BELMONT — It took the better part of three quarters, but Potosi finally solved Belmont’s trademark 1–3–1 zone just enough to pull out a 55–45 victory last Tuesday night.
     Freshman guard Maddie Hawes scored 16 of her career and game-high 18 points in the second half, including nine in the fourth quarter.
     “They are so long and athletic,” said Potosi head coach Brad Bierman. “They forced us into a lot of mistakes and a lot of turnovers. It took us a while to figure it out.”
     Belmont forced 19 Potosi turnovers in the first half alone.
     With the game tied at 25–25 at halftime, Bierman employed his guards, namely Hawes, to split Belmont’s high trap and penetrate deep into the lane when possible.
     Hawes responded with a pair of driving baskets and three free throws in the third quarter, and two more baskets in the fourth. She also went 5 of 6 from the line in the closing minutes to close out the win.
     “We made conscious effort in the second half to penetrate their zone and get all the way to the rim, or at least to the bottom defender,” said Bierman. “Maddie did a really good job of breaking them down and making good decisions. I thought it was the most complete game she has played so far this year.”
     Flesch finished with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for her first double–double. Curtis added 10 points and six rebounds.
     “We played a very good first half against a very good Potosi team,” said Belmont coach Kaleen McGettigan. “The second half was a different story for us. We became too rushed in our offense and we took some shots that we shouldn’t have and turned the ball over,  which you can not afford to do against the eight ranked team in Division 5. We battled hard the whole game, but just couldn’t pull out the win.”
     Jordyn Kamps finished with a team-high 13 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists. Sophomore Keegan Kamps added 11 points, nine rebounds, five steals and four assists.”
     Potosi (15–3, 5–1 SRW) held River Ridge to just one point in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Six Rivers West game to pull away for a 48–34 victory.
     Monday senior Abby Ames scored a game-high 18 points in an 88–27 rout of Albany.
     In a recent change to the schedule the Chieftains will host Highland on Thursday. They will then host league-leading Benton/Shullsburg (17–1, 7–0) on Feb. 14 before traveling to Highland as part of a boys’-girls’ double header on Feb. 15.

Potosi 55, Belmont 45
(from Tuesday, Jan. 29 @ Belmont)
Potosi    14    11    9    21     —  55
Belmont    17    8    7    13     —  45
Potosi (13–3, 4–1) — Haley Flesch 10, Maddie Hawes 18, Clara White 3, Bridget Curtis 10, Abby Ames 7, Makenzie Brown 3, Tiffany Langmeier 4. Totals — 18 14-24 55.
Belmont (9–8, 3–3) — Katelyn Schobert 4, Keegan Kamps 11, Cassie McCarthy 7, Alie Klein 2, Kalyn Kamps 8, Jordyn Kamps 13. Totals — 19 5-17 45.
3-point goals — P: 3 (White 1, Ames 2); B: Keegan Kamps 1, J. Kamps 1). Team fouls — P: 20; B: 20. Fouled out — none.

Potosi 48, River Ridge 34
(from Friday, Feb. 1 @ Patch Grove)
Potosi    12    14    13    9     —  48
River Ridge    13    13    7    1     —  34
Potosi (14–3, 5–1) — Haley Flesch 4, Maddie Hawes 5, Bridget Curtis 18, Abby Ames 11, Mackenzie Brown 6, Tiffany Langmeier 2. Totals — 16 13-17 48.
River Ridge (8–9, 3–4) — White 6, Herrick 8, Myers 13, Patterson 3, Allen 4. Totals — 11 9-20 34.
3-point goals — P: 3 (Curtis 2, Ames 1); RR: 1. Team fouls — P: 18; RR: 14. Fouled out — none.

Potosi 88, Albany 27
(from Monday, Feb. 4 @ Potosi)
Albany    10    6    5    6     —  27
Potosi    24    29    17    18     —  88
Albany (4–14) — Kennedy 8, Bloedel 2, Kauk 13, Peters 2, Burger 2. Totals — 9 9-14 27.
Potosi (15–3) — Dawn Dines 9, Haley Flesch 6, Maddie Hawes 8, Paige Brinkman 12, Bridget Curtis 12, Destinie Droessler 4, Abby Ames 16, Mackenzie Brown 2, Tiffany Langmeier 10. Totals — 35 12-25 88.
3-point goals — P: 6 (White 3, Ames 2, Hawes 1); A: 0. Team fouls — P: 17; A: 16. Fouled out — none.