Edmunds County Tribune -

The Ipswich girls' basketball team swept its two recent games to improve to 4-2 overall. Huron was able to hold its classics on January 3 and Ipswich won its girls' game over Sanborn Central/ Woonsocket 45-33 there. This win featured an overall defensive effort from the Tiger girls and they indeed delivered.

And some defense down the stretch didn't hurt Ipswich at all in a hard-fought girls' 43-41 outcome on the road vs. Waubay/Summit in Waubay a night later. "We got up four from the FT line. They made a shot at the end to make it two points," said IHS coach Brian Hogie. (Ipswich had led 10-8 after a quarter, but trailed 19-13 at intermission and even further, 34-24 with a quarter to play. But Ipswich rallied with a 19-7 final-quarter scoring edge to escape with its non-conference girls' win.

In the latter outcome, Ipswich (and all scorers for that matter) was again led by Halle Heinz with 18 points that included one trey and she added three assists. Bailey Pitz was next with 14 points that featured four treys. Next was Katie Bierman with four points, followed by Chesney Olivier with three points and Tessa Kilber and Halie Feldman a basket apiece.

The hosts were paced by Zoey Wohlleber with 16 counters and Alexis Hopkins chipped in with 11 points. They were 17-47 from the floor including a trio of treys and finished 4-6 at the charity stripe. Ipswich countered with an overall 15-66 floor-shot effort with its five treys and was 8-15 at the free throw line.

Ipswich utilized a well-played floor game with only seven turnovers, while the hosts were charted with 20 miscues. (And 18 of them were created by Tiger steals, led by Olivier with four.) But the Tigers overcame a 51-37 rebounding deficit. Heinz led a balanced effort on the boards with six.

Heinz also had topped the charts in several categories in the win over SC/W a day earlier. She led all scorers with 27 points and four of her baskets were from beyond the arc. She also grabbed seven of Ipswich's 36 rebounds and came away with 10 of her team's 20 steals for a double-double and almost a triple-double. Ipswich's next scorers were Pitz with six points on two treys and Hailey Bierman also with six points that included Ipswich's remaining three-ball. Kilber, Feldman and Olivier each added two points.

The SCW contigent was led by Trinity Boschee and Teya Moody with seven points each, as none of them were able to get into the double-figure scoring ledger.

Ipswich had signaled its intentions with a 13-6 first-quarter edge, but then sustained a 23-19 half-time deficit. But Ipswich put together an impressive 19-5 third-quarter scoring advantage and also narrowly outscored SCW 7-5 in the final stanza to put the game away.

Ipswich shot 15-57 from the floor, including its seven treys and was 8-17 at the line. The SCW's corresponding numbers were 13-46 from the floor with two treys and a 5-10 effort at the line.

Overall Ipswich was out-rebounded 47-36. But the Tiger girls committed only 10 turnovers; SCW, 21.

Ipswich was scheduled to play a girls/boys LRC twinbill at Warner on January 9. The girls will also play in a DSU classic in Madison on January 11 vs. Dell Rapids St. Mary at 11:30 a.m.