SHULLSBURG — After putting up only 15 points in the first half, the host Shullsburg Miners pumped in 39 second-half points to rally from behind to sink the Cassville Comets, 54-33, in a Six Rivers West girls’ basketball game at SHS on Thursday, Dec. 7.
    “I wish I could say that there was a lot of motivational techniques and adjustments made at halftime but there really was not. As a staff, we put the ladies on notice that their effort and focus was simply not good enough, especially on the defensive end,” said Shullsburg head coach Nathan Russell. “I was generally very happy with both in the second half. This young group is going to have a lot of growing pains and it will be constant learning opportunity for us this season.”
    Trailing 17-15 at the intermission, the Lady Miners (3-1 overall, 1-1 SRW) came charging out of the locker room in the second half, scoring the first 10 points of the period to overtake the Comets (1-5, 0-2) for good.
    Cassville closed back within a point at 29-28 on a three-point play by freshman Anna Kartman with 11:54 remaining, but the Miners fired back with a 14-3 scoring run to build up a 43-31 advantage with 6:45 to play and then closed the game with 11 unanswered points to seal the victory.
Senior guard Nicole Teutschmann connected on four 3-pointers– two in each half– to lead the Miners with a game-high 14 points. She also pulled down six rebounds on the night.
    “Nicole is more than a three-point shooter, but she has developed a nice reputation (as one) due to her solid shot. I think that she provided us with energy when we had none and helped propel us to success in the second half,” Russell pointed out.
    Senior center Brianna Leahy scored nine of her 10 points in the second half and finished the night with her fourth career triple-double after grabbing 13 rebounds and recording a school-record 12 blocked shots to go along with a team-high six steals and five assists.
    “I am sure that Brianna was not happy with her offensive game tonight, but for her to have the type of overall game when her shot wasn’t falling was critical to our success with such a young team. She is able to wipe away a lot of our deficiencies on the defensive end with her presence,” stated Russell.
    Freshman point guard Layla Alt added 11 points and six boards. Senior forward Faith Ubersox scored all eight of her points in the second half on putback baskets as she added six rebounds and three steals, while freshman Madison Russell chipped in with seven points and freshman Kayla Klotz had seven rebounds.
    “We knew coming into the year that we had to find other scoring options to replace what we lost from last year and because we knew that teams would key on Brianna. It is still a work in progress. I am hopeful that the ladies who stepped up in tonight’s game continue to make strides in that area,” replied Coach Russell.
    Kartman finished with 10 points to lead the Comets.
    Shullsburg has several big games on their upcoming schedule. The Miners have key SRW game at Benton on Thursday, Dec. 14, and at River Ridge on Tuesday, Dec. 19, and they host Galena in a tough non-conference game on Saturday, Dec. 16.
 
Cassville…….... 17   16 – 33
Shullsburg……. 15   39 – 54
    Cassville– Kartman 10, Nix 7, Reynolds 4, Vogt 3, Johll 9. Totals – 12  4-8  33.
    Shullsburg – Faith Ubersox 8, Kayla Klotz 4, Madison Russell 7, Nicole Teutschmann 14, Brianna Leahy 10, Layla Alt 11. Totals – 20  9-15  54.
    3-point goals– C 3 (Vogt 1, Johll 2), S 5 (Russell 1, Teutschmann 4). Total fouls– C 11, S 7. Fouled out– None.