Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Dakota Pommer of Fort Dodge shoots against Humboldt on Thursday inside the Dodger gym. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

The Humboldt girls continued their winning ways against Fort Dodge here Thursday night, 44-39.

Ava Fischer knocked down five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 15 to lead the Wildcats to their third consecutive win over the Dodgers since the series resumed last year.

Morgan Mann added 12 points with eight rebounds and five steals for Humboldt (5-2 overall), who has won five of its last six around a loss to Algona earlier this week.

Fort Dodge (3-3) was paced by Mackenzie McIlrath’s 10 points with LJ Maehl and Brooklyn Pommer each adding eight. Maehl and Meah McCaleb both had eight rebounds with Maehl adding three blocked shots and two steals.

“We just couldn’t make a basket,” FDSH head coach Scott Messerly said. “Our defense was solid outside of a few instances where we let Fischer get open, we did a great job rebounding the basketball; we just couldn’t make a shot.

“I told the girls after that we did a lot of things right and it just wasn’t our night.”

The two exchanged the lead over the early stages of the contest before the Dodgers used an 8-0 run capped by a Maehl triple to g up 10-6. Fort Dodge held a plus-six edge in rebounds over the first eight minutes, with the Wildcats keeping it close thanks to four made 3-pointers, including a pair by Fischer.

In the second, the Dodgers put together a 9-2 run to go up by six. Humboldt closed the gap again, taking the lead on a Reagan Lee 3-pointer. However, it was Fort Dodge that went to the break up when Pommer banked in a triple at the buzzer.

“It was good to see Brooklyn get going on offense,” Messerly said. “I thought Humboldt did a good job of taking LJ away and forcing us to adjust. We did that for moments during the night, just not enough of them.”

Maehl had eight points and six boards in the first half before battling foul trouble in the second. During that time, Humboldt went on an 8-0 run to gain control of the contest, outscoring the Dodgers down the stretch to prevail.

Lee finished with seven points and five rebounds, Mann added eight boards and five steals, and both Kaitlyn Nelson and Meg Zweibohmer had five points.

Fort Dodge heads to Marshalltown (3-4) on Friday night while Humboldt hosts Hampton-Dumont/CAL (2-5).

HUMBOLDT 44, FORT DODGE 39

Humboldt — Paige Nelson 0 0-0 0, Kaitlyn Nelson 1 2-3 5, Morgan Mann 3 5-5 12, Reagan Lee 3 0-2 7, Ava Fischer 5 0-0 15, Meg Zweibohmer 2 0-0 5, Tielyr Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 7-10 44.

Fort Dodge — Mackenzie McIlrath 4 0-2 10, Meah McCaleb 2 1-4 5, Dakota Pommer 2 1-2 5, Brooklyn Pommer 3 1-2 8, LJ Maehl 3 0-0 8, Ashlyn Wills 1 1-3 3, Maddie Hoshaw 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 4-9 39.

Quarter scores: Humboldt led 12-11; Fort Dodge led 23-22; Humboldt led 39-34. Three-point goals: Humboldt 9 (Fischer 5, K. Nelson 1, Mann 1, Lee 1, Zweibohmer 1), Fort Dodge 5 (McIlrath 2, Maehl 2, B. Pommer 1). Total rebounds: Humboldt 25, Fort Dodge 37. Steals: Humboldt 15, Fort Dodge 7. Turnovers: Humboldt 16, Fort Dodge 27. Personal fouls: Humboldt 14, Fort Dodge 13. Fouled out: Maehl.