Girard girls advance to semifinals
By Eric Wilson
The Girard Lady Trojan basketball team advanced to the semifinals by defeating the Topeka Hayden Wildcats 63-58 Thursday, in the quarterfinals round of the 4A DII State Basketball Tournament in Emporia.
Senior Ashley Ray led Girard in scoring with 19 points in their victory over Topeka Hayden. Girard will face Scott City tonight at 6:30 p.m. PHOTO BY JOYCE KOVACIC
The No. 1-seeded Lady Trojans battled the eight-seeded Wildcats in a heated match between two schools with a history.
Topeka Hayden ended both the volleyball and football teams’ seasons earlier this school year.
Also, the Wildcats ended Girard’s chance at a title run last season, as they defeated them in the semifinals before losing in the state championship to Clay Center.
In the first quarter, the Lady Trojans played with an attitude of revenge, jumping out to an early 16-12 lead.
As the teams headed into the locker room for halftime, Girard held a slim 27-25 advantage.
Calea Augustin fires a shot in Girard’s round 1 state victory. Augustin posted 17 points on the night. PHOTO BY JOYCE KOVACIC
When play resumed in the third, the Lady Trojans started hot, hitting shots and crashing the boards hard to build their lead to 45-39 at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter started just like the third, with Girard jumping out early and seemingly taking control of the game.
With 1:10 remaining, the Lady Trojans held a 61-47 lead and seemed to be coasting to a victory as Hayden was forced to foul.
However, the Wildcats did not go away. As Girard missed free throws, Hayden was able to rack up takeaways and knock down shots to bring themselves back into the game within the final minute.
After what seemed like forever to spectators, the Wildcats had completed an 11-0 run, cutting the score to 61-58 with only four seconds remaining. Girard needed to inbound the ball in the backcourt, and coach Brad Herlocker called a timeout to talk it over with his team.
On the inbounds, Kelli Cuthbertson found Sydnee Crain and delivered a pass to her before she was fouled with two seconds remaining.
As Crain has done numerous times in her career, the junior drilled both free throws, effectively ending the game and sealing a Lady Trojan victory.
A late fullcourt shot failed to find the bottom of the net, the buzzer sounded and Girard had clinched a 63-58 victory.
Hayden’s Preston Reid led all scorers with 33 points on the night, knocking down 11 of 12 free throws as well.
A trio of experienced seniors led Girard in scoring, with Ashley Ray leading the team with 19 points on the night. Calea Augustin added 17, while Olivia Hanson pitched in 15 of her own.
Overall teamwork and the ability to share the ball well allowed the Lady Trojans to find a victory, and some revenge, over a talented Hayden team.
The Lady Trojans will now face the Scott City Beavers in the semifinals Friday, March 10, at 6:30 p.m.