Girls face tough competition in tournaments
Staff writers
Girls basketball was tested this week, as county teams battled in a variety of tournaments Thursday through Saturday.
Hillsboro
The Lady Trojans left Moundridge with a 2-2 season record after losing 53-51 to Inman on Thursday and 31-28 to Moundridge on Friday.
“I thought we did some really good things on both ends of the court, but we came up short in the end,” coach Micah Ratzlaff said.
Amyah Werth shot 6 of 19 from the field and 4 of 10 from beyond the arc.
“The girls played hard, but turnovers really hurt us down the stretch,” Ratzlaff said.
Friday’s loss ended in similar fashion against the tournament hosts. A low-scoring game ended within a basket’s reach.
“I was proud of the girls’ effort,” Razlaff said.
Hillsboro, looking to stage a dramatic comeback, outscored Moundridge 15 -3 in the fourth quarter, but the Trojans weren’t able to tie it in the end.
“We struggled out of the gate and found ourselves down double digits at halftime,” Ratzlaff said. “The second half, we continued to defend and worked our way back into the game.”
The Trojans will be at home Thursday against Southeast of Saline (2-1).
Marion
The Warriors took fourth place in the 17th annual Marion Classic, which concluded Saturday.
Marion lost to Berean Academy 58-34 Friday night then fell Saturday 58-54 to Wichita Home School.
“I thought we came out and played a great first quarter,” coach Jason Hett said of the Wichita game. “Our intensity and effort was there, and we had great movement.
“The second quarter was where we lost this game. We stopped attacking them and had too many turnovers, which led to easy baskets for them.”
Kenna Wesner led the team with 16 points. She also racked up seven rebounds and three steals. Erin Regnier finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and four steals.
“This group showed some grit and adjusted well in the second half, and we started to cut into their lead with stops and scored,” Hett said. “I was proud of how this group battled back to give us a chance in the end. We just cannot have those quarters where we don’t score.”
The Warriors (2-2) will play their last game before winter break Thursday at home against Sterling (0-4).
Centre
The Cougars dropped two weekend games during the Herington tournament.
On Friday, Centre lost against Rural Vista, 42-40. On Saturday, Centre lost 40-25 against host Herington.
“While both teams played hard, as it is a rivalry game, neither looked sharp, especially in the first half,” coach Alan Stahlecker said. “We struggled to score anything, and they did not make a shot from inside the arc in the first half.”
Olivia Carlson led Centre in scoring on Saturday with 11 points and went 3 of 4 from the free throw line. Hailey Barton and Kelbie Kidd each scored four points. They were Kidd’s first points of her high school career.
“She’s a solid shooter who will improve her scoring with more games,” Stahlecker said. “The team is continuing to improve in their skills and in meshing together.”
Centre (0-4) will play Friday at home against Canton-Galva (0-3) before being dismissed for winter break.
Goessel
The Bluebirds took a 13-point lead in the third quarter and hung on to win 37-31 in their game Friday against Canton-Galva.
Goessel led 8-7 at the end of the first quarter and 18-11 at halftime.
Abbigail Funk dropped in 7 points in the third quarter, and Goessel led 27-19 at the end of the period.
The Eagles cut the gap to five points in the final period, but the Bluebirds prevailed 37-31, sending them to a third-place contest Saturday.
Brooklyn Wuest led the scoring Friday with 12 points, followed by Abbigail Funk with 10 and Aimee Funk with 9.
Sage Toews of Canton-Galva fell and hit her head during the game Friday night and was taken to NMC Health, formerly Newton Medical Center, by Hillsboro ambulance.
Goessel got off to a slow start Saturday against Central Christian.
Four points from Delaney Duerksen sparked a rally to cut the Cougar lead to 16-14, but Goessel soon went cold.
Central Christian won the game 53-29 to take third place.
Delaney Duerksen led the Bluebirds with 10 points followed by Logan Bryant’s 6.
The Bluebirds are 1-3 and will play Douglass at home Friday.
Peabody-Burns
The Warriors (0-1) will end the calendar year on the road Friday at Herington (2-2) before students are dismissed for winter break.