JEFF B | Iowa Prep Illustrated / Iowa Grandstand Sports

LeMARS — As a fan if you came to watch a well rounded shooting performance you left disappointed. It was a below-par performance by both teams. Gehlen shot 19.4 percent (13-of-67) from the floor overall, and MMCRU was 20-of-63 (31.7%) overall. The two teams combined to shoot 21 percent on 3-point tries.

It was a back-and forth matchup with MMCRU eventually breaking out offensively in the fourth quarter scoring 23 of their 56 points in the 56-40 War Eagle Conference tilt.

A 15-0 run by MMCRU over four minutes broke a 33-33 tie early in the fourth period. There were plenty of second and even third attempts to score as a combined 93 rebounds (43 Gehlen | 50 MMCRU) recorded.

“I really feel that those girls we put in at the fourth quarter there really pushed to the end. Fighting hard, being strong, going to the ball, all those little things that help win a game. We really did well on the boards. I feel like we rebounded really, really well. And it wasn’t just Chloe (Alesch), it was all around. That’s always a good thing. That really helps us out. Second-chance shots is huge. Then, actually being able to finish through contact and through the hands everywhere. Then of course, having three girls in double digit scoring is always a bonus.”

— Gillian Letsche, MMCRU head girls basketball coach

Tia Tentinger and Alesch each finished with 16 points, and Lana Florine wound up with 12 for the Royals. Seven Royals scored overall. It was Tentinger and Gracie Schroeder who took control of the glass. Schroeder came up with a game and career-high 14 rebounds. Tentinger completed her double-double in the game pulling down 10 rebounds.

Gehlen is young — no seniors and only two juniors. Sophomore Ella Ruhland led the Jays in scoring with nine. Freshman Emmin Castle added eight, and sophomore Delanie Budden finished with seven points. Gehlen played 11 girls in the game with eight scoring.

Up Next

MMCRU (3-5) comes back following the holdiay break (15 day layoff) hosting Trinity Christian in Marcus onTuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.

Teams	1	2	3	4	Final
MMCRU	9	19 (28)	5 (33)	23	56
LeMars Gehlen	11	13 (24)	6 (30)	10	40

MMCRU Record: 3-5 | LeMars Gehlen Record: 3-7

LeMars Gehlen Leading Scorer (s):   Ella Ruhland 9, Emmi Castle 8, Delanie Budden 7.

LeMars Gehlen Leading Rebounder (s): Castle 5, Payton Kerns 5.

Largest Lead: MMCRU 56-40 final
Rebound Margin: MMCRU +7 (50-43)

MMCRU Scoring:  Gracie Schroeder 2, Tia Tentinger 16, Chloe ALesch 16, Lana Florine 12, Sadie Youde 1, Hailey Staab 0, Riley Groves 6, Ella Draper 0, Kaleigha Dreckman 3, Tori Treinen 0, Aleah Lux 0.

MMCRU Statistics
Field Goals Overall: 20-63 (31.7)
3-Pt. Field Goals: 4-26 (15.4)
Free Throws: 12-17 (70.6)
Assists (12): Schroeder 4, Groves 3, Dreckman 2, Alesch 1, Florine 1, Draper 1.
Steals (11): Alesch 3, Youde 3, Tentinger 2, Florine 2, Schroeder 1.
Rebounds (50): Schroeder 14, Tentinger 10, Alesch 8, Youde 6, Florine 5, Groves 4, Staab 2, A. Lux 1.
Blocked Shots (2): Florine 2.

Even though they weren’t at their best offensively for four quarters, Iowa Prep Illustrated / Iowa Grandstand Sports second-ranked (Class 1A) MMCRU stays unbeaten with a 54-45 War Eagle Conference road win at LeMars Gehlen. The win pushes the Royals record to an unblemished 7-0 on the season.

The Royals have won four of the last five meetings against LeMars Gehlen.

Just as the MMCRU girls did in the opening game of the evening on Monday it was one productive quarter that became the difference. The first eight minutes of the game, MMCRU raced out to a convincing 24-5 lead. However, MMCRU struggled over the final three quarters outscored bu LeMars Gehlen 40-30.

“Our press wore them down early. Our length up front, we do a nice job of trapping with hands up without fouling. Our guys in the back side do a great job of coming up to steal those passes when they’ve got some shorter guards who are trying to pass around those traps. The 24-5 first quarter was a huge start for us in an opponent’s gym.”

— Cam Kuchel, MMCRU head boys basketball coach

Five different players got their names in the scorers book for putting points on the board in the opening quarter. Despite the quick start by the Royals there was still disappointment as they scored a season-low point total for a game. The previous low total of 67 points came at George-Little Rock on Dec. 16.

MMCRU finished 21-of-49 shooting (42.9%) from the floor, including four three-point baskets. One area the Royals need to improve upon is its foul shooting as they were just 8-of-18 (44.4%) against Gehlen.

What I really liked in the second half was the ball control we played with. We took a couple early shots, we called a timeout and we fixed that. Our point guard ran a few more sets. We got some shots later in the clock and we knocked down some big ones when it mattered. We overcame a poor shooting half there, but we closed it out at the end, which I’m proud of.”

Cam Kuchel, MMCRU head boys basketball coach

Gehlen did MMCRU a favor as they were unable to make a 3-point shot on the night. The Jays finished 0-of-12 behind the 3-point arch. The Jays also turned the ball over 19 times. What helped Gehlen was they outrebounded MMCRU 36-to-23, and connected on 11-of-13 free throws.

Mason Small and Noilan teel led Gehlen with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Carson Arens pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds for the Jays, now 6-4 on the season.

MMCRU finished with three players scoring in double figures. Kam Bork scored 10 of his game-high 17 points in the opening quarter of play. Bork also finished with five assists, seven steals, four rebounds and a blocked shot. Michael Schmillen ha1d 14 points and Wyatt Alesch 10.

Up Next

MMCRU returns following the holiday break hosts Trinity Christian (5-3) in War Eagle Conference play in Marcus.

Teams	1	2	3	4	Final
MMCRU	24	7 (31)	13 (44)	10	54
LeMars Gehlen	5	15 (20)	13 (33)	12	45

MMCRU Record: 7-0 | LeMars Gehlen Record: 6-4

LeMars Gehlen Leading Scorer (s):   Mason Small 15, Nolan Teel 11.

LeMars Gehlen Leading Rebounder (s): Carson Arens 12.

Largest Lead: MMCRU +19 (24-5) first quarter
Rebound Margin: MMCRU -13 (36-23)

MMCRU Scoring:  Kam Bork 17, Michael Schmillen 14, Josh Peterson 5, Wyatt ALesch 10, Eli Schlenger 5, Max Schnepf 3, Brandon Dreckman 0, Eli Harpenau 0.

MMCRU Statistics
Field Goals Overall: 21-49 (42.9)
3-Pt. Field Goals: 4-15 (26.7)
Free Throws: 8-18 (44.4)
Assists (17): Bork 7, M. Schmillen 5, Alesch 3, Harpenau 1, Schlenger 1.
Rebounds (23): Schlenger 6, Bork 4, Schmillen 3, Alesch 3, Schnepf 3, Harpenau 2, Peterson 2.
Blocked Shots (1): Bork 1.