she said.

Washington took a 39-38 lead on Gabriela Pedroso’s steal and basket with 7:25 left, then Neumiller struck twice in less than a minute for a 44-39 West advantage.

The Trojans led the rest of the way.

Neumiller hit another one to make it 47-41 with 3:55 to go.

“She was amazing,” Frese said. “She picked up the slack for the ones who weren’t hitting.”

All told, the Trojans were 11 of 34 from the perimeter. They attempted only 12 shots inside the arc.

Neumiller’s 19 points led all scorers. Drake University recruit Grace Fincham added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Trojans.

Ava Frese and Kate Van Waning scored nine points apiece, with Van Waning dishing out five assists.

Lily Belle Barker paced Washington with 12 points. Jayla Strong scored nine, Samantha Becker eight.

West led through most of the first half, by as many as eight points. Barker’s 3-pointer just before intermission gave Washington its first lead, 26-25.

The third quarter featured five lead changes, then Neumiller’s back-to-back treys swung everything West’s way for good.

Iowa City West 53, Cedar Rapids Washington 45

At Iowa City West

C.R. WASHINGTON (45): Jayla Strong 4-8 0-1 9, Lily Belle Barker 6-11 0-2 12, Samantha Becker 2-8 4-4 8, Hailey Becker 1-4 2-3 5, Sira Doumbia 3-7 0-1 6, Gabriela Pedroso 1-2 0-0 2, Tashiyana Fields 1-3 0-0 3, Maija Wickum 0-0 0-0 0, Aniya Wahe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-44 6-11 45.

IOWA CITY WEST (53): Ava Frese 2-2 3-4 9, Abby Neumiller 6-12 1-2 19, Josephine Austen 0-1 0-0 0, Grace Fincham 5-16 1-2 12, Sasha Baldwin 1-6 0-0 2, Kate Van Waning 3-9 1-1 9, Savannah Mathias 0-0 2-2 2, Olivia Headings 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-46 8-11 53.

C.R. Washington 6 20 11 8 — 45

Iowa City West 14 11 13 15 — 53

3-point goals: Washington 5-18 (Strong 1-2, Barker 2-6, S. Becker 0-2, H. Becker 1-4, Doumbia 0-1, Fields 1-2, Wahe 0-1), West 11-34 (Frese 2-2, Neumiller 6-12, Austen 0-1, Fincham 1-7, Baldwin 0-5, Van Waning 2-7). Team fouls: Washington 18, West 12. Fouled out: Neumiller. Rebounds: Washington 25 (Doumbia 8), West 37 (Fincham 11). Assists: Washington 9 (H. Becker 4), West 14 (Van Waning 5). Steals: Washington 8 (H. Becker 3), West 5 (Fincham 2). Turnovers: Washington 12, West 14.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com