Edmunds Central hit the boards hard and handed Aberdeen Christian a 47-23 setback in the high school girls' basketball season opener for both schools.
The Knights trailed by three points after one quarter, but the hosts steadily pulled away. Christian coach Josh Carlson said that rebounding and defensive play were factors in the loss.
"Our defensive rebounding was not so good. We need to box out better," Carlson said. "They were getting second shot after second shot. That was the story of the game."
The Raiders collected 34 rebounds in the contest, led by Shelby Hinz with a dozen. Hinz was also one of three players in double-figure scoring for the hosts. Sarina Scherr tallied 13 points, Hinz had 12 and Lexi Nehlich finished with 10.
Turnovers also hampered Christian, as the visitors finished with 23 on the night. Carlson said the Knights are still a young team and learning to play.
"It's good for them to get the experience," Carlson said. "I think our girls were tired toward the end, especially the posts, but we're going to work on that."
Cheyann Olson paced the Christian scoring with 11 points and Tabitha Schrenk pulled down seven rebounds. The Knights return to action Thursday with their home opener against Northwestern. Game time is 8 p.m. at the Civic Arena.
ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN: Tabitha Schrenk 1 2-2 5, Cheyann Olson 5 0-0 11, Ellie Becker 0 1-4 1, Madison Inches 2 0-2 4, Alexandra Williams 1 0-2 2. Totals 9 3-10 23.
EDMUNDS CENTRAL: Elaine Schaible 0 1-2 1, Lexi Nehlich 5 0-0 10, Ashley Lunders 3 0-0 6, Sarina Scherr 6 1-1 13, Shelby Hinz 6 0-0 12, Quadalupe Ramirez 1 0-1 2, Jaydra Wipf 0 1-2 1, Amanda Schmidt 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 3-6 47.
Aberdeen Christian (0-1)| 10 12 18 23
Edmunds Central (1-0)| 13 25 36 47
3-point field goals - Schrenk, Olson. Fouled out - Schrenk. Total fouls - Aberdeen Christian 8; Edmunds Central 12. Rebounds - Aberdeen Christian 21 (Becker 7); Edmunds Central 34 (Hinz 12). Turnovers - Aberdeen Christian 23; Edmunds Central 8.
