It wasn’t easy for the top ranked team in 3A girls basketball but E-L-C defeated Storm Lake 51-43 Tuesday night at Tornado Fieldhouse. The Midgets never trailed in the game and built a 21-18 lead at the break. Mackenzie Harder, who came into the game with six made 3-pointers on the year, buried her first of three second half trey’s to tie the game at 21-21. TheMidgets however answered with a 9-0 run over the next 5:20 and ended the quarter with a 32-25 advantage. The Tornadoes would never get closer than six points in the 4th quarter.
Jordyn Stokes led E-L-C with 18 points and Haylee Stokes added 14. With the win the defending 3A state champs improve to 18-0 overall and 7-0 in the conference. Storm Lake was led by Adeeya Yanga’s 16 points, Avery DeHaan added 10, and Harder finished with nine. The Tornadoes fall to 8-9 overall and 1-6 in the conference.
The Storm Lake boys team raced out to a 14-2 lead after the first four minutes of the game only to have E-L-C control the game the rest of the way in a 59-43 Midgets win. Jordan Jensen scored a game high 24 points to lead the Midgets, Aaron Armstrong scored 14 off the bench and the state’s leading scorer Owen Larson was held to 11 points.
The Tornadoes were led in scoring by Jaidyn Coon’s 12 points. Storm Lake is now 4-10 overall and 2-5 in the Lakes while the Midgets move to 6-1 in the conference and 10-6 overall.
The Storm Lake teams play again Thursday night at Sioux Central, the double-header at 6pm will be broadcast on Mix 101.7 KAYL
Click below to hear from Storm Lake coaches Nate Reichter and Heath Stille.
