Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s Kennedy Brant (14) goes up over North Tama’s Lydia Taylor for two of her career-high 28 points during Thursday’s basketball game in Reinbeck. PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER

REINBECK – Gladbrook-Reinbeck galloped past North Tama in a 61-21 girls basketball blowout at G-R High School on Thursday night ahead of the Christmas holiday.

G-R improved to 8-3 overall while North Tama slipped to 4-6.

Kennedy Brant scored a career-best 28 points to lead the Rebels and Elly Sieh added 16 points.

“We came out very aggressive tonight,” Brant said. “There’s so many different ways that we can score and every girl on our team has had a 14 or 15 point night, so you never know who’s going to go out there. We’re connecting with good passes throughout and just running, running, running.”

G-R outscored the Redhawks 15-4 in the first quarter and didn’t look back, tacking on a 14-0 run coming out of the locker room for the second half.

“When we can score points and then be in our press, that’s a good cycle to be in,” G-R head coach Amber Gerringer said. “The girls did a really good job of handling the ball and getting it inside, and then rebounding it well, getting offensive rebounds and just keep putting it up until it goes in.”

Sieh and Brant, both sophomores, average around 13 points per game for the Rebels. Brant also averages 12 rebounds per game and recently tied the school record for most rebounds in a game with 23 boards against South Hardin last week.

“They’re big on defensive intensity,” Gerringer said. “I think they’re very much the emotional leaders on the team, and so when they’re really into it, excited, playing aggressive defense, it gets everybody else moving in the right direction, too.”

Ava Breckenridge and Adelyn Sienknecht led the Redhawks with six points each.

“A game like this we just have to flush away and come in with the attitude that we have to maybe be in a little better shape, have to do a better job rebounding and focusing on better boxing out which will get us better opportunities for rebounding,” North Tama head coach Harold Youngblut said.

Defense keeps the young Rebels in range, with their three losses against 2A No. 14 Grundy Center, 2A No. 13 Jesup and AGWSR decided by nine points or fewer.

“We’ve always managed to hold teams to a score that we can achieve,” Gerringer said. “Lately, we’ve had a good stretch here of running the floor and getting the ball inside and just doing what we have to on offense to get good shots to go.”

A major test awaits with top-ranked Dike-New Hartford in the first game of 2024, where Gerringer previously worked as an assistant on IGCA Hall of Fame head coach Bruce Dall’s staff.

“Our defense has really grown and we haven’t been making too many turnovers, which just gives us more possessions,” Brant said. “We just have to keep playing together as a team.”

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 61, North Tama 21 | at Reinbeck

NORTH TAMA — Kruiz Ewoldt 0 0-0 0, Ava Breckenridge 2 2-3 6, Rylee Ridout 1 1-2 3, Jamie Jacobs 0 0-0 0, Lydia Taylor 1 0-0 2, Izzy Hallett 0 3-6 3, Kinsley Even 0 1-4 1, Gabby Seda 0 0-0 0, Adelyn Sienknecht 2 0-0 6. TOTALS 6 7-15 21.

GLADBROOK-REINBECK — Olivia Riffey 2 0-1 4, Elly Sieh 7 2-2 16, Lauren Boyer 1 0-2 3, Lily Dripps 3 0-0 6, Kennedy Brant 11 6-9 28, Brinn Schneider 0 0-0 0, Madison Resendez 0 0-0 0, Avery Boyer 0 0-0 0, Leila Thesing 1 0-0 2, Kailey Larsen 0 0-0 0, Ayla Baer 0 0-2 0, Mailea McLean 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 26 8-16 61.

3-Point Goals-North Tama 2 (Sienknecht 2); Gladbrook-Reinbeck 1 (Boyer). Total Fouls-North Tama 14, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 13. Fouled Out-None.