MT. VERNON — An early start also meant an early knockout Saturday afternoon against the Mt. Vernon Township High School girls’ basketball team.
Visiting Freeburg stormed Changnon Gymnasium and scored the game’s first 17 points, en route to a 69-44 win against Jeff Lonnon’s Lady Rams (1-5).
“We got steamrolled first in the first four minutes,” Lonnon said. “We subbed heavily at that point, and the kids off the bench helped stop the run. We put the starters back in during the second quarter, from that point it was a six-point game.”
The Rams were in a foul mood, literally, as the Midgets went to the line 24 times to just a half-dozen for MVTHS, which trailed 24-3 after one quarter and 42-17 at halftime.
“We couldn’t get to the line,” Lonnon said. “A combination of the slow start and the inability to get to the line did us in. Freeburg is 6-3 and a regional winner from last year. The have great tradition and they jumped on us.”
Danielle Wilson led Freeburg with 17 points, Amanda Neff putting in 15 and Kelsey Robertson 14.
Janie Beth Conner led the Rams with 10 points.
MVTHS is idle until 1:30 p.m. Dec. 28, where it will meet Salem in the first round of the Mascoutah Holiday Tournament.
Freeburg 69, MVTHS 42
Freeburg 24 18 18 9—69
MVTHS 3 14 14 13—44
FREEBURG (6-3)
Wilson 5 5-5 17, Neff 4 7-9 15, Robertson 4 6-7 14, Schmale 3 2-3 8, Poindexter 2 0-0 6, Mueller 2 1-1 5, Kramper 1 1-2 4. Totals 21 22-27 69
MVTHS (1-5)
Conner 4 0-0 10, Backstrom 3 0-0 6, Long 3 0-0 7, Kirkpatrick 2 1-2 6, Reeves 2 1-2 6, Akins 2 0-0 4, Green 1 0-0 2, Shoemaker 1 0-0 2, Opalecky 0 1-2 1. Totals 18 3-6 44
3-point goals — Freeburg 5 (Wilson 2, Poindexter 2, Kramper). MVTHS 5 (Conner 2, Long, Kirkpatrick, Reeves). Team fouls — Freeburg 5, MVTHS 16. Fouled out — None. Preliminray: Freeburg, 47-43.
