Big third quarter helps Spartan girls put away Audubon

 ELK HORN (Jan. 12) -- The third quarter hasn’t always been kind to the Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton girls basketball team this season, but you wouldn’t have known it on Saturday afternoon.
 Already leading 37-24 at halftime, the Spartans jumped all over Audubon with a 13-2 run out of the break, hit five 3-pointers in the period and finished off the Wheelers 73-47 for their sixth win in a row.
 Exira-EHK (11-4 overall) knocked down 12 treys in the contest, including four each by freshman Mollie Rasmussen and junior Jacey Anthofer, who scored 12 points each. All of Anthofer’s points came in the second half. Sophomore Tatum Grubbs led the way with 23 points, hitting one three but doing most of her scoring on aggressive drives to the basket and free throws.
 The Spartans built a 21-9 lead after one quarter and increased the margin to 17 in the second before settling for a 13-point halftime edge. They removed all doubt in the third, outscoring the Wheelers 21-6 prior to a pair of treys by Audubon’s Gracye Albertsen.
 “That third quarter had kind of been our Achilles’ heel before the [Christmas] break, and so far - knock on wood - that’s been our strength coming out,” said E-EHK coach Tom Petersen. “Hopefully we can continue to improve. I was pretty proud of the girls today. It’s been a long week for them, a long last couple of weeks. (Five) games in (nine) days, that’s hard on kids, but they found a way to get it done.”
 Freshman Macy Emgarten hit a pair of treys and scored nine of her 11 points in the first half for Exira-EHK. Leslie Caniglia scored six points and Kamryn Waymire added four.
 Audubon (5-9) was led by 17 points from freshman Aleah Hermensen and 11 by junior Leah Subbert.