J-HAWKS FLY AWAY
Big second half powers Urbandale girls vs. Dodgers

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Grace Nichols of Fort Dodge shoots around Urbandale on Monday
The Urbandale girls turned on the jets in the second half here Monday, finding their offensive rhythm and never slowing down in a 70-45 victory over Fort Dodge.
After a back-and-forth contest that saw the J-Hawks take a tenuous lead into intermission, the visitors exploded with 42 points the rest of the way on 58 percent shooting. That was more than enough as the Dodgers (7-12 overall) struggled again with turnovers and faded to their fourth consecutive defeat.
“We just weren’t getting stops at all, really from the first quarter on,” FDSH head coach Scott Messerly said. “We didn’t slow their ball movement or their dribble penetration.
“I feel like (during this recent losing streak), these teams (Mason City, Marshalltown, Ames and now Urbandale) have all played harder than us more often than not. That’s not to say we aren’t working, but there’s just an extra gear and level they’re reaching and we’re not matching the intensity. We did for a half (Monday), but then they really got going and we didn’t have an answer.”
The Dodgers led for the better part of the first quarter, and held their last advantage at 14-13 on a basket by LJ Maehl with 5:22 left in the second period. The J-Hawks spurted ahead at 24-16, but Fort Dodge closed the half on a 10-4 run thanks to seven points from Maehl and a triple by Ellie Doster to make it 28-26.
Urbandale exploded from there, though. The J-Hawks threw an 8-0 haymaker in the first 53 seconds of the third period, then went up 42-27 thanks to six consecutive points by sophomore guard Mariah Dixon.
A Doster three-pointer pulled Fort Dodge back within 49-38 late in the frame, but reserve Ava Wattier quickly responded with a trey of her own to end the period and it was all Urbandale the rest of the way.
Maehl had 23 points on 8 of 13 shooting, but just six came in the second half. She only attempted three shots after the break, making a pair of triples in the third quarter.
Doster added 11, swishing a trifecta of threes. Senior Meah McCaleb pulled down 13 rebounds.
Dixon, who had been averaging just over six points per contest, exploded for 22. She drove to the hoop almost at will.
Wattier added 15 off the bench, as the J-Hawk reserves held a 19-2 edge on Fort Dodge’s non-starters.
Urbandale had been shooting only 30 percent on the season while posting a deceiving 4-14 record. The J-Hawks still play in the ultra-competitive CIML, which is dominated by Class 5A powerhouses. Eleven of the team’s losses have been to Top-10 opponents from the state’s largest division.
The Dodgers made only five second-half shots in 20 attempts. Fort Dodge committed 32 turnovers, compared to just 10 by Urbandale.
“We obviously didn’t handle their pressure well,” Messerly said. “Any time (an opponent) has 22 less turnovers than you, it makes it almost impossible to stay in it.
“We talked about some things at halftime as far as what we wanted to do (the rest of the way), but they forced us out of it and did a good job making adjustments.”
Maehl is now three points shy of becoming only the fourth Dodger to reach 900 career points. The junior moved ahead of Barb Crooks (892 from 1986-89) on Monday, and just seven points behind Mandy Pilcher (904 from 1995-99) for third place.
The Dodgers are back in action at Storm Lake on Thursday and at Des Moines North on Friday.
URBANDALE 70, FORT DODGE 45
Urbandale — Mariah Dixon 8-14 5-8 22, Reese DeVooght 4-13 2-3 12, Alisa Pins 3-5 0-2 6, Lauren Salmon 3-6 0-0 6, Mia German 1-6 3-4 5, Ava Wattier 6-11 0-0 15, Rylie Pruitt 1-3 0-0 2, Aubrey Schuman 1-1 0-2 2, Annabelle Schwartz 0-0 0-0 0, MaKenna Rosonke 0-1 0-0 0, Ella Schott 0-0 0-0 0, Lauren Timmer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 27-59 10-19 70.
Fort Dodge — LJ Maehl 8-13 4-4 23, Ellie Doster 4-7 0-0 11, Meah McCaleb 2-5 1-4 5, Dakota Pommer 1-4 2-2 4, Brooklyn Pommer 0-4 0-0 0, Charlotte Breeser 0-0 2-2 2, Bella Lee 0-1 0-0 0, Grace Nichols 0-1 0-0 0, Janelle Derrig 0-2 0-0 0, Linnie Pratt 0-1 0-0 0, Emma Lloyd 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 15-40 9-12 45.
Quarter scores: Tied 10-10; Urbandale led 28-26, 52-38. Three-point goals: Urbandale 6-19 (Wattier 3-4, DeVooght 2-6, Dixon 1-4, German 0-2, Pins 0-1, Rosonke 0-1, Pruitt 0-1); Fort Dodge 6-12 (Maehl 3-5, Doster 3-5, B. Pommer 0-1, Lloyd 0-1). Turnovers: Urbandale 10, Fort Dodge 32. Total fouls: Urbandale 12, Fort Dodge 14. Fouled out: D. Pommer.