Lady Dragons off to good start with 2 wins

The Lady Dragon varsity basketball team kicked off its 2021-22 season in a big way, beating St. Francis, Kansas, on the road Friday, Dec. 3, and winning Saturday’s home opener against Dayspring Christian.

Holyoke 61, St. Francis 54

“We got off to a good start on Friday,” said coach John Baumgartner.

The Lady Dragons went up 19-6 in the first quarter; and while they added another 19 points in the second period, St. Francis responded with 19 points of their own to make it 38-25 at halftime.

The girls had gotten into foul trouble, explained Baumgartner, but the bench stepped up in a big way.

Holyoke was outscored 14-9 in the third quarter, lessening their lead to 47-39 heading into the final period.

St. Francis put up a fight, scoring 15 points compared to Holyoke’s 14 in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Dragons walked away with the 61-54 win. “Thank goodness we made some crucial free throws down the stretch,” said Baumgartner.

“It was a battle for us,” he added, noting that St. Francis is a good team.

Both teams racked up 24 fouls apiece and had a combined total of 53 free throws. Holyoke made 20 out of 29 for 69% while St. Francis made 15 out of 24 for 63%.

Baumgartner was pleased with the balanced scoring from the Lady Dragons. Three hit double digits, including Kristin Vieselmeyer with 20 points (six 2-pointers and eight out of 11 from the line), Lauren Herman with 15 points and Audrey Talavera with 11 points.

The coach also commended the team for its rebounding effort on Friday. Herman led with 16 followed by Vieselmeyer with 10, giving both girls a double-double for the game.

Elyce Talavera topped steal stats with six and assists with seven.

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