Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: The Fort Dodge girls basketball team shares a pregame moment together in honor of Aaron Miller on Thursday evening in the Dodger gym. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

The Fort Dodge girls picked up their second straight victory on Thursday night, but head coach Scott Messerly is still looking for a lot more from his squad.

The Dodgers (6-7 overall) knocked off Des Moines Hoover by a final of 49-24, holding their second straight opponent under 25 points.

There was a moment of silence for Aaron Miller before the opening tip. The long-time Fort Dodge teacher and coach passed away last weekend from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

Miller, a Fort Dodge Middle School assistant principal, was 35 years old. This was the first home night of activities for the Dodgers since the accident. The Dodgers also wore black warm-up shirts with Miller’s name on the back.

“We are still not playing consistent enough,” Messerly said. “We have to be able to play more of an entire game and do it in consecutive contests, no matter who the opponent is.”

The Dodgers were able to keep the Huskies at bay in the first half with their full-court press, allowing only six points and two made field goals in the opening 16 minutes as they built a 21-6 advantage.

“It’s nice to get a win, but there are a lot of things we need to do better,” Messerly said. “We have to be better on free throws (4-for-15 on Thursday), limit unforced turnovers, and get our hands more consistently on loose balls.

“We played hard, but we have to erase the little mistakes that will cost us against better opponents.”

Fort Dodge made eight field goals in the first half, but heated up a little more in the final 16 minutes for 12 baskets. Junior LJ Maehl had a big effort for the second straight game, recording a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Maehl passed the 800-point career mark and now sits seventh on Fort Dodge’s all-time scoring list. She is seven points behind Baileigh O’Brien (811) for sixth.

Fort Dodge turned on the pressure coming out of the locker room, out-scoring the Huskies 17-8 in the third period on 7-for-13 shooting. Maehl was a perfect 5 of 5 from the floor for a 12-point frame.

On Tuesday, Maehl had 30 points and 21 boards at Des Moines East.

Bella Lee came off the bench for five points, while Dakota Pommer and Malay Hollins added four each. Meah McCaleb and Brooklyn Pommer had three points a piece.

The Dodgers were strong on the boards, out rebounding the Huskies 35-18. McCaleb, Pommer and Hollins had six rebounds each. McCaleb had six steals and six assists as well.

“LJ and Meah are the ones that calm us down and are able to control the tempo for us,” Messerly said. “As a team we need to share the ball better, meaning we can’t take shots with two or three girls in our face. We have to make the extra pass to get the better look.”

Freshman Chere Ambers, who was averaging over 20 points per game, led the Huskies with 12 points.

The Dodgers are back in action on Monday when they travel to Humboldt for a 6:30 p.m. tip.

FORT DODGE 49, DES MOINES HOOVER 24

Fort Dodge — Meah McCaleb 1-4 0-2 3, Dakota Pommer 2-7 0-0 4, Brooklyn Pommer 1-2 1-3 3, LJ Maehl 11-19 3-6 27, Ellie Doster 0-5 0-2 0, Bella Lee 2-2 0-0 5, Janelle Derrig 0-3 1-2 1, Malay Hollins 2-5 0-0 4, Grace Nichols 0-1 0-0 0, Emma Lloyd 1-1 0-0 2, Linnie Pratt 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 20-50 4-15 49.

Des Moines Hoover — Damaris Norwood 1-4 2-2 4, Malak Nubie 0-2 0-0 0, Chere Ambers 4-19 2-2 12, Meleah Davis 1-6 0-0 2, Eleanor Ekwall 1-3 0-1 2, Ernestine Kennedy 2-6 0-0 4, Cora Johnson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 8-41 4-5 24.

Quarter scores: Fort Dodge led 9-2, 21-6, 38-14. Three-point goals: Fort Dodge 4-15 (Maehl 2-7, McCaleb 1-1, Lee 1-1, D. Pommer 0-4, Doster 0-3, Derrig 0-1); Hoover 2-15 (Ambers 2-8, Nubie 0-2, Ekwall 0-1, Davis 0-4); Turnovers: Fort Dodge 27, Hoover 32; Total fouls: Fort Dodge 9, Hoover 11; Total rebounds: Fort Dodge 35, Hoover 18.