Lady Cougars Snap Skid vs. Rival Lions

Last night, KFIL broadcasted the SEC girl's basketball game between Mabel-Canton and Spring Grove. The first meeting was on KFIL and went to overtime, so we were prepared for another great battle. The Cougars of MC came in falling in the last 19 meetings between the two teams. The Lions of SG did a great job of containing the Cougar's main threat, Coranda Vickerman (one point), in the first half, but could not get their offense rolling. MC led by as many as 11 in the first half, and took a five-point lead into the break 23-18. Connor Benson and Payton Danielson picked up the slack for the Cougars, scoring 17 of their 23 at the break. Early in the second half, SG cut the lead to three 25-22, but that would be as close as they would get. Mabel-Canton pushed the lead back to double digits, as high as 14, and took good care of the ball in the final 4 minutes under heavy pressure to seal a 54-44 win. It's the first MC win over SG since the '08-'09 season. Vickerman had 10 and Courtney Graves had 11 in the second half for the Cougars. Kelsey Hermanson led the way for SG with a dozen in the second half, and a game-high 18, including 10/14 from the free throw line. 

The “Player of the Game” awards went to Courtney Graves of the Cougars, who recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds with her team-high 16 points, and Kelsey Hermanson of the Lions. Kelsey was aggressive on both ends, picking up three steals and deflecting numerous MC passes.

The “Game Ball” was awarded to Payton Danielson of Mabel-Canton. Danielson, just an eighth-grader, has been a mainstay in the MC varsity lineup this year, and has come on offensively. She had nine in the first half, finishing with 13 points along with 7 rebounds, 4 steals and a pair of assists.

We have a pair of games lined up for tonight! Take your pick- Chatfield at Southland on Cool 104 & kvgo1043.com or Kingsland at St. Charles on KFIL & kfilradio.com. The boy's playoffs start Thursday, and we have more weekend coverage coming up too! Check our 'sports schedule' tab for the scoop.

Photo credit: Rick Madonik, Getty Images