The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Kach Alexander leads Game Time team to regular-season title

The North Liberty Community Center hosted a showdown between two undefeated Game Time League teams in the regular-season finale on Wednesday.

By the final buzzer, it was clear which team was superior.

Hawkeye grad Kachine Alexander had a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead Monica’s/Bob’s Your Uncle to a 103-73 blowout win.

Cullen/Falbo (3-1), led by Kelly Krei, was outplayed all game by Alexander’s squad and was in a deep hole midway through the first half.

After a first half time-out, Monica’s (4-0) went on a 9-0 run to take a 36-20 lead. The game was never in question after that.

“Tonight, we just got going right away,” Northern Iowa guard Jacqui Kalin said. “We’re deep. No matter what group of five we have in, everybody handles the ball, everybody shoots, and everybody rebounds.”

Kalin did all those things well on Wednesday, and she finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. The leadership of Alexander and Kalin is a big reason the team finished the regular season with a perfect record and demolished its opponents by an average of 28 points.

“[Kalin and I] are leaders of our teams in college, and I think we kind of play similar,” Alexander said. “This is serious — it’s not just summer ball. You can’t get better without playing the way you would play normally.”

Monica’s size, speed, and athleticism stuck out all game long. The team grabbed nearly every rebound and turned them into fast-break scores. The team also played great defense by not allowing Cullen into the lane and forcing tough shots.

That stout defense held Krei to 8 points on 3-for-10 shooting. The team as a whole shot just 26-for-68 from the floor — 38 percent — including 6-for-28 on 3-point shots.

“It just wasn’t our night, and they played great,” Krei said. “We did well up until today, [and] hopefully, we can go back to the way we were playing before.”

One of the challenges that faced Krei’s team on Wednesday was the absence of coach JoAnn Hamlin, who was working at the time of the game.

Monica’s looked like a team that had played together for years instead of just four weeks.

“I think every kid on our team knows exactly what she’s supposed to do [and] when she’s supposed to do it,” Kalin said. “That definitely brings our team together.”

Former Iowa Wesleyan guard Melanie McCreight and Bradley forward MacKenzie Westcott also turned in solid performances in the win, with 18 and 16 points, respectively.

The duo was deadly from downtown, shooting a combined 66.6 percent from 3-point range.

The win for Monica’s makes the team the No. 1 seed in the Game Time playoffs, which will start July 20. Cullen will be the No. 2 seed. Both teams will have a first-round bye but will face off in a non-elimination rematch that is only supposed to be for fun.

“Better defense is really what we need,” Krei said. “We have to get down on their shooters and make sure we get back on fast breaks.”

Alexander said her team wasn’t going to treat next week’s game as a bye. She said she plans making a statement and going undefeated on the way to a league championship.

“From our first game, [a championship] was our goal,” she said. “We’re playing really well right now, and I think every team kind of knows [that] we’re the team to beat.”

More to Discover