.png)
Jackson scored 9, grabs 9 boards in return to Rochester
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Emma Howdeshell scored 16 points, and Rylee Clevenger added nine to lead the Rochester girls basketball team to a 35-23 win over visiting Culver at the RHS gym on Nov. 30.
After falling behind 4-0, including a layup off the opening tip four seconds into the game, Rochester went on a 12-0 run in the first quarter and stayed ahead for the remainder.
They led by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter.
Kennedy Jackson, a member of Rochester’s sectional championship teams in 2020 and 2021, led Culver with nine points and nine rebounds, but Culver also committed 21 turnovers as compared to Rochester’s 10.
Rochester also made more free throws (6) than Culver attempted (4) and kept Culver off the foul line in the second half.
Rochester won their fifth straight game to improve to 5-4. Culver lost their third straight game and fell to 3-6.
Rochester defeated Culver for the 11th consecutive meeting.
Rily Holloway, Rylee Clevenger and Howedeshell all hit 3-pointers in the first quarter as part of the early run.
Howdeshell and Sydney Haughs both played through illness, according to coach Joel Burrus, but they combined for 22 points.
“We didn’t know how that was going to go today with her and Syd being out and being sick,” Burrus said. “My goodness, did they come in and play really well tonight. … I thought the girls really grinded it out tonight.”
Luci Overmyer drained a 3 from the left wing with 5:21 left in the half as Culver got within 12-9, but a Howdeshell steal and layup and a Howdeshell trey helped restore an eight-point lead.
“I wish I could say this was just this game, but we’ve been playing like this for a couple weeks now,” Culver coach Shane Lowry said. “We came out with a little more energy in the first half. The four quick points we scored, we’re feeling pretty good about it, but you just go in a three, four, five-minute funk where you don’t do anything.”
Rochester played without Ella McCarter, who suffered a hamstring injury in the previous game against Winamac. Culver played without junior guard Grace Sieber (illness).
Rochester also took the JV game 15-2. Darah Strasser scored seven points, Emily Vigar had four, and Mia Howdeshell and Olivia Rude had two each.
Rochester 35, Culver 23
CULVER (23) (3-6)
Brynn Berndt 1 0-0 2, Rose Peterson 1 2-3 5, Luci Overmyer 1 0-0 3, Amiyah Williams 2 0-1 4, Kennedy Jackson 4 0-0 9, Kaylee Hamilton 0 0-0 0, Avery Garland 0 0-0 0
TEAM: 9 2-4 23
ROCHESTER (35) (5-4)
Rily Holloway 1 1-2 4, Rylee Clevenger 3 1-2 9, Kallie Watson 0 0-1 0, Sydney Haughs 3 0-1 6, Emma Howdeshell 5 4-7 16, Maddie Heinzmann 0 0-0 0, Darah Strasser 0 0-0 0
TEAM: 12 6-13 35
Three-point field goals:
Culver 3 (Jackson, Peterson, Overmyer),
Rochester 5 (Howdeshell 2, Clevenger 2, Holloway)
Total fouls: Culver 14, Rochester 5
Turnovers: Culver 21, Rochester 10
Score by quarters
Culver 6 5 4 8 – 23
Rochester 12 5 8 10 – 35
JV: Rochester 15, Culver 2
