Murray eliminated by Demons

A tough season came to a close for the Murray girls' basketball team Thursday night in Lamoni.

The Mustangs fell in a 12-0 hole in a Class 1A Regional first-round contest and could never recover, falling 57-31 to the host Demons. Murray finished the season with a 6-13 record, while Lamoni advanced at 15-7.

"We held the ball for the first four minutes trying to get Lamoni to come out of their 2-3 zone," Murray Coach Jerry Shields said. "But again like all year, untimely turnovers and we were down 12-0."

The Mustangs committed 26 turnovers in the postseason contest, to just five for the Demons.

Amber Quick poured in 27 points for Lamoni to nearly outscore the Mustangs by herself.

Lamoni led 32-8 at halftime and cruised to the win.

Tessa Otto led Murray with 11 points, four rebounds and five steals. Summer Glasener added six points and grabbed four rebounds, while Caitlyn Weir had five points. Amber Rider added four points and dished out a team-high four assists. Ashley Rider grabbed four rebounds and scored two points.

The Mustangs return everyone next season, with the exception of Amber Rider, who was forced to play point guard for the first time in her career.

"She did a very admirable job and was a very good leader for us this year," Shields said. "We were young this year, but have a lot of work to do before next winter."