SB-L edges A-W in WEC contest

War Eagle Conference action heated up while the snow fell Friday evening as Sergeant Bluff-Luton came to Akron and handed the Lady Westerners a last-minute 58-57 loss.

"We actually had the lead with about a minute to go," A-W coach Kent Johnson said. "But that's the way it goes."

"Sergeant Bluff has had two last-second wins - games they've won in the last 30 seconds. They're a quick ball club."

SB-L held an early edge on the hosts, leading 15-14 after eight minutes of play.

By the halftime break, the Warriors boosted their advantage to five and the squads headed to the locker room with SB-L leading 32-27.

The Lady Westerners couldn't quite get on top in the third quarter and they trailed 44-40 heading into the final quarter.

Despite the 58-57 loss, Johnson said he was happy to see his team return to the high-scoring offense they had showed earlier this season.

"I was happy with our offense scoring 57 points against a Sergeant Bluff team who played pretty tough defense," he said. "It was the most points we've scored in awhile."

Leading the scoring for the 11th-ranked Lady Westerners were Jordan Harris and Karly Groon. Harris poured in 17 points while adding seven rebounds on defense.

Groon recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Alison Kusler was also in double figures with 10 points and added four steals.

Missy Dewey pulled down nine rebounds and Tasha Johnson dished out six assists.

The Lady Westerners connected on 20-of-45 from the field and sunk 12-for-19 from the charity stripe.

A-W won the rebound battle 39-11 and committed 25 turnovers as a team.

"I think half of our turnovers were unforced," Johnson said. "We either travel or we throw it away. We need to be more patient and wait until the shot or pass works. We just need to be patient on offense."

Three players were in double figures for the Warriors. Megan Glisar netted 18 points while Melissa Wiig and Anna Walker each added 13.

SB-L was 10-for-20 from the line and hit 21-of-37 from the field. The Lady Westerners forced the Warriors to commit 17 turnovers.

A-W (7-2) is on the road Monday in a non-conference matchup at Kingsley-Pierson.

The Lady Panthers had the weekend off due to poor weather conditions.