Polk County cranked up the defensive pressure Tuesday and used that aggressiveness to fuel a 59-15 win over Cherryville in a nonconference girls basketball clash at Polk.

The Wolverines (2-2) nearly broke the 60-point mark for the first time since February 2016 and likely would have, were it not for a running clock that began late in the third period.

Fueling that offensive explosion was a defense that consistently forced turnovers, leading to fast-break baskets on the offensive end. Mariah Overholt scored a team-high 19 points, many of those in transition, and had four steals.

“We played great defense and we ran the court well,” said Polk County head coach Brandy Alm. “We did a lot of little things well. I loved what we did with our high-low, we were patient offensively and we played together.

“It was definitely a fun game tonight.”

Cherryville dropped to 1-3 with the loss.

Polk County raced to a 17-2 lead to open the game and continued to build upon that margin throughout. Overholt hit a pair of 3-pointers and Sara Muse had a three and a layup as the Wolverines grew the advantage to 34-9 at the half.

Marissa Twitty had 10 points, with Muse scoring nine and Kristen Hall finishing with six points, seven rebounds and five assists. Tori Thompson had five points, with Rachael Davis and Olivia Overholt each scoring four and Jen Guerrero scoring two.

The Wolverines returned to action on Wednesday, traveling to Highland Tech.

– Submitted by PolkSports.com