Big fourth quarter lifts Newton girls past Marshalltown

MARSHALLTOWN — A fast start and an even better finish helped the Newton girls’ basketball team get into the win column on Thursday night.

The Cardinals led by seven after one quarter but trailed by a pair heading into the final frame before outscoring the Bobcats by double-digits in the fourth during a 43-33 non-conference road victory.

“We saw a glimpse of a team that was poised,” Newton head girls basketball coach Jacob Bennett said. “We made some big free throws in the fourth quarter.”

Free throw shooting was the biggest difference in the game. Newton was 19-of-31 from the foul line in the game and made 11-of-13 in the fourth. Marshalltown was 7-of-16 overall and just 4-of-10 in the final frame.

Newton led 13-6 after the first quarter. The Bobcats (1-2) outscored the Cardinals 21-12 in the second and third to take a 27-25 lead to the fourth. The visitors dominated the final frame 18-6 to claim the first win of Bennett’s varsity coaching career.

It was much different than the Cardinals’ opener against Grinnell when they led at halftime but were outscored by double-digits in the final two frames.

“This was a complete flip from the Grinnell game,” Bennett said. “We showed we can be a resilient team who can bounce back.”

Alex Riney returned to the lineup and led the Cardinals with a career-high 11 points and five rebounds and Tori White chipped in a career-best 10 points and six boards.

Payton Carkhuff added a career-high eight points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals and Alex Garvis chipped in three points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals. Carkhuff made seven free throws in the final quarter.

Hailey Dickerson scored four points, Riley Plowman put in three points, Haylie Ryan grabbed three boards and Evie Main swiped two steals.

Riney is the team’s third leading scorer in the team’s first three games.

“It’s going to be that way all year,” Bennett said. “It’s a good thing to be able to rely on multiple kids. We were able to create drives and opportunities for teammates and created some contact by the rim. A few girls stepped up tonight.”

The Cardinals (1-2) won the game despite shooting 27.5 percent from the floor and making 2-of-12 from 3-point range. They turned the ball over 22 times but registered 16 steals.

Frankie Long led the Bobcats with five points and 13 rebounds, while Ellie Hughes added five points and six boards. Kinsley Bowie had seven points.

Marshalltown shot 29 percent from the floor, made 4-of-15 from 3 and turned the ball over 33 times.

It was Newton’s fifth straight win over the Bobcats. The Cardinals are 11-6 against Marshalltown since 2006 and they’ve won eight of the past nine games.