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Lynx girls win 3rd straight for first time since 2009

WCHS comes out firing, whips St. Edmond; McKinney pours in 23

Webster City sophomore guard Taylor McKinney (4) puts up a floater during Tuesday’s 68-41 rout of St. Edmond in Fort Dodge. McKinney scored a game-high 23 points. Messenger photo/Tom Vogt

FORT DODGE — It’s going to be a relaxing and peaceful holiday vacation for Webster City girls’ basketball head coach Nicole Muhlenbruch and her players.

They’ll marinate on a three-game winning streak — the program’s longest stretch of success since it won three in a row in January of 2009 … yes, 2009 — and the final triumph in the series was the most dominant.

Taylor McKinney made the nets sizzle early and WCHS thrashed Fort Dodge St. Edmond, 68-41, on the Gaels’ home floor Tuesday night. McKinney exploded for 10 first-quarter points to help push the Lynx to a commanding 21-4 lead and she had 17 by the half. The sophomore point guard finished with 23 points — her third 20-point performance of the season — to go along with seven assists and three steals, also team-highs.

McKinney canned all three of her 3-point baskets in the first half.

“Taylor came out hot,” Muhlenbruch said. “It kind of sets the tone of the game if you hit those first few shots. The confidence is there and you can start to look for other things when the outside shots are falling.”

WCHS senior Cassidy Nerland scores from the paint against St. Edmond on Tuesday. Messenger photo/Tom Vogt

Cassidy Nerland pitched in her fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. It was the senior forward’s seventh outing with double-digit rebounds; she ranks fifth in the state, all classes, on the glass at 12.9 per game.

Halle Mason knocked down a pair of 3s and gave the Lynx a third double-digit scorer with 10 points. Haley Flaws added eight and Zoey Woodle came off the bench to produce six.

Erin Flattery led St. Edmond (3-5, 1-4 NCC) with 14 points.

The Gaels made a nice second-quarter run to pull within 10 points, 35-25, at the half. But WCHS (4-4, 3-2 NCC) owned the second half and held St. Edmond to just 16 points. The Lynx put together a 22-9 run in the fourth quarter.

“We started off just boom boom boom, but in the second quarter we had one of our lulls,” Muhlenbruch said. “We told the girls at halftime that we wanted to hold them to 15 points in the second half. Well, they got 16.”

If WCHS can stretch its winning streak to four, there really will be reason to celebrate. That’s because next on the docket is third-ranked (Class 3A) and defending conference champion Clear Lake. The Lynx will host the Lions when they return from break on Friday, Jan. 5.

Webster City 68, St. Edmond 41

Tuesday at Fort Dodge

Webster City (4-4, 3-2 NCC) — Haley Flaws 4 0-0 8, Taylor McKinney 9 2-2 23, Halle Mason 4 0-0 10, Sarah Vogelbacher 1 0-0 3, Atlanta Hopp 0 0-0 0, Zoey Woodle 2 2-2 6, Tatum Goings 1 0-0 2, Stacey Meyer 0 0-0 0, Grace Hoversten 2 0-0 4, Adalie Schwandt 0 0-0 0, Cassidy Nerland 4 4-5 12. Totals: 27 8-9 68.

St. Edmond (3-5, 1-4 NCC) — Abby Landwehr 0 0-0 0, Macey Mason 0 0-0 0, Jacque Oberg 2 0-0 4, Hannah Huss 2 0-0 4, Cambrie McBride 0 0-0 0, Rylee Kinney 0 0-0 0, Erin Flattery 7 0-1 14, Jocy Timmerman 1 0-0 2, Sydney Messerly 0 0-0 0, Livi Huss 4 3-4 11, Devyn Scott 0 1-2 1, Brea McNeil 2 1-2 5. Totals: 18 5-9 41.

Webster City 21 14 11 22 — 68

St. Edmond 4 21 7 9 — 41

3-point field goals — WC 6 (McKinney 3, Mason 2, Vogelbacher). Rebounds — WC 21 (Nerland 10). Steals — WC 7 (McKinney 3, flaws 2). Assists — WC 16 (McKinney 7). Turnovers — WC 8, SE 18. Team fouls — WC 12, 11. Fouled out — none.

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