Lady Trojans advance to finals
Coach Brad Herlocker talks to his team during a timeout in the Lady Trojans Thursday night victory over Columbus. Girard advanced to the substate championship game that will be played on Saturday at 6pm vs. Frontenac. Players from L to R: Ashley Ray, Olivia Hanson, Sydnee Crain, Jacey Murphy and Calea Augustin. PHOTO BY JOYCE KOVACIC
BY NICK CORN
The 4A Division II Sub-State hosted by Baxter Springs began Thursday night as Girard faced Columbus, an opponent they had seen and defeated twice already this season. The now 19-2 and one-seed Lady Trojans fought off a scrappy Lady Titan team to advance to the sub-state championship game Saturday evening.
The teams began the night with a fairly even first quarter, with Girard leading 12-8 after eight minutes of play. The Lady Trojans stretched their lead to 10 points in the second quarter, but Columbus scored the final eight points of the half and made it a two-point ballgame by halftime.
Calea Augustin sinks a basket over a Lady Titan defender. Augustin led Girard with 9 points, followed by Sydnee Crain with 7 and Lauren Franklin with 6. PHOTO BY JOYCE KOVACIC
Girard extended their advantage to four points after three quarters and outscored the Lady Titans 10-3 in the final stanza to take a 40-29 victory.
The Lady Trojans were led in scoring by Calea Augustin with 9 points and followed by Sydnee Crain with 7, while Lauren Franklin and Olivia Hanson added 6 apiece.
At 6pm on Saturday, Girard will travel to Baxter Springs once more to face the Lady Raiders of Frontenac for a chance to punch their ticket to Emporia for the state tournament. Frontenac reached the sub-state finals by defeating the hosting Lady Lions 73-49.
In the teams’ lone matchup this season, Girard defeated the Lady Raiders 54-44.
BOX SCORE
Lady Trojans 40, Columbus 29
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q FINAL
GHS 12 10 8 10 40
CHS 8 12 6 3 29
Girard: Augustin 9, Crain 7, Franklin 6, Hanson 6, Murphy 5, Ray 5, Cuthbertson 2
3-PT FG: Crain