Carlson’s 17 points carry Kearney to convincing conference win
By Jack McLeay
After a hard loss against the Jennies of Central Missouri on Jan. 5, the UNK Women’s basketball team managed to rally back against the Bronchos of Central Oklahoma, winning 74-58 on Thursday, Jan. 10.
Klaire Kirsch, a freshman forward, talked about adjusting to the tempo of the game. “They tried to speed us up early in the game and I felt we let them do that at first,” said Kirsch. “As soon as we were able to compose ourselves and play our pace of the game I felt like we really found our stride.”
Brooke Carlson, a freshman from Elkhorn led the team in scoring with 17 points. Kelsey Sanger followed with 15 points while Aspen Jansa poured in 12. For the Bronchos, Ireon Smith finished with 14 points. Shatoya Bryson finished with 9, and Micayla Haynes with 8.
Kirsch, who finished with 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals continues to improve along with the rest of the young team. Kirsch talked about the improvement of the game-high scorer, Brooke Carlson. “Brooke has made some really big plays in some really important games,” said Kirsch. “She continues to improve offensively and defensively and is playing with great confidence.” Carlson continues to do well on the defensive side of the ball, tallying nine rebounds in the victory over the Bronchos. “She provides such a presence down low and forces defenders to respect it,” said Kirsch. “That, in turn, helps us out a lot of the defensive end.”
The Lady Lopers improve to 9-5 overall this season while in the heart of conference play. With big games such as Washburn (10-4, 5-0) and Emporia State (11-4, 2-3) coming up, Kirsch knows how important winning in the MIAA is for the remainder of the season. “Being a part of the MIAA, you know there are a lot of greats teams,” Kirsch said. “These next few weeks are going to be a true test of whether we can dig deep as a team and it will be a true character test.”
Only a Freshman, Kirsch’s early playing time has given her wisdom to know how to handle the pressures of the season. “We need to stay composed and not let teams control the tempo,” Kirsch said. “If we can stay calm and collected, I firmly believe we can make a run at the rest of the season.
