Blietz, J-Hawks make hay at line

CEDAR RAPIDS -- In this new era of free-throw parades, Maddy Blietz is a good one to have on your float.

Blietz sank all 12 of her foul shots and made a nice sidenote in Amanda Ollinger's 30-point outing as Cedar Rapids Jefferson downed Bettendorf, 81-65, in a girls basketball contest Saturday night at Jefferson High School.

"We've been working a lot on our free throws, and now that they're calling the game (closer), we're going to be shooting a lot more of them," Blietz said.

It's a common theme early this season: A lot more fouls, and a lot more free throws. Jefferson (1-1) shot 43 of them, sinking 34.

The game's key sequence came late in the third quarter.Bettendorf (1-1) had carved an early 17-point deficit to 54-51. Then, Ollinger scored. Sam Kitterman picked up a steal and was fouled by Akia Hudson, who subsequently picked up a technical foul.

Blietz converted the technical free throws, then Kitterman hit the other two. The J-Hawks' lead was back to nine, then they pulled away in the fourth quarter.

"That was a big turn of events, when they got that technical and we stretched it out a little bit," said J-Hawks Coach Jason Edwards. "I thought our kids did a nice job of responding and adjusting.

"Jefferson had a pair of 20-point leads in the final 2 minutes.Ollinger's 30 points were a career-high. So were Blietz's 20 and Kennedy Dighton's 15. Of course, Dighton (a freshman) was playing just her second varsity game.

"My outside shot really wasn't falling," said Ollinger, a 6-foot-2 sophomore who also grabbed 12 boards. "I got a lot of points from rebounding and putbacks."When (Dighton) got into foul trouble, I had to go down in the paint, and was able to do some work down there."

The game featured 51 fouls and 70 free throws (Bettendorf was 20 of 27).

Jefferson jumped to a 25-8 lead early in the second quarter, then the Bulldogs were within 44-34 by halftime. Ally Scott's 3-pointer made it 54-51 with 33 seconds left in the third quarter before Jefferson answered with the technical-induced flurry.

Ashton Glaus led Bettendorf with 22 points. Scott posted 20 points and 19 rebounds.Jefferson opens Mississippi Valley Conference play Tuesday at home against Cedar Rapids Prairie. 

CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON 81, BETTENDORF 65At C.R. JeffersonBETTENDORF (65): Elizabeth Finn 2-15 2-2 6, Ally Scott 5-18 9-12 20, Kaley Sortillo 2-8 0-0 4, Ashton Glaus 9-21 3-4 22, Sarah Flynn 2-3 0-0 4, Emily Hatch 1-3 2-2 5, Madeline Leonard 0-3 4-5 4, Akia Hudson 0-0 0-0 0, DoniRae Mayhew 0-0 0-0 0, Paige Wagner 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Regenweth 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-71 20-27 65.

C.R. JEFFERSON (81): Maddy Blietz 4-11 12-12 20, Avery Guy 1-1 0-0 2, Kieley Brathwaite 2-5 3-4 7, Kennedy Dighton 5-10 4-5 15, Amanda Ollinger 11-23 8-10 30, Autume Starks 0-1 2-4 2, Sam Kitterman 0-0 4-6 4, Erin Kuba 0-6 0-0 0, Cassandra Veglahn 0-2 0-0 0, Alexis Dahlen-Zeck 0-0 1-2 1, Emma Rolwes 0-0 0-0 0, Jensen Freerksen 0-1 0-0 0, Hannah Carter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-60 34-43 81.

Halftime: Jefferson 44, Bettendorf 34. 3-point goals: Bettendorf 3-15 (Finn 0-1, Scott 1-5, Sortillo 0-2, Glaus 1-5, Hatch 1-2), Jefferson 1-8 (Dighton 1-3, Ollinger 0-2, Kuba 0-2, Veglahn 0-1). Team fouls: Bettendorf 28, Jefferson 23. Fouled out: Flynn, Hudson, Kitterman. Technical: Hudson. Rebounds: Bettendorf 52 (Scott 19), Jefferson 44 (Ollinger 12). Assists: Bettendorf 8 (Finn 4), Jefferson 11 (Ollinger 4). Steals: Bettendorf 8 (Finn 3), Jefferson 10 (Blietz, Kitterman 3). Turnovers: Bettendorf 14, Jefferson 15.