Muy Bueno: Exchange student lifts Edgewood-Colesburg girls' basketball

SPRINGVILLE — Half a world away, Laura Bueno digested American basketball via television.

'I watch the NBA all the time,' she said. 'It was a dream of mine to play here someday.'

A foreign-exchange student from Leon, Spain, Bueno drained five 3-pointers in an 18-point outing as Edgewood-Colesburg tripped Cedar Valley Christian, 43-42, in a Tri-Rivers Conference girls' basketball thriller Friday night at Machovec Gymnasium.

The Vikings (5-7 overall, 3-7 Tri-Rivers) spoiled Cedar Valley's bid to take a share of the East Division lead into the holiday break. Instead, the Huskies (6-5, 5-5) stayed a game behind Bellevue Marquette.

Ed-Co Coach Jenny Lange knew nothing of Bueno until after school began.

'It was the first day of school, and our boys coach (Justin Olind) saw her shooting in the gym, and said, 'You might want to talk to her,'' Lange said. 'I asked her to join the team, and she was really excited about that.'

First, though, Lange had to tell Bueno that girls' basketball wasn't quite the same as the NBA.

'She thought we got three steps when going in for a layup,' Lange said.

Bueno hit three 3-pointers in a second-quarter rush as the Vikings erased a 12-point deficit to tie it, 23-23, at halftime.

It was back and forth the rest of the way. Down five points in the third quarter, Ed-Co rallied for a 43-37 lead with 2 minutes to go.

Shelby Hembera's drive got the Huskies within a point with a minute left. Cedar Valley had a chance to win, but Maggie Cach's shot in traffic was off the mark at the buzzer.

Cach led the Huskies with 23 points, converting 10 of 17 shots.

'It would have been a good win to get,' Huskies Coach Ron Slagle said. 'We're still in control of our own destiny. We have players that can play. We've got to keep working on the defensive side of the ball.'

The teams combined for just 15 turnovers.

EDGEWOOD-COLESBURG 43, CEDAR VALLEY CHRISTIAN 42

At Springville

EDGEWOOD-COLESBURG (43): Erica Voss 1-7 0-1 2, Chezney Priem 2-2 0-0 6, Laura Bueno 6-9 1-2 18, Lexi Ihde 4-8 1-1 9, Haley Fitzpatrick 3-5 2-4 8, Bailee Helle 0-6 0-0 0, Natalie Wessel 0-0 0-0 0, Rose Heuchelin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-38 4-8 43.

CEDAR VALLEY CHRISTIAN (42): Elisabeth Fields 0-7 0-0 0, Emma Slagle 3-10 0-0 9, Abby Scroggs 1-4 0-0 2, Molly Hembera 4-7 0-0 8, Maggie Cach 10-17 3-5 23, Candy Mafuta 0-0 0-0 0, Janessa Betsworth 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Pospisil 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-46 3-5 42.

Halftime: Cedar Valley 23, Ed-Co 23. 3-point goals: Ed-Co 7-16 (Voss 0-1, Priem 2-2, Bueno 5-7, Ihde 0-1, Helle 0-4, Heuchelin 0-1), Cedar Valley 3-10 (Fields 0-2, Slagle 3-8). Team fouls: Ed-Co 10, Cedar Valley 9. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Ed-Co 26 (Fitzpatrick 8), Cedar Valley 25 (Hembera 7). Assists: Ed-Co 11 (Voss 3), Cedar Valley 12 (Slagle 4). Steals: Ed-Co 3 (three with 1), Cedar Valley 2 (Hembera, Cach). Turnovers: Ed-Co 9, Cedar Valley 6.

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