The Glasgow girls picked up their third straight win on an outstanding performance of sophomore Halle Fuemmeler Thursday at New Franklin, 56-42.

The Lady Yellowjackets notched a robust first half to lead by double digits and cruise to the win.

For Glasgow, the win was the third straight and the fifth over the last six games. The Lady Jackets are now 7-6 on the season.

For New Franklin, the loss is their second straight and comes on the heels of a challenging 2-1 performance at its own tournament the week prior. The Lady Bulldogs are now 7-7 overall and face a demanding schedule this week.

In Thursday’s game, both teams took the first two minutes to get a feel for their opponents. After staying even with two baskets each, Glasgow sophomore Brooklynn Morris sank a 3-pointer to go up 7-4. But New Franklin sophomore Lily Chitwood answered with a triple on the other end to even the score once again.

That is the last time the score would be close. The Lady Jackets found their rhythm with a 9-0 run that put them in front 18-9 with 31 seconds left in the first quarter. Fuemmeler scored eight of those points on back-to-back dribble-drive layups and two post buckets.

“We ran a little box-and-one. We did a good job moving the ball as well and got out and ran in transition,” said Glasgow coach Molly Monnig.

After eight minutes, Glasgow held an 18-11 advantage that it would stretch to a 12-point halftime lead, 34-22.

New Franklin coach Parker Gross said his team dug itself into a hole early. “Too many turnovers and missed chances hurt us as we were trying to cut into the lead,” he said. “I thought Fuemmeler had a good first half for them and fueled their offense with her aggressive play. When we doubled her, she found teammates in open spots, and they knocked down several outside shots as well that extended their lead early in the game.”

Glasgow won every quarter on Thursday. While the Lady Jackets advanced their lead by just two points over the third and fourth quarters, the damage was done by halftime.

Fuemmeler led all scorers with 23 points, 18 of which came in the first two quarters. In fact, she scored more than the rest of her team combined in the first half.

“She did a really good job tonight getting some easier buckets, getting out in transition where she didn’t have two or three girls in front of her,” said Monnig. “She’s really good off that pull-up, and she’s playing really well for us.”

Fuemmeler’s production slowed slightly in the second half after she picked up her fourth foul, which Monnig attributes to her aggressiveness.

“She’ll go after it. The fourth foul was on an offensive board. We want her to find that fine line, but her aggressiveness is a lot. She turns a lot of that into offense for us.”

Two other players finished in double figures for the Lady Jackets. Sophomore Karsyn Massie picked up 12 points, half of which came on solid 6-for-8 shooting from the foul line. Sophomore Brooklynn Morris posted 11 points, with 3-point buckets in each of the first three quarters.

For New Franklin, Lily Chitwood once again led the scoring. The sophomore scored 20 points, with three rebounds, three steals, and three assists.

Sophomores Skylar Shaw and CannaRassa Jennings added six points each. Shaw led the team on the glass with six rebounds. Junior Brynn Belstle scored four points and made three steals in her first game back.

“Lily scored what felt like a quiet 20 points tonight and did a good job handling the basketball in a physical matchup,” Gross said. “I think our young group is close to getting some things figured out that we’ve been working on and hope to see that continue through the second half of our schedule.”

New Franklin leaves home for a three-game road trip this week. Two of those opponents boast above .500 records. On Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs were set to face Pilot Grove (5-7) after the Advertiser went to press. On Thursday, they travel to Community (8-5) before finishing the week on Friday at Jamestown (10-3). 

Next week, New Franklin, seeded fourth, will face the fifth-seeded home team in the Sturgeon Tournament on Monday. 

Glasgow has a somewhat easier route with two Central Activities Conference contests culminating with a big day on Friday. The Lady Jackets traveled to Slater (4-10) on Tuesday after the Advertiser went to press. Friday is Homecoming. Glasgow hosts Sturgeon (7-7) for a 6 p.m. tipoff.

Next week, Glasgow will compete in the 43rd Annual Wildcat Classic in Slater.