Raiders spoil Steffl’s milestone night, defeat Cougars
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MORGAN -- Cedar Mountain freshman Aubrey Steffl's second bucket of Monday night's nonconference girls basketball game against Nicollet saw her pass 1,000 career points.
It also gave her Cougars squad a 7-6 lead and momentum that saw the Cougars eventually stretch their lead to 11 late in the first half.
But ultimately, the Raiders got the last laugh behind an improved second half as they came back to earn a 77-71 road victory.
Leah Bode and Savannah Klockziem led the Raiders' comeback as both posted double-doubles. Bode finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks, while Savannah Klockziem finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
Steffl finished leading the Cougars with 23 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Brynn Hoffbeck had 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kendra Erickson added 11 points and nine rebounds for Cedar Mountain, while Brooklyn Diehn finished with 9 points.
A Diehn 3 had Cedar Mountain up 29-19, and the Cougars increased that lead to 33-22 moments later after buckets by Steffl and Marlie Wildt. The Raiders did close the half strong, however, trailing 35-31 at the break.
Taking advantage of mismatches was key for Nicollet in the second half, with Bode and Savannah Klockziem taking advantage under the hoop.
"We just upped our intensity and went for those extra steals, looked for our open passes and we got a lot of buckets underneath the basket," Bode said. "We got good looks down there at the block."
The Raiders have been playing without Savannah Klockziem's eighth-grade sister Cheyenne Klockziem in the starting rotation for the past several games due to injury, one of the team's better rebounders. But the Raiders, especially Bode and Savannah Klockziem, rebounded well on Monday on more than one occasion.
"She got a lot of our rebounds," Savannah Klockziem said of her sister. "So a lot of us have had to step up and fill the place that she was usually taking. I think that how we're adjusting will make us better in the long run. When she comes back, we'll be even better."
Earlier in the game, Steffl scored her second bucket of the night on a layup to put her at 1,001 career points. She now sits at 1,020 career points.
Despite being disappointed the Cougars were unable to hang on for the win, Steffl said reaching 1,000 career points was a goal of hers and she's looking forward to setting more over the next several years.
"It's always been my goal and my dream to get 1,000, and now that it's finally here, it's so real," Steffl said. "And after I hit it, it kind of opened my eyes that this is my game almost. And then it's just, like, keep hitting little goals little by little and once you reach those goals, bigger goals will come and that's how I usually think about it. That's how my dad's always taught me, little goals at a time."
Steffl is the second freshman in the area to pass 1,000 career points after Sleepy Eye St. Marys' Morgan Mathiowetz did it at New Ulm Cathedral last Thursday.
Savannah Klockziem started the second half with a layup for the Raiders before Bode was fouled and given a chance to tie the game. Bode's free throws didn't drop, but Savannah Klockziem cleaned up the second miss, scored and drew a foul of her own which she turned into an and-one and a 36-35 Raiders lead.
A free throw and a 3-pointer by Hoffbeck put the Cougars back in front 39-36. A corner 3 by Zoie Rengstorf helped the Raiders tie it up at 41-all, but Steffl quickly scored inside on the other end to give the Cougars the lead again.
Chloe Kachelmeier then entered off the bench for the Raiders and floated a pass over the top to Bode, who scored and was fouled. Bode converted the and-one for a 44-43 Nicollet lead.
The back-and-forth battle didn't stop there as Steffl scored on a layup to give the Cougars a 1-point edge, 45-44. Kachelmeier then drained a long 2 before Savannah Klockziem drove the middle of the paint and scored to put Nicollet up 48-45. A corner 3 by Diehn tied it up once more at 48-all before the Raiders got a 7-1 run to lead 55-49 and force a Cougars timeout with 9:30 left to play.
The Cougars charged back and took a 62-58 lead minutes later after another corner 3 by Diehn and led 64-60 after a layup by Steffl. But the Raiders got a 3 by Bode and a steal for a layup by Jazmyn Goettlicher to lead 65-64.
The Cougars never regained the lead after that and trailed 71-69 in the final two minutes before the Raiders made 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
"We have a lot of talented younger girls," Savannah Klockziem said. "And just moving it around and letting them shoot and letting them get a chance opened up a lot of options."
The Raiders (7-8) are at Mankato Loyola for a 7 p.m. game Thursday, while Cedar Mountain (8-11) is at Springfield for a 7:30 p.m. game Tuesday.