NORFOLK, Neb. – A 16-4 run to open the fourth quarter by Iowa Central Community College would put the Cloud County Community College women’s basketball team in a hole that they would be unable to recover from as part of a 64-58 neutral-site defeat on day one of the Northeast Community College Classic in Norfolk, Nebraska on Friday.
Cloud County falls to 1-2 on the season ahead of a game tomorrow afternoon while the Tritons remained perfect on the year while improving to 3-0 overall.
The T-Birds would allow Iowa Central to open the game with a layup before going on an 8-0 run as freshman Jacy Dalinghaus would score five of the eight points to stake CCCC to an 8-2 lead midway through the first quarter. ICCC would respond by scoring five of the next seven points to pull within three at 10-7 and go on to score the next four points to take the lead at 11-10 with 3:24 left in quarter. Two ties and three lead changes would finish off the opening 10 minutes as Cloud County would go on to score nine of the final 14 points of the quarter to hold a 19-16 lead going to the second quarter.
An Alyssa Castilleja triple and Isabella Vazquez free throw would give Cloud County their largest lead of the first half at 23-16 two minutes into the second quarter as the lead would stay between five and seven points for most of the quarter. The CCCC lead would remain at seven throughout the second quarter as Iowa Central would get a layup in the final minute as a layup would put the score at 28-23 going into halftime.
Both teams would hit a three on their first possession to open the second half as Cloud County would go up eight before quickly seeing Iowa Central pull back within five to set the tone for a high-score third quarter. A layup for Iowa Central would cut the lead down to a single possession at 31-28, but the T-Birds would respond with four quick points to push the lead back out as the Tritons would be unable to get any closer in the opening five minutes of the second half. With the CCCC lead sitting at 37-31, ICCC would score back-to-back baskets to get within two at 37-35 before seeing Cloud County use a 7-1 run to go up 44-38 and take their largest lead of the game. The Tritons would close out the quarter by scoring the final four points of the quarter to pull back within three once more at 44-41 as both teams would look grab the win in the fourth.
The 4-0 run to end the third would become an 11-0 run as the first seven points of the fourth would be scored by Iowa Central to give the Tritons a 48-44 lead. Two free throws by Dalinghaus would bring Cloud County back within two at 48-46 as 12 of the next 13 points went to ICCC to make it a 60-48 lead. One final push by the T-Birds would see Cloud County go on a 9-0 run over the next 3:32 to get within three at 60-57, but time would not be on the side of CCCC as Iowa Central would score four of the final five points in the final 21 seconds of the game to hold on for a six point victory.
Shooting woes by the T—Birds would be a big part of the second half rally for Iowa Central as CCCC would go just nine-for-33 (27.3 percent) from the field in the second half despite hitting 10 of 14 (71.4 percent) of their second half free throws. Points in the paint (30-20) and bench points (17-12) would both break in favor of the Tritons while Cloud County would edge ICCC 39-38 in total rebounds and force Iowa Central into 24 total turnovers to hold a 19-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
Individually, Lydia Ostenson would lead Cloud County with a game-high 14 points and add three steals while Dalinghaus would score 12 and add five rebounds. Marlissa Morris would grab a team-high 10 rebounds off the bench while Vazquez hauled in seven boards.
What’s Next?
Cloud County will look to bounce back Saturday at noon when the T-Birds close out the Northeast Classic with a game against Iowa Lakes Community College. The Lakers will also be playing in their second game in less than 24 hours as ILCC faced off against Northeast Community College directly following CCCC’s game with Iowa Central on Friday.