-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Ellie Doster of Fort Dodge shoots around Sioux City West on Friday

It came as no surprise that senior standout LJ Maehl was ultimately the difference in the Fort Dodge girls basketball squad’s 56-37 victory over Sioux City West on Friday.

Yet it was a stretch without her on the court that helped the Dodgers find their footing — and the supporting cast gain some confidence in the proess.

Maehl had 19 points and 17 rebounds for Fort Dodge (3-7 overall), which held a precarious two-point advantage at halftime over the Wolverines (1-8). Her final statline looked impressive as usual, but when Maehl picked up her third foul in the opening stages of the third quarter, head coach Scott Messerly elected to sit his star for the rest of the period in what stood as a single-possession game at the time.

The short-handed Dodgers — who also lost starting point guard Brooklyn Gilliland in the first half to an injury — didn’t buckle under the pressure, even without their two top scorers. Five different FDSH players scored during that stretch, as the home team stretched its lead to eight by the time Maehl returned to the court at the start of the fourth period.

Baskets by Bella Lee, Emma Lloyd and Malay Hollins then put the Dodgers up by 14 points to open the final frame for some much-needed breathing room. Maehl got going after that, with four field goals in the last 4:51 of regulation to close the contest out.

“It was a good test for the others, with LJ sitting and Brooklyn out,” Messerly said. “There will be times where that has to happen for one reason or another, so it was a positive not just to win, but to get some players going again (offensively).

“We didn’t play particularly well overall, but we fought our way through some adversity and came out on top. That was much needed (the Dodgers had dropped four straight and hadn’t won since December 9 before Friday).”

Turnovers plagued both sides, with West committing 31 and Fort Dodge 30. The Dodgers also struggled mightily both at the free throw line (10 of 26) and from behind the three-point arc (0-for-13). The Wolverines weren’t much better, making 12 of their 26 foul shots and one triple in 10 tries.

The decided difference was in two-point makes, with FDSH converting 22 compared to just 11 by West.

Sophomore Malay Hollins and Gilliland both added eight points for the Dodgers. Gilliland, a freshman, hit her head hard on a fall in the second quarter and did not return due to concussion protocol.

Junior Addie Lentsch contributed seven points. The Fort Dodge bench outscored the Wolverine reserves, 14-1.

Maehl, Hollins, Lentsch, Gilliland, junior Ellie Doster and sophomore Linnie Pratt had three steals each.

The Dodgers held a 30-13 second-half advantage in scoring.

Maehl, a Northwest Missouri State recruit, is now just 31 points away from breaking the program’s career 5-on-5 scoring record. She sits at 1,141 points, trailing only former Drake Bulldog Molly Nelson (1,172).

Fort Dodge heads to Ankeny Centennial on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. varsity tip.

FORT DODGE 56, SIOUX CITY WEST 37

Fort Dodge — LJ Maehl 8-16 3-6 19, Brooklyn Gilliland 4-7 0-0 8, Malay Hollins 4-6 0-0 8, Addie Lentsch 1-12 5-12 7, Grace Nichols 0-1 0-2 0, Ellie Doster 2-8 0-1 4, Linnie Pratt 1-6 2-4 4, Emma Lloyd 2-4 0-1 4, Bella Lee 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 23-63 10-26 56.

Sioux City West — Evey Jackson 3-9 7-9 13, Addeline Vondrak 2-6 3-7 7, Aubri Johnson 3-9 0-2 6, Hope Wagner 2-7 0-0 4, Jaziana Mosley 1-9 0-2 3, Malia Hennen 1-1 0-2 2, Elise Moreno 0-0 1-2 1, Ella Gonzalez 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 12-42 12-26 37.

Quarter scores: Fort Dodge led 11-10, 26-24, 39-31. Three-point goals: Fort Dodge 0-13 (Gilliland 0-3, Maehl 0-3, Doster 0-3, Pratt 0-2, Lloyd 0-1, Lee 0-1); West 1-10 (Mosley 1-4, Jackson 0-2, Wagner 0-2, Vondrak 0-1, Gonzalez 0-1). Turnovers: Fort Dodge 30, West 31. Total fouls: Fort Dodge 22, West 23. Fouled out: Wagner.