MADRID — The Woodward-Granger boys and girls basketball teams each won the 16th game of their season Tuesday with victories over host Madrid in WCAC action.
W-G (16-2, 12-2) was a 72-60 winner in the boys contest, with the Hawks (16-3, 11-2) a 44-27 victor in the girls game. Madrid fell to 14-4 and 10-4 in boys play and to 0-17, 0-13 in girls action.
Madrid has had a strong boys campaign, with the four Tigers losses coming in a pair of setbacks to both W-G and Panorama.
The hosts battled their guests nearly even through three quarters, with the teams tied, at 34-all, at the half, while W-G held only a 51-50 edge as the fourth period began.
W-G finally took control of the contest with a 14-5 spurt in the first half of the fourth to open a 65-55 gap en route to the win.
Bryce Achenbach (16.1 points per game) and Keith Braunschweig (11.3 ppg) both continued their strong play of late. The former has scored 81 points in the four most recent Hawk games, with the latter providing 65 points.
Achenbach led W-G with 24 points against Madrid, with Braunschweig adding 18. Pacey Moats had 11 points and Kaya Bowlsby nine, with Reese Jamison tallying eight points and Nick Buch two.
Moats had seven rebounds and four assists, Bowlsby five boards and three assists and Achenbach four caroms, five assists and two steals while Braunschweig made three thefts. Braunschweig sank two 3-point baskets and Moats one.
Braden Gibbons led all scorers with 31 points for Madrid. Jacob Loew had 12 points and Mason Lobeck eight, with four points from C.J. Dean, three from Gabe Peterson and two from Alex Beigger capped the scoring. Loew landed four 3-point shots and Gibbons three.
Madrid led, 6-2, after the first period of the girls game, with the Tigers using a variation of a triangle-and-two defense to perplex an unsuspecting W-G squad.
By early in the second frame the Hawks had figured out what they were facing and began attacking effectively, outscoring the Tigers, 21-5, in the quarter to hold a 23-11 advantage in the locker room. The margin stood at 35-20 after three frames, with Madrid unable to come any closer.
Finley Fitzgerald had 15 points and Darby Nixon 10 for the guests, with Emma Anderson, Mae Anderson and Katelyn Scharlau scoring four points apiece. Quinn Kaufman had three points and Ava Petersen and Faith Kuehl two each to complete the scoring. Fitzgerald splashed two treys and Kaufman and Nixon one each.
Gabby Brunner had 11 points, Ella Santi nine, Hannah Mertz five and Addy Dean and Piper Steberg one each for Madrid.
A true double-showdown looms Friday as W-G will host 3A No. 6 Des Moines Christian (17-1, 11-0) Friday in a WCAC girls scrum. The DMC boys (14-3, 10-2) will also serve as a challenge for W-G. DMC must travel to Panorama (15-2, 11-1 girls and 12-5, 10-3 boys) Thursday.
