WAUKEE — Waukee did the deed quickly Friday night, putting the Marshalltown girls’ basketball team in a 30-point hole after one quarter and not letting up the rest of the game in an 87-28 win.

Marshalltown (3-19) had just seven points in the first half and weren’t able to put up much of an offensive fight against the fourth-ranked Class 5A team in the state. The defensive press from the Warriors caused the Bobcats as many problems, if not more, than in the first matchup between the two teams. Waukee had consistent scoring from all of its starters and most of its bench players, and overwhelmed the Bobcats’ defense.

Coach Brian Murphy said the team showed good fight.

“We actually got two solid layups out of our press break in the first quarter and stayed fairly composed,” Murphy said. “Ultimately, their transition offense proved almost impossible to stop. Every missed shot or turnover almost immediately turned into a 3-2 with shooters in the corners. They shot 9-11 from 3 in the first half, and were able to convert on almost every possession.”

The 65-7 deficit was huge, but in the second half things began to improve for the Bobcats. As Waukee took out its starters and main substitutes to get rest ahead of the playoff season, the Warriors put in second-and-third-string players, opening up an opportunity for Marshalltown to get some points and build confidence.

No Bobcat reached double figures, but Erica Johnson and Lily Roberts scored six points each and eight different Marshalltown players scored.

For Waukee, six players reached double figures. The leading scorer was Katie Dinnebier with 14 points. Waukee (18-2) had a chance to score 100 points after getting to 81 after the third quarter, but a poor fourth with the backups in stopped them at 87.

Murphy said it was an encouraging second half.

“We were able to tighten up defensively a bit on the second half, and did a much better job of contesting shots,” Murphy said. “Our offense started to look much more aggressive once we stopped having to chase them down the floor on every possession. I believe this is one of the highest point totals against Waukee for girls in at least 5-6 years. We didn’t back down physically and kept battling on both ends. Not the result we wanted, but certainly an effort to be proud of.”

Waukee 87, Marshalltown 28

At Waukee

MARSHALLTOWN (3-19, 0-10) — Erica Johnson 2 2-3 6, Lily Roberts 2 1-2 6, Madi Finch 0 2-2 2, Gabby Himes 2 1-2 5, Olivia Brintnall 1 0-2 2, Rachel Smith 0 0-0 0, Aida Almanza 1 0-0 2, Emma Younkin 2 0-0 4, Priscila Vergara 0 0-0 0, Sophie Younkin 0 0-0 0, Avygail Smith 0 0-0 0, Paige Wertzberger 0 1-2 1. TOTALS 10 7-13 28.

WAUKEE (18-2, 10-0) — Lindsey Kelderman 4 1-2 9, Katie Dinnebier 6 0-0 14, Peyton Kelderman 3 1-2 10, Megan Earney 4 2-2 12, Taryn Reitsma 2 3-4 7, Lily Lampe 0 0-0 0, Megan Lanz 0 1-2 1, Addison Steffy 0 0-0 0, Abigail Jones 4 0-0 10, Reagan Bartholomew 4 2-2 11, Camryn Weers 4 2-3 10, Ashley Smith 0 0-0 0, Natalie Gallagher 0 0-0 0, Nire Barnes 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 32 12-17 87.

MHS 5 2 8 13 — 28

WAUKEE 36 29 16 6 — 87

3-Point Goals–MHS 1 (Roberts), Waukee 11 (P. Kelderman 3, Dinnebier 2, Jones 2, Earney 2, Bartholomew, Barnes). Total Fouls–MHS 15, Waukee 14. Fouled Out–none.