Gerrard Diaz, gdiaz@shawanoleader.com
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Bonduel High School forward Jennifer Dowden pushes up the court Tuesday during a game against Suring in Bonduel. Dowden had 16 points and the Bears won 58-41.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Bonduel High School forward Alexa Reinke moves the ball up the court after a steal Tuesday in the second half of a nonconference game against Suring in Bonduel. Bonduel won 58-41.
After a sluggish start, the Bonduel High School girls basketball team pulled away from Suring in the fourth quarter to get a 58-41 win to open the season.
The Bears fell behind 12-6 in the first quarter, but improved defense and a trio of 3s from Deanna Zernicke, a 5-foot-6 junior guard, helped lift Bonduel to a 18-18 tie at halftime.
“We’ve been sitting back with 34 girls in practice playing nice,” Bonduel coach Missy Dowden. “It’s not time to do that anymore. It’s time to pick it up. After the first quarter I think they got into the game and figured out what they had to do.”
Zernicke finished with 15 points, including four 3s.
“She’s stepping into a starting role,” Missy Dowden said. “She was relaxed with it. She’s understanding her role.”
Jennifer Dowden, a 5-foot-11 junior forward and the coach’s daughter, finished with 16 points after a 10-point third quarter. She was held to only two free throws in the first half as she battled with Suring’s 5-foot-9 senior forward Calley VanBellinger.
“Jen hasn’t had to practice against anybody big that can push her around,” Missy Dowden said. “Calley was able to move her out of place and did a nice job.”
VanBellinger had five points in the first half, seven in the game.
Dowden and 5-foot-10 junior Alexa Reinke led an opportunistic Bears defense in the second half. Each ended up with six steals, with Suring committing 25 turnovers to Bonduel’s 12.
“I think it’s their reach,” Missy Dowden said. “Where we play them, opposite each other, they’ve got to get it over one of them with their passing. So their reach is kind of go-go-Gadget arms. You don’t expect their arms to get up there. They’re doing a nice job anticipating.”
Reinke led Bonduel (1-0) in rebounds with seven, and had five assists and six steals. Taylor Weier added eight points and five rebounds.
Mackenzie LaMarre, a junior guard, led Suring (0-1) with 13 points.
In junior varsity action, the Bears won 68-21. Kailee Pedersen led Bonduel with 12 points and eight assists.
Suring (41)
School 1 0-0 3, Fisher 3 1-2 7, J. Lenz 2 0-0 5, VanBellinger 3 1-2 7, LaMarre 5 0-0 13, Tienor 2 0-0 4, G. Lenz 1 0-0 2
Bonduel (58)
Dowden 5 6-7 16, Reinke 1 3-6 5, Zernicke 4 3-4 15, Sorenson 4 0-0 8, Weier 2 4-6 8, Schmidt 2 0-1 4, Banker 0 2-4 2
Suring 12 6 16 7 — 41
Bonduel 6 12 17 23 — 58
