-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Meah McCaleb of Fort Dodge shoots around Marshalltown on Tuesday

Scott Messerly is rarely at a loss for words after games, but Fort Dodge’s 33-32 setback to Marshalltown on Tuesday had the veteran head coach shaking his head with no explanation in sight.

The Dodger girls couldn’t put the Bobcats away when they had their chances, and the visitors rallied to take their first lead with less than two minutes left in regulation. Messerly’s squad had multiple costly mistakes down the stretch with the outcome hanging in the balance, and a basket by junior guard Kinsley Bowie handed Marshalltown (6-9 overall) its first IAC Northern Division victory in a revenge win over the Dodgers (7-10).

Fort Dodge had easily handled the Bobcats at the Roundhouse right before Christmas, 40-21.

“It’s pretty simple, really: we didn’t execute offensively,” Messerly said. “When you hold an opponent to 33 points, you should be fine. They had a ton of turnovers (35), which again should give us the edge. But we forced a lot of ill-advised shots and made some bad decisions. That stuff can come back to haunt you, and it did for us (last night).”

The Dodgers misfired on 44 of their 55 field goal attempts and all 10 three-point tries. They didn’t fare much better at the free throw line, going 10-for-23.

“We missed point-blank looks. We missed 13 free throws. You can’t win if you don’t put the ball in the hoop,” Messerly said. “We were indecisive and kind of hoping rather than shooting with confidence. It all just added up.

“We have to get better. That’s all there is to it. All of us. It was definitely a frustraing night.”

Junior LJ Maehl had 19 points and 12 rebounds for FDSH. Sophomore Ellie Doster added seven points, and junior Dakota Pommer contributed six.

The Dodgers led by what appeared to be a relatively comfortable eight points late in the first half, and again went up eight at 22-14 on a Doster bucket with 3:27 to go in the third quarter. A Maehl field goal made it 27-22 in favor of Fort Dodge with 4:26 remaining in regulation, but that was the last time the home team converted from the floor.

Meanwhile, Marshalltown — which was sitting at only 19 points through three periods — heated up with a 14-point final frame. The Bobcats were 5-for-8 in the fourth on field goals, with Bowie and freshman Morgan Hilderbrand knocking down huge three-pointers.

Fort Dodge next faces Ames at home on Friday at 6:15 p.m.

MARSHALLTOWN 33, FORT DODGE 32

Marshalltown — Kinsley Bowie 4-10 0-3 9, Frankie Long 4-5 1-2 9, Miller Heitmann 3-7 1-2 8, Jorja Janssen 2-13 0-0 4, Ellie Hughes 0-1 0-0 0, Morgan Hilderbrand 1-4 0-0 3, Niah Lott 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 14-40 2-7 33.

Fort Dodge — LJ Maehl 6-16 7-10 19, Ellie Doster 3-8 1-2 7, Dakota Pommer 2-11 2-5 6, Brooklyn Pommer 0-9 0-2 0, Meah McCaleb 0-5 0-4 0, Bella Lee 0-6 0-0 0, Janelle Derrig 0-0 0-0 0, Grace Nichols 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 11-55 10-23 32.

Quarter scores: Fort Dodge led 9-6, 16-10, 22-19. Three-point goals: Marshalltown 3-14 (Bowie 1-4, Heitmann 1-4, Hilderbrand 1-4, Janssen 0-2); Fort Dodge 0-10 (Doster 0-2, B. Pommer 0-2, McCaleb 0-2, Lee 0-2, Maehl 0-1, D. Pommer 0-1). Turnovers: Fort Dodge 18, Marshalltown 35. Total fouls: Fort Dodge 14, Marshalltown 18. Fouled out: B. Pommer.