Marshalltown girls basketball just needed to see some shots fall on Wednesday night.
The offensive opportunities didn’t convert often enough on the scoreboard, however, and Des Moines North took advantage of those struggles to knock out the Bobcats, 34-15, in a Class 5A Region 1 quarterfinal at the Roundhouse.
The Polar Bears (8-13) travel to 5A No. 1 Johnston on Saturday. Marshalltown’s season ends at 6-16.
Millie Heitmann, who led the Bobcats with four points, started the scoring with a bucket only for North to respond with an 11-0 run that eventually led to a 21-7 halftime lead.
“We got an early bucket and then couldn’t replicate what led to that bucket,” MHS head coach Brian Murphy said. “And as often happens, our offensive frustration kind of dragged our defense down. And sometimes you have to create offense with defense, but we had a number of shots at the rim or near the rim that just didn’t drop and by the time we made a run there at the end, the deficit was too big.”
MHS was plenty physical in trying to deny North defensively, but Murphy said the Bobcats didn’t do enough to generate their own opportunities to get to the free throw line — North was 10-of-18 from the charity stripe, Marshalltown just 3-of-8.
“We really challenged them at halftime because our aggression took long to get there,” Murphy said. “The foul disparity was noticeable, and as frustrating as that can be, when we’re not going into contact, when we’re trying to shy away from it, sometimes that can lead to that kind of inconsistency.”
Wednesday was the final game for seniors Aubrie Tejada, Tania Mora, Thalia Gallegos and Esmeralda Gutierrez Cantu.
“I appreciated this senior class’ growth individually,” Murphy said. “Tania’s put in that work to get on the varsity floor and have an impact and she’s done that. Aubrie’s been to every open gym, every workout, committed and worked through it. I was especially happy to see her knock down a shot at the end there as it was a fitting way for her to go out.”
The Bobcats have reached the end of a season where they achieved their most wins since the 2014-15 season, and in a season where Murphy felt there were several wins left on the table. Four of Wednesday’s starting five are eligible to be back for the 2024-25 season.
“The wins make the game enjoyable, but those close losses, those frustrating losses are the ones that will hopefully push us in the offseason,” Murphy said. “I’m hoping that that recipe pushes us even farther into next season with us bringing a lot of players back.”
Des Moines North 34, Marshalltown 15
DM NORTH (8, 13) — Mariah Van Ersveide 2 1, 2 6, Haylie Weinheimer 0 1, 2 1, Nyakan Malual 2 0, 0 4, Savanna Kual 2 2, 4 8, Goamar Bilim 3 6, 10 12, January Hudson 1 0, 0 3, Alondra Quintana 0 0, 0 0, Markia Wesley 0 0, 0 0. TOTALS 10 10, 18 34.
MARSHALLTOWN (6, 16) — Kinsley Bowie 1 0, 0 2, Tania Mora 0 1, 2 1, Millie Heitmann 2 0, 0 4, Ellie Hughes 1 1, 4 3, Frankie Long 1 0, 0 2, Amairra Johnson 0 0, 0 0, Aubrie Tejada 1 0, 0 2, Thalia Gallegos 0 0, 0 0, Jorja Janssen 0 1, 2 1, Harper Wilson 0 0, 0 0. TOTALS 6 3, 8 15.
DM NORTH 6 15 4 9 — 34
MHS 2 5 3 5 — 15
3, Point Goals–DM North 4 (Kual 2, Van Ersveide, Hudson). Team Fouls–DM North 10, MHS 12. Fouled Out–Long.
