Scott Messerly understands that his Fort Dodge girls will need to play better in upcoming games to give themselves a chance to win.

But Messerly isn’t going to let a victory go unappreciated either.

LJ Maehl scored a career-high 35 points as the Dodgers trounced Des Moines Lincoln here Tuesday night, 62-28.

Maehl was 13 of 16 from the field, made one 3-pointer and sank all eight of her free throws to lead Fort Dodge (2-2 overall). The junior adding four steals and four rebounds.

Junior Dakota Pommer had 10 points, five steals and two rebounds, while senior Meah McCaleb added nine points, six rebounds and four steals.

“I thought we had some really good stretches on the court of sound basketball,” Messerly said. “We moved the ball and got back on defense early in the first and again in the fourth. Between that, though, we just didn’t look smooth out there.

“When we had some opportunities we took advantage of them, but we have quite a few things we need to improve on.”

The Dodgers raced out to an 18-4 lead in the first as Maehl scored 11 while Maddisen Hoshaw added four. Fort Dodge forced 13 turnovers by Des Moines Lincoln (0-4), who fell behind by as many as 28 in the opening half.

Maehl’s hot start carried over to the second quarter when she dropped 10 more points, helping Fort Dodge build a commanding 33-12 lead.

“LJ really did a great job of taking the ball to the basket,” Messerly said. “She is very strong around the rim and showed that. It was also great to see her go 8-for-8 at the line.”

Pommer knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the third just as the Rails started to put a mini-rally together. Lincoln cut the deficit down to 17 as Leiah Ochoa and Cassidy Dickey both sank triples.

Fort Dodge went back to Maehl to silence the run, as she tallied six in the third and eight more in the fourth.

“We’ll keep working to get better each day,” Messerly said. “I know these girls want to improve.”

The Dodgers return to the floor on Thursday when they travel to Des Moines to face Waterloo East inside Wells Fargo Arena as part of the Iowa Wolves High School Series. Tip is set for 6 p.m.

FORT DODGE 62, DES MOINES LINCOLN 28

Fort Dodge — Meah McCaleb 4 0-0 9, Dakota Pommer 3 1-2 10, Brooklyn Pommer 0 1-2 1, Maddisen Hoshaw 2 1-2 5, LJ Maehl 13 8-8 35, Ellie Doster 0 0-2 0, Janelle Derrig 0 0-0 0, Emma Lloyd 0 0-0 0, Malay Hollins 0 0-0 0, Bella Lee 0 0-2 0, Addison Lentsch 1 0-0 2, Linnie Pratt 0 0-0 0, Grace Nichols 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 11-20 62.

Des Moines Lincoln — Monique Stonehocker 0 0-0 0, Jaida Wood 1 0-0 2, Ella Foust 0 0-0 0, Leiah Ochoa 4 0-2 11, Cassidy Dickey 1 0-0 3, Lierra Martinez 1 2-4 4, Ava Signs 2 0-0 4, Jumi Kayode 1 0-2 2, Koreylyn Brown 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 2-7 28.

Quarter scores: Fort Dodge led 18-4, 33-12, 47-22. Three-point goals: Fort Dodge 5 (D. Pommer 3, McCaleb 1, Maehl 1), DM Lincoln 4 (Ochoa 3, Dickey 1). Total rebounds: Fort Dodge 32, DM Lincoln 26. Steals: Fort Dodge 21, DM Lincoln 11. Blocked shots: Fort Dodge 1, DM Lincoln 1. Turnovers: Fort Dodge 24, DM Lincoln 37. Team fouls: Fort Dodge 10, DM Lincoln 19. Technical fouls: Fort Dodge 1, DM Lincoln 1.