Complete and dangerous, Mount Vernon wins a de-facto Wamac title game

MOUNT VERNON — It’s a healthy team now. And thus, an extremely dangerous team.

With Taylor Franck back in the fold, Mount Vernon is complete. And the Class 3A second-ranked Mustangs were completely dominant in a 60-39 Wamac Conference girls basketball win over 4A No. 1 Clear Creek Amana on Tuesday at Mount Vernon High School.

“It means a lot to play at home one more time,” said Franck, who — along with twin Courtney Franck — comprised the girls basketball Senior Night honorees. “And it means the world to beat a No. 1 team.”

As injuries are concerned, timing matters. A UNI recruit, Taylor Franck missed a good portion of the first half of the season with a torn muscle in her calf.

“Still, a lot of stretching, icing and massaging,” she said. “It’s a battle I’m willing to face.”

In a game that amounted to a de-facto Wamac championship battle, the Mustangs (18-2 and winners of 17 consecutive games) faced another battle in the form of Clear Creek Amana’s Averie Lower, one of the state’s top players.

Lower led all scorers with 26 points. Half of them came in the first quarter, and the Clippers (17-2) led 16-13 after that period of time.

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The rest of the game belonged to the Mustangs.

A six-point second-quarter possession was pivotal. With the Clippers still in front 19-18, Savanna Wright drilled a 3-pointer while CCA was called for a foul away from the ball.

Mount Vernon retained possession, and Quinn Pershing hit another perimeter shot for a 24-19 advantage. The Mustangs led 30-23 at halftime, 44-31 after three quarters.

While Mount Vernon is back to 100 percent, CCA is without its second-best player (Lena Evans) with an ankle sprain. Another key player (Bailey Simpson) is out with a wrist injury.

Again, timing matters.

“(Without Evans), we were able to put more resources toward Lower,” Mount Vernon Coach Jacob Misener said. “We tried to stay sticky on Lower with a second defender, hedging and a two-second trap.”

Taylor Franck had the first-half assignment on Lower, Courtney Franck the second.

“Courtney was the better matchup,” Taylor said.

The Franck twins were key components in Mount Vernon’s march to the 3A state championship last year, and so was Wright. Tuesday’s scoring star was Quinn Pershing, who knocked down 9 of 15 shots (5 of 9 from distance) and paced the Mustangs with 23 points.

“My teammates are such good passers,” Pershing said. “And when teams start guarding my (outside) shot, I have to drive to the basket more.”

Taylor Franck added 11 points for the Mustangs. Wright tallied nine (with five assists). Those two combined for seven steals.

Mount Vernon 60, Clear Creek Amana 39

At Mount Vernon

CLEAR CREEK AMANA (39): Alex Schrage 0-2 0-0 0, Averie Lower 10-20 1-2 26, Kennedy Stratton 0-8 0-0 0, Nakia Tangang 0-1 1-2 1, Lydia Keller 3-9 1-2 8, Zella Evans 1-1 0-0 3, Brooklyn Lee 0-2 1-2 1, Kendyl Malli 0-1 0-0 0, Carley Nash 0-0 0-0 0, Gretchen Kruse 0-0 0-0 0, Adeena Bila 0-0 0-0 0, Berkley Bryant 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-45 4-8 39.

MOUNT VERNON (60): Quinn Pershing 9-15 0-1 23, Savanna Wright 3-10 2-2 9, Taylor Franck 5-15 0-0 11, Courtney Franck 0-3 0-0 0, Rylee Rasmussen 3-4 0-0 6, Alivia Truitt 1-2 0-0 3, Sophia Meester 0-1 0-0 0, Kinley Nissen 1-2 0-0 3, Lucy Wischmeyer 1-1 0-0 3, Ella Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Sorell Telecky 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-54 2-3 60.

Clear Creek Amana 16 7 8 8 — 39

Mount Vernon 13 17 14 16 — 60

3-point goals: CCA 7-29 (Schrage 0-2, Lower 5-14, Stratton 0-4, Keller 1-5, Evans 1-1, Lee 0-2, Malli 0-1), Mount Vernon 10-25 (Pershing 5-9, Wright 1-5, T. Franck 1-3, C. Franck 0-3, Truitt 1-2, Nissen 1-2, Wischmeyer 1-1). Team fouls: CCA 13, Mount Vernon 13. Fouled out: Schrage. Rebounds: CCA 34 (Lower, Tangang 8), Mount Vernon 28 (C. Franck 9). Assists: CCA 6 (Schrage 3), Mount Vernon 14 (Wright 5). Steals: CCA 3 (three with 1), Mount Vernon 10 (T. Franck 4). Turnovers: CCA 15, Mount Vernon 6.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com