Lady Jays collect win over Falcons

Gehlen Catholic girls basketball coach Marty Kurth finally saw his squad play a complete game on Tuesday.

"We talked about, going into the game, playing a good four quarters and we were able to do that," Kurth said after the Lady Jays defeated West Sioux 48-42 Tuesday evening in Hawarden. "It was a big win for us."

Gehlen trailed its hosts 15-13 after the first quarter and 28-27 at halftime.

"The whole first half was a close ball game," Kurth said. "All the way through (it was close). Maybe the biggest lead was four points by either team."

In the second half, the Lady Jays started strong as they outscored the Falcons 11-3 in the third quarter and maintained a lead into the fourth.

"With about five minutes left, we had a pretty decent lead," Kurth said. "But (West Sioux) fought back and got within one."

It all came down to free throws down the stretch, according to Kurth, and his squad stepped up.

Amber Timmins was 2-for-3 down the stretch from the charity stripe while Steph Rohe was 3-for-5 shooting free throws in the second half.

Rohe scored nine points for the Lady Jays while Jessie Timmins led the way for the second consecutive night with 21 points.

Lexi Wiltgen added seven points.

Both Jessie and Amber Timmins controlled the glass with seven rebounds apiece.

"We put some good stretches together tonight and were able to play four solid quarters," Kurth said. "That's what you need against a good team like West Sioux."

The win sends the Lady Jays into the Christmas break with a 4-2 record.

"We feel really good about going in (to break) 4-2," Kurth said. "It's something to build on. We want to take this momentum to start the second half of the season on an up-note."

Gehlen (4-2, 2-1) will face Remsen St. Mary's in the opening round of the CYO tournament on Saturday, Jan. 2, in Remsen.