KEOKUK — There was an impossible 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter of Saturday°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± girls basketball contest between the Holy Trinity Catholic Crusaders and the Keokuk Chiefs.
But, wait, it was successful.
So, there was an implausible 3-pointer by Kendra Boatman that gave Keokuk 26 points, which turned out to be two points shy of the total needed to win the game.
But, wait, it was just a scrimmage.
So, the Achieve Challenge scrimmages in Wright Fieldhouse ended with two Keokuk Chiefs wins — a 64-27 girls win over HTC and a 44-35 boys win.
Jaxon Clark led the Keokuk boys with 19 points. Diego Garcia added 11 and Brenton Hoard scored 10.
Connor Gehling led HTC°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± boys with 12 points.
While girls high school teams were allowed to have their first competition on Friday, the Achieve Challenge — formerly the Iowa Pride Challenge — was one of three allowed scrimmages in a statewide community service initiative for Iowa schools and their basketball programs.
The annual program was launched for boys and girls teams in 2010. Participating schools select a service project that is meaningful for their students and community thats allow their high school basketball teams to compete in an Achieve Challenge exhibition.
The teams helped GPS Ministries, a non-profit organization that shares the love of Christ by offering free lunch bags and blessing bags to families, children, veterans, and seniors in need.
Admission to the game was gift cards or monetary donations, new toys still in the package for infants through eighth grade and other gifts specifically for teens in need.
Boatman led all scorers on the day with 22 points, hitting six 3-pointers, a two and both of her free throws.
One of those six triples somehow went through the rim and net at the end of the first quarter. As time was running out, Boatman grabbed the ball from going out of bounds and fired a straight throw at the metal hoop. If there was any arch on the throw, it was negligible, yet it hit the far side of the rim and went down as the horn sounded for the end of the first quarter.
Nine Chiefs scored in the victory, a runaway from midway through the first quarter.
When an error was discovered in the scorebook, Keokuk was assessed a technical foul and HTC hit the free throws for a 7-5 lead.
The Chiefs stepped up their pressure defense on the Crusaders, who are coming off a 13-9 season with a lot of experience on the team.
Holy Trinity looks to have a strong competitive team in the South Division of the Super Conference.
If so, the Crusaders must round out their shooting woes and find someone other than Mary Kate Bendlage to score. She was one of 10 Crusaders to play, one of five to score and the only one to generate offense, responsible for 63 percent of her team°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± total. She poured in 17 points. It only seemed like she had all 100 percent of the points.
Reagan Holvoet°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± 4 points, Teagan Snaadt°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± three points, Presley Myers’ two and Elizabeth Griffin°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± single point accounted for 37 percent of the HTC offense. Bendlage was 63 percent.
Bendlage was already in double figures by the end of the first quarter as was Boatman. A major difference was not Boatman°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± 14 points to Bendlage°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± 10. It was Boatman°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± teammates with 12 Chiefs points while Bendlage°ÄÃÅ¿ª½± teammates had zero. Camryn Atterberg scored all eight of her Keokuk points in the first quarter.
Makenna Altgilbers canned three 3-pointers on her way to 14 points. Keokuk teammate Allie Ames connected on three trifectas for her nine points and Suzie Whitaker sank one from beyond the arc. Ada Wood, Irelynn Seay, Makayla Altgilbers and Nevaeh Logan all had two points apiece.
The Crusaders trailed 26-10 after the first quarter. Keokuk led 41-13 at halftime. HTC had a 9-5 advantage in the third quarter but a 17-5 deficit in the fourth.
Keokuk opens the season at Quincy Notre Dame Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Crusaders host South foe Danville Tuesday, Nov. 28. The Crusader boys also open the season Nov. 28 against Danville.
The Keokuk boys scrimmage Davis County at Wright Fieldhouse Saturday and open the season in Wright Fieldhouse Nov. 28 against Monroe City, Mo. The girls also play Monroe City that night.
