N-V Lions edge Lady Vikes

NIOBRARA — The Lady Vikings fought hard in the second half, but could not complete the comeback, losing 44-42 to Niobrara/Verdigre on Monday.

Wausa shot the ball well, going 17-39 from the floor, a slow start in the first half hurt the away team.

The Lady Vikes scored just four points in the first quarter, and the Lady Cougars took an 8-4 lead going into the second quarter. By halftime, that lead grew another four points to 25-17.

Wausa came storming out in the third quarter, scoring 18 points, and cutting the lead down to 36-35 heading into the final quarter. There was not enough in the tank though for Big Purple, scoring just seven points to N/V’s eight in the final quarter to earn the loss.

Paige Nissen led Wausa with 16 points on the night. She shot 8-11 from the floor, for 73 percent. She was followed in scoring by Morgan Kleinschmit’s nine points, despite the sophomore shooting just 2-10 from the floor. Both of Kleinschmit’s field goals were 3-pointers, and she went 3-4 at the charity stripe as well.

The Lady Viking struggled on the glass, grabbing just 18 rebounds on the night. Meanwhile Niobrara/Verdigre more than doubled that with 37 boards. Kleinschmit led Wausa with seven rebounds, while Tala Henry for N/V had the game-high with 11.

The loss for Wausa puts the team at 1-4 with a four-game losing streak after opening the season with a win at Plainview.

Wausa 4 13 18 7— 42

N/V 8 17 11 8—44

Wausa N/V

FG 17-39 17-55

3PT 3-8 5-22

FT 5-8 5-12

REB 18 37

TO N/A 16

SCORING
Wausa - Paige Nissen, 16; Morgan Kleinschmit, 9; Esther Nelson, 6; Clara Schindler, 5; Elizabeth Johnson, 3; Ruth Johnson, 3. Niobrara/Verdigre - Tala Henry, 14; Megan Cook, 14; Winona Ware, 9; Chaney Konopasek, 7.

REBOUNDS
Wausa - Morgan Kleinschmit, 7; Brooke Kumm, 5; Ruth Johnson, 2; Paige Nissen, 2; Esther Nelson, 1; Clara Schindler, 1. Niobrara/Verdigre - Tala Henry, 11; Makenna Guenther, 9; Megan Cook, 8; Winona Ware, 4; Chaney Konopasek, 2; Emily Parks, 2; Kiera Moody, 1.

ASSISTS
Wausa - Clara Schindler, 4; Morgan Kleinschmit, 3; Brooke Kumm, 2; Ruth Johnson, 2; Melanie Vanness, 1. Niobrara/Veridgre - Makenna Guenther, 5; Tala Henry, 3; Megan Cook, 1; Winona Ware,1; Chaney Konopasek, 1.

STEALS Wausa - Morgan Kleinschmit, 1; Clara Schindler, 1. Niobrara/Veridgre - Chaney Konopasek, 4; Tala Henry, 3; Makenna Guenther, 2; Megan Cook, 1.

BLOCKS
Wausa - Not Available. Niobrara/Verdigre - Tala Henry, 1; Kiera Moody, 1; Winona Ware, 1.