Bylund leads way with 28 points as Audubon prevails 62-37
By Drew Herron - AJ Sports Editor / Feb. 15, 2014
AUDUBON – It generally is every team’s hope that, come
playoff time, your group is playing its best basketball.
The Wheelers showed they have that in them Saturday night.
Audubon senior Susie Bylund poured in 28 points to help lead
the way as the Wheelers rolled over Prairie Valley 62-37 in opening round tournament
action.
It’s the second straight victory for a squad that has
experienced its ups and downs since returning from Christmas Break. As the group
embarks on the Class 2A Tournament trail, the Wheelers appear to be on the
upswing.
“I think we are playing as well as we have all season,”
Audubon coach Kim Subbert says. “We are learning to be more patient and run the
offense to get better shots…and we’re doing a better job with that.”
Bylund finished with 13 points in the first quarter, and
scored 10 of the team’s first 11 on her way to a season-high.
It was an encouraging sign, says coach Subbert, as Bylund
works her way back to top form after suffering a broken nose at Underwood on
Jan. 28. Bylund missed the second half of that game, and then next one at
Missouri Valley before returning to action against IKM-Manning on Feb. 6.
Long established as the team’s leading scorer, coach Subbert
says Bylund was perhaps a little skittish on the court before apparently
shedding some of that fear Saturday. Against Prairie Valley, Bylund stepped up
and took charge from the opening tip.
“When she came back, the first couple games, she had to
learn how to play with that,” coach Subbert says of the broken nose. “It’s
taken her a while, but she’s becoming more comfortable. And tonight, she
stepped up big.”
Audubon led 19-11 after one quarter, and Prairie Valley cut
the spread to four points (19-15) early in the second before the Wheelers went
on an 8-0 run that effectively buried their guests.
Prairie Valley is a short-handed squad, with just two
players on its bench. That lack of depth played into the Wheelers’ hands, and
they intended to exploit it by running the court and wearing the Warriors down.
“We wanted to get up and down the court and get after it,”
coach Subbert says. “That’s the way we like to play when we can.”
Two other players besides Bylund finished in double figures,
with Emily Haubrich contributing 12 points and senior Haillie Anthofer with 11.
Anthofer is now averaging 11.5 points per game, and continues to be a viable
scoring option for the Wheelers, in addition to her running the point.
“We’ve been counting on Haillie a little bit more,” coach
Subbert says. “I think that maybe a good thing that came out of it (Bylund’s
broken nose). Haillie has had to step up and score a little bit more, and she’s
done a nice job with that.”
The 62 point outing is the highest production the team has
seen in 10 games, dating back to Jan. 17’s win over Oakland Riverside.
Throughout the season, Wheelers’ practices have been more
geared towards defense. In recent weeks, the team has been spending more time
on its shooting, and it blossomed Saturday.
“Lately, we’ve been working quite a bit on our shooting, and
hopefully that’s going to help us down the road,” coach Subbert says.
With the win, Audubon advances into a second round meeting
Tuesday in Rockwell City against South Central Calhoun. It’s a rematch from
Dec. 3, the second game of the season for the Wheelers and a 70-45 loss. The
No. 12-ranked Titans will be favorites once again.
“It’s going to be a big challenge,” coach Subbert says of
SCC. “They’re big, and they can shoot. It’s going to be tough. We tried to
press them last time, and we know now that isn’t the answer. But, we will watch
the tape, and try to figure something else out.”
Game Scoring (02/15)
AUDUBON (9-13): Susie Bylund 28, Emily Haubrich 12, Haillie
Anthofer 11, Courtney Rudolph 4, Morgan Gust 4, Jordan Meaike 2, Kiara
Brannan-Sporrer 1 Free Throws: 16/23
PRAIRIE VALLEY (2-18): Zoe Schneider 17, Erica Rittgers 8,
Erica Jaeschke 5, Tiffany Blunk 5, Mallory Strutzenberg 2 Free Throws: 5/14
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