But on a frigid Thursday night with temperatures once again dipping below zero it was the Potosi Chieftains who iced Keegan Kamps and the Belmont Braves for a second time this season in a Six Rivers West girls’ basketball game at Potosi High School.
Potosi held the high-scoring Kamps to just four points and controlled the game throughout en route to a convincing 42–23 victory.
Back on Jan. 21 the Chieftains escaped Belmont with a two-point 39–37 victory in the first meeting between the two teams.
This time around Potosi (10–7, 4–3 Six Rivers West) used an alert and active 2–3 zone defense to limit Kamps opportunities while holding the 5–11 junior to just 1 of 8 shooting. Kamps entered Thursday’s contest averaging a league-best 16.9 points per game.
Meanwhile the Chieftains were powered by 13 points, four rebounds and four assists from sophomore point guard Maddie Hawes as well as a season-best effort of 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks from 6-foot-1 senior center Liz Reuter.
“That was the best basketball game we have played this year,” said Potosi head coach Brad Bierman. “It seems like we’ve really gotten it figured out in the last two or three weeks. To beat Belmont you have to take care of the ball and not allow runouts for Keegan against their 1–3–1 defense because once she gets going she is so tough to stop. She was definitely the focus of our defensive attention, knowing where she was at all times.”
Unfortunately, the joy of Potosi’s season sweep of Belmont and third straight victory overall was quickly muted when Reuter suffered a significant injury to her right knee late in the fourth quarter.
Reuter pulled in her eighth rebound of the night, but landed on someone else’s foot causing her right knee to buckle as she fell to the court in obvious pain.
Reuter injured her MCL for certain and will miss the rest of the basketball season. She was scheduled to have an MRI Monday to determine if there was further structural damage, and if surgery is necessary.
“It’s really, really unfortunate because over the last two weeks Liz has been the main reason behind our resurgence as a team,” said Bierman. “She was playing her best basketball of the season.”
Reuter had scored in double figures in three straight games with 10 points and nine rebounds in last Tuesday’s 42–36 win at Monticello and 10 points and five rebounds in a 46–19 victory over Albany on Feb. 1.
Potosi guard Haley Flesch was lost for the season after the Chieftains’ first game of the year. She initially injured her right knee in Potosi’s preseason scrimmage and even played in the first half of the season-opening loss before it was revealed she had torn her ACL.
“I feel bad for both Liz and Haley,” said Bierman. “Going though surgery and rehab, and this being the senior season for both of them.
“It’s unfortunate, but we have to pick up the pieces and do the best we can to move on. It’s the next person up mentality. Everyone will have to step up.”
Reuter scored the game’s first basket on a putback 36 seconds into the game. She swished a mid-range jumper 20 seconds later.
Hawes buried a 3-pointer and senior Paige Brinkman made 1 of 2 free throws as Potosi jumped out to a 10–2 lead.
Kamps scored her lone field goal of the night on a long 2-point jump shot at the first-quarter buzzer. She added two free throws late in the third quarter.
She finished with four rebounds, three assists and three steals to go along with her four points.
Reuter buried three more jumpers in the second quarter, sophomore Calie Gibson made a 3-pointer from the wing, and Hawes scored on a driving layup as Potosi extended its lead to 21–8 with a 11–2 run.
Belmont’s Audrey Wedig made a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in the half to trim the halftime deficit to 10 points.
But Hawes and Gibson combined to score the first 11 points of the second half as Potosi pushed its lead to 32–11.
Belmont’s Alie Klein swished a triple with 1:15 left in the third quarter to cap a 9–2 run, and cut led to 14 at 34–20, but that’s as close as the Braves would get the rest of the way.
Klein finished with a game-high six points to lead Belmont.
Potosi defeats Monticello
Last Tuesday sophomore Mackenzie Brown posted her fourth double–double of the season with 16 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 42–36 win at Monticello.
Reuter scored all 10 of her points in a 25–3 second half that turned a 29–16 deficit early in the third quarter into a 39–32 Potosi lead. She buried a pair of free throws with less than a minute left to make it 41–36.
Chieftains rally at Wauzeka–Steuben
This past Monday night in their first game without Reuter, the Chieftains rallied to defeat host Wauzeka–Steuben 53–39 in a non-conference game.
The Chieftains used a 22–7 third-quarter run to erase a 21–19 halftime deficit and take control of the game.
Hawes (14), Brown (11) and Gibson (11) combined to score 36 of Potosi’s 53 points.
Senior Kelly Bode scored six points while playing extended minutes in place of the injured Reuter.
Potosi hosted River Ridge (13–2, 5–1 Six Rivers West) on Monday night and will next travel to Cassville (1–13, 0–7) on Friday.
Belmont holds off Benton/Shullsburg, 42–37
Last Tuesday Belmont held off host Benton/Shullsburg 42–37 despite another rare off night by junior Keegan Kamps.
Kamps was held to a career-low one point in the loss, but sophomore Paige Nolan scored a career-high 12 points to pick up the slack.
Senior Jordyn Kamps and sophomore Alie Klein added 10 points each.
Lady Braves upset No. 9 River Ridge on the road
Saturday night Belmont (11–4, 5–2) bounced back from Thursday’s loss at Potosi by knocking off league-leading and ninth ranked River Ridge 38–30 in overtime a Six Rivers West makeup game at Patch Grove.
Belmont outscored the host Timberwolves (13–2, 5–1) 9–1 in the extra session to pull out the win and climb within a half-game of River Ridge in the league standings.
Keegan Kamps returned to form scoring a game-high 15 points to lead Belmont.
Jordyn Kamps added eight points and Nolan chipped in seven.
River Ridge was playing without senior guard Megan Herrick (concussion), who leads the team in scoring at 14 points per game.
Belmont traveled to Highland (10–5, 4–3) Tuesday night before returning home to host River Ridge in a rematch of Saturday’s overtime affair.
The Braves will then travel to Wauzeka–Steuben for a non-conference game on Monday.
Potosi 42, Belmont 23
(from Thursday, Feb. 6 @ Potosi)
Belmont 6 5 9 3 — 23
Potosi. 10 11 17 4 — 42
Belmont (10–4, 4–2) — Jannie deHaan 4, Keegan Kamps 4, Audrey Wedig 3, Alie Klein 6, Jordyn Kamps 2, Paige Nolan 4. Totals — 9 2-6 23.
Potosi (9–7, 4–3) — Maddie Hawes 13, Paige Brinkman 1, Mackenzie Brown 4, Calie Gibson 12, Liz Reuter 12. Totals — 17 6-9 42.
3-point goals — B: 3 (Wedig 1, Klein 2); P: 2 (Hawes 1, Gibson 1). Team fouls — B: 14, P: 13. Fouled out — none.
Potosi 42, Monticello 36
(from Tuesday, Feb. 4 @ Monticello)
Potosi. 8 8 12 14 — 42
Monticello 9 16 5 6 — 36
Potosi (8–7) — Maddie Hawes 8, Taylor Bloyer 2, Paige Brinkman 2, Mackenzie Brown 16, Calie Gibson 2, Liz Reuter 10, Kelly Bode 2. Totals — 14 13-21 42.
Monticello (9–6) — DeVoe 4, Dilley 6, Garrison 3, Berg 6, Kubly 11, Zanow 2, Leuzinger 4. Totals — 16 3-4 36.
3-point goals — P: 1 (Brown 1); M: 1 (Kulby 1). Team fouls — P: 10, M: 15. Fouled out — none.
Potosi 53, Wauzeka–Steuben 39
(from Monday, Feb. 10 @ Wauzeka)
Potosi. 6 13 22 12 — 53
Wauzeka–Steuben. 8 13 7 11 — 39
Potosi (10–7) — Maddie Hawes 14, Taylor Bloyer 7, Paige Brinkman 4, Mackenzie Brown 11, Calie Gibson 11, Kelly Bode 6. Totals — 17 17-26 53.
Wauzeka–Steuben (4–10) — Bahlman 2, Zimmerman 6, Kapinus 6, Sander 1, Bird 1, J. McCullick 3, E. McCullick 2, Giddings 11, Groom 1, Teynor 4, Heisz 2. Totals — 15 6-13 53.
3-point goals — P: 2 (Hawes 2, Gibson 1): W–S: (Kapinus 2, J. McCullick 1). Team fouls — P: 17, W: 19. Fouled out — none.
Belmont 42, Benton/Shullsburg 37
(from Tuesday, Feb. 4 @ Benton)
Belmont 10 9 11 12 — 42
Benton/Shulls. 7 10 12 8 — 37
Belmont (10–3, 4–1) — Jannie deHaan 4, Katelyn Schobert 3, Keegan Kamps 1, Alie Klein 10, Jordyn Kamps 10, Paige Nolan 12. Totals — 17 8-23 42.
Benton/Shullsburg (7–7, 2–3) — Brant 2, Droessler 4, Burmeister 2, Sarah Redfearn 11, Bailey Redfearn 1, Haley Morrisey 3, Dougherty 3, Bastian 6, Ella Morrisey 6. Totals — 15 5-12 37.
3-point goals — Bel: 0; Ben: 2 (Bastian 2). Team fouls — Bel: 16, Ben: 20. Fouled out — none.
Belmont 38, River Ridge 30, OT
(from Saturday, Feb. 8 @ Patch Grove)
Belmont 3 14 5 7 9 — 38
River Ridge. 2 7 10 10 1 — 30
Belmont (11–4, 5–2) — Jannie deHaan 4, Brianna Riechers 3, Keegan Kamps 15, Alie Klein 1, Jordyn Kamps 8, Paige Nolan 7. Totals — 10 18-27 38.
River Ridge (13–2, 5–1) — Meyers 4, Zinkle 8, White 6, Allen 7, Patterson 3, Mergan 1. Totals — 12 5-17 30.
3-point goals — B: 0; RR: 1 (White 1). Team fouls — B: 15, RR: 20. Fouled out — B: Katelyn Schobert; RR: Patterson, Meyers.
