Jan 07, 2023 6:13 PM

Mediapolis sweeps Van Buren County

Posted Jan 07, 2023 6:13 PM

Above: Mediapolis junior Hanna Wagenbach (32) drives the baseline against Van Buren County’s Callie Kracht in a South Division game Friday at Mediapolis. Wagenbach scored 15 points in the Bullettes’ 73-27 win. Photo/Joe Geren

Beacon Sports

Mediapolis High School swept a girls/boys basketball doubleheader from Van Buren County on the Vernon “Bud” McLearn Court in Mediapolis Friday night.

The Mepo girls never trailed, coasting to a 73-27 South Division win. The Mediapolis boys, however, had a rougher night. They squandered a 20-point lead but survived with a 63-58 win.

Five Mediapolis girls scored in double figures. Payton Bush led the Bullettes with 16 points and Hanna Wagenbach was right behind with 15 tallies. Lilly Luttenegger scored 12, Grace Holsteen had 11 and Liz Lane added 10.

 The Bullettes scored the first 16 points of the game. Van Buren County finally got on the scoreboard with a Callie Kracht layup with 4:39 remaining in the first quarter.  Mediapolis led at 19-6, 36-16, and 55-20 at the first three-quarter breaks.

The Mediapolis girls improved to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the South Division, tied for first place with Notre Dame and West Burlington. Van Buren County is 2-7 (1-7).

 In the boys' game, Van Buren County led 3-0 on Izaak Loeffler’s 3-point play, but the Bulldogs reeled off the next 17 points. Mediapolis led 20-9 at the first quarter break and 35-17 at halftime. The Bulldogs twice led by 20 points.

 The second half, however, belonged to Van Buren County. Trailing 37-17 early in the third quarter, the Warriors fashioned a 19-point run to pull to within a point at 36-37. The Warriors converted four steals into field goals during that run.

Mediapolis managed a 47-42 lead by the end of the third quarter, but the Warriors weren’t done. They tied the score at 49-all and 51-all in the final period, but the Bulldogs gradually pulled away.

Mediapolis improved to 5-4 (3-4 South). Van Buren County is 3-6 (2-5).

Loeffler led all scorers with 24 points and Jackson Manning added 14 for the Warriors. Max Griffin came off the Mediapolis bench to lead the Bulldogs with 15 points. Ben Egan scored 14, Cole Lipper and Jackson Hutcheson both had eight points and Kamden Stotlar added seven.

Both Mediapolis teams host Winfield-Mount Union Monday and Central Lee on Tuesday.

Above: Mediapolis senior forward Cole Lipper (5) battles Van Buren County’s Izaak Loeffler for position under the basket in a South Division game at Mediapolis Friday night. Mediapolis held on for a 63-58 win. Photo/Joe Geren