Snapping a five-game losing streak, including a hard loss at Waterville the Saturday before, the varsity girls downed host Le Sueur-Henderson on Monday 50-33.
With just one other win—over Mankato Loyola on January 3—the Class 2A Giants are still trying to find their sea legs this season, much like the Clippers, but head coach Myrriah Rutz said it was an important victory when her team needed one.
“Regardless of how competitive the other team is, a win is a win, and it builds confidence. This game was also good for us because we were able to implement some things we learned from our previous two games.”
En route to 20 points, Taylor McCabe darted in a layup for the game’s first basket. The Giants responded with a three, but Harper Rutz quickly cancelled it. After McCabe scored on another layup, Emma Kortuem canned a three, and Rutz dropped in a two for a 12-3 Clipper advantage.
Later in the half, the Giants stole and scored twice in rapid succession to trim their deficit to three, but McCabe fought her way inside for a bucket, Rutz stole and drove the floor for a layup, and McCabe bagged a jump shot from the paint to put the Clippers in front 20-11.
“They gained their composure really quickly,” Rutz said about the Clippers. “Two games in a row, and tough games, really helped. And then when they did get a run, they just stayed the course and took one play at a time.”
Before the break, the Giants put in three free shots, but with free throws from McCabe and Kaitlyn Flowers, the Clippers led 22-14 at the intermission.
Rutz took a Flowers toss in for a basket for the first points of the second half. Once again, the Giants stole and scored twice in quick succession, but after a Kortuem steal, Mollie Bowman got into the action with a bucket, Kortuem drove for two more, and Brook Bosse parked a three from the corner for a 33-21 Clipper advantage.
The Clipper kept the pressure on from there, and the Giants had trouble getting the ball to fall through the rim. McCabe pounded the ball inside for five more baskets, Olivia Reinhardt hit a couple of baskets off the bench, and the Clippers cruised to the triumph.
“We really stepped up our defense today as we are starting to figure out the strengths of each of our girls, and were starting to piece that together, and it showed tonight,” Rutz said. “We played tough defense, and they were locked in on it.
McCabe was the game’s top scorer. Rutz had 11 points. Kortuem made eight points. Reinhardt tacked on four points. Bosse and Bowman each had three points. Flowers made a free basket.
“Offensively, we moved the ball around a lot better, but we were a little bit slow on our passes, so I think it is recognizing when they get open and getting the ball into our posts,” Rutz said. “A game like this helps us to see where we are with the timing of our passes.”
The Clippers were five of 12 from the foul line. Rutz, Bosse and Kortuem each bagged a three. The Giants put in one basket from behind the arc and 12 of 23 shots from the foul stripe.
WEM 79, Cleveland 39
Kortuem drove to the basket for the game’s first points, but with back-to-back threes in their mix, the Bucs posted the next 10 before Kortuem ran down the baseline for another basket.
The Bucs added two more baskets before Rutz sunk a three. Bosse ran in a layup, but the Clippers still trailed 17-9. Later, Rutz hit another three, but the Bucs put in three threes and eight points after steals to lead 50-21.
The Clippers went to free throw line four times down the stretch, and with three baskets there and a Taylor McCabe basket, they trailed 50-27 at the half.
Rutz ran in a layup to start the second half, but the Bucs posted the next nine points and never looked back.
With a dozen points, six of them from the foul line, McCabe led the Clipper effort. Kortuem totaled nine points, four twos and a free shot, all in the first half. Harper Rutz made both the Clippers’ threes as well as a two-point basket and a free shot for nine total points. Bosse made four points, Bowman and Ava Kluntz each had two points, and Flowers put in a free shot.
The Clippers made 11 of 24 free shots. The Bucs made seven three-point buckets and 16 of 22 free throws.
Continuing with a rapid-fire road schedule to start 2026, the varsity girls travel to Alden today (Thursday) and to Arlington on Friday. Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons is 6-4. In the Valley Conference, the Knights beat Mankato Loyola, lost to Nicollet, beat Madelia and lost to Martin County West. With a tough schedule so far this season, Sibley East is 1-7.
Above: Kaitlyn Flowers negotiates a path down the Le Sueur court.
An LSH defender tries to slow down Harper Rutz as Rutz takes the ball toward the hoop.
Mollie Bowman stretches for a shot in Waterville.