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BLOOMFIELD — For a team that has overcome a 24-point halftime deficit this season, three points with four minutes left seemed pretty simple.
The Davis County girls basketball team simply believes that things will turn out well in the end. That belief has carried the Mustangs to the most single-season wins in over two decades.
On Saturday, it helped carry Davis County to a 46-38 win over South Central Conference rival Centerville in the Class 3A, Region 6 quarterfinals. The Mustangs scored 11 unanswered points late in the game, holding the Redettes scoreless for over four minutes after a five-point possession had given Centerville a 36-33 fourth-quarter lead showcasing the same resiliency that rallied Davis County to an overtime road win at Albia in a game the Mustangs trailed 27-3 after two quarters.
"It was just a matter of playing our game and playing with the same confidence that we always do," Husted said. "Coming out in that fourth quarter, we had to come out strong. We were able to execute that and play with confidence."
Husted led Davis County with a double-double, scoring a team-high 16 points including 10 in the first half while hauling in a game-high 10 rebounds. The Redettes held the Mustang senior to just two field goals in the second half, including a 3-point play with under five minutes left that put Davis County on top 33-31.
Centerville, just eight days removed from pulling off a 53-41 win over the Mustangs in Bloomfield as part of a five-game winning streak to close out the regular season, answered back as Erin Shinn connected on a go-ahead 3-pointer on the next possession for the Redettes while Payley Poe was whistled for fouling Addison Drew, leading to a pair of free throws with 4:24 left that gave Centerville their late lead.
"We played hard and gave a good effort," Centerville head girls basketball coach Nic Belloma said. "Once we got the lead, that led to the defining stretch of the game."
That stretch began with a clutch 3-pointer by Hayden Humphrey on just the second shot attempt of the game for the Mustang senior, tying that game at 36-36 with just over four minutes to go. Davis County's defense ultimately made the plays that provided the Mustangs with the postseason win, including consecutive steals by Paylin Lawson and Culee Smith that led to the next four points that put Davis County on top for good.
"We just had a few too many turnovers that were kind of uncharacteristic for us," Belloma said. "They weren't really forced turnovers. We just couldn't completely prepare for their length. When they got into that 1-2-2 defense. We knew they played 2-3 a couple of other times, but that 1-2-2 is their base defense. You get Husted and (Nadia) Zmolek down there with their long arms, it causes problems."
Davis County's defense forced Centerville into 22 turnovers, including 12 steals from six different players led by Lawson's three steals. Zmolek and Husted, meanwhile, combined to swat away five shots when the Redettes tried to take the ball to the basket.
"We flustered them enough to keep them from getting a few extra points here or there," Davis County head girls basketball coach Matt Zeitler said. "We took away their two players in the post (Payden Hoffman and Kelsie Taylor) and forced their girls at the top of the triangle to shoot. Our game plan was to stop Addison Tuttle after she scored 25 points against us last week."
Tuttle finished with 16 points to lead Centerville, scoring seven on two plays alone connecting a 3-pointer from the corner while being fouled cutting an 18-10 Davis County lead in half late in the first half before driving in for a basket on a fastbreak while being fouled in the third quarter to help rally the Redettes from a 10-point deficit.
"Our kids fought hard to win 15 games this season," Belloma said. "It's just the leadership of our kids. They've learned how to take on those roles and how to spread the ball around. We won 15 games and could have had a few more, plus we have everyone back next season."
Ultimately, Davis County's experience came through frustrating Centerville in the final four minutes to secure the rubber match with the Redettes after winning the first of the three meetings between the teams at Centerville last month. Smith finished with nine points, seven rebounds and three steals scoring five of Davis County's final eight points in the contest as five Mustang seniors combined to score 32 of Davis County's 46 points.
"Basketball is a game of momentum, so you just have to ride it out when things aren't going your way," Smith said. "Our team has been really good about working our way through those rough patches. We're good at wiping the slate clean. We've done that in several scenarios just like we did in this game when Centerville made that comeback."
While Centerville ends the season with a record of 15-7, Davis County (16-5) will face a stiff road test in Wednesday's 3A regional semifinal. The Mustangs travel to eighth-ranked Mediapolis, who improved to 22-0 on the season with a 70-40 win over Central Lee on Saturday.
"We've just got to leave all out there on the court on Wednesday night," Smith said. "We're all on the same page there."
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The Davis County girls basketball team simply believes that things will turn out well in the end. That belief has carried the Mustangs to the most single-season wins in over two decades.
On Saturday, it helped carry Davis County to a 46-38 win over South Central Conference rival Centerville in the Class 3A, Region 6 quarterfinals. The Mustangs scored 11 unanswered points late in the game, holding the Redettes scoreless for over four minutes after a five-point possession had given Centerville a 36-33 fourth-quarter lead showcasing the same resiliency that rallied Davis County to an overtime road win at Albia in a game the Mustangs trailed 27-3 after two quarters.
"It was just a matter of playing our game and playing with the same confidence that we always do," Husted said. "Coming out in that fourth quarter, we had to come out strong. We were able to execute that and play with confidence."
Husted led Davis County with a double-double, scoring a team-high 16 points including 10 in the first half while hauling in a game-high 10 rebounds. The Redettes held the Mustang senior to just two field goals in the second half, including a 3-point play with under five minutes left that put Davis County on top 33-31.
Centerville, just eight days removed from pulling off a 53-41 win over the Mustangs in Bloomfield as part of a five-game winning streak to close out the regular season, answered back as Erin Shinn connected on a go-ahead 3-pointer on the next possession for the Redettes while Payley Poe was whistled for fouling Addison Drew, leading to a pair of free throws with 4:24 left that gave Centerville their late lead.
"We played hard and gave a good effort," Centerville head girls basketball coach Nic Belloma said. "Once we got the lead, that led to the defining stretch of the game."
That stretch began with a clutch 3-pointer by Hayden Humphrey on just the second shot attempt of the game for the Mustang senior, tying that game at 36-36 with just over four minutes to go. Davis County's defense ultimately made the plays that provided the Mustangs with the postseason win, including consecutive steals by Paylin Lawson and Culee Smith that led to the next four points that put Davis County on top for good.
"We just had a few too many turnovers that were kind of uncharacteristic for us," Belloma said. "They weren't really forced turnovers. We just couldn't completely prepare for their length. When they got into that 1-2-2 defense. We knew they played 2-3 a couple of other times, but that 1-2-2 is their base defense. You get Husted and (Nadia) Zmolek down there with their long arms, it causes problems."
Davis County's defense forced Centerville into 22 turnovers, including 12 steals from six different players led by Lawson's three steals. Zmolek and Husted, meanwhile, combined to swat away five shots when the Redettes tried to take the ball to the basket.
"We flustered them enough to keep them from getting a few extra points here or there," Davis County head girls basketball coach Matt Zeitler said. "We took away their two players in the post (Payden Hoffman and Kelsie Taylor) and forced their girls at the top of the triangle to shoot. Our game plan was to stop Addison Tuttle after she scored 25 points against us last week."
Tuttle finished with 16 points to lead Centerville, scoring seven on two plays alone connecting a 3-pointer from the corner while being fouled cutting an 18-10 Davis County lead in half late in the first half before driving in for a basket on a fastbreak while being fouled in the third quarter to help rally the Redettes from a 10-point deficit.
"Our kids fought hard to win 15 games this season," Belloma said. "It's just the leadership of our kids. They've learned how to take on those roles and how to spread the ball around. We won 15 games and could have had a few more, plus we have everyone back next season."
Ultimately, Davis County's experience came through frustrating Centerville in the final four minutes to secure the rubber match with the Redettes after winning the first of the three meetings between the teams at Centerville last month. Smith finished with nine points, seven rebounds and three steals scoring five of Davis County's final eight points in the contest as five Mustang seniors combined to score 32 of Davis County's 46 points.
"Basketball is a game of momentum, so you just have to ride it out when things aren't going your way," Smith said. "Our team has been really good about working our way through those rough patches. We're good at wiping the slate clean. We've done that in several scenarios just like we did in this game when Centerville made that comeback."
While Centerville ends the season with a record of 15-7, Davis County (16-5) will face a stiff road test in Wednesday's 3A regional semifinal. The Mustangs travel to eighth-ranked Mediapolis, who improved to 22-0 on the season with a 70-40 win over Central Lee on Saturday.
"We've just got to leave all out there on the court on Wednesday night," Smith said. "We're all on the same page there."
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