By Denise Tucker/For OzarksSportsZone.com
No. 1 Wheatland 65, No. 4 Lakeland 27
The Wheatland Lady Mules did not look like the same team on Thursday night that struggled to get past the Lakeland Lady Vikings in overtime back on Jan. 3.
The top-seeded Lady Mules ran off 17 unanswered points to close out the first quarter on their way to a 65-27 win in the semifinals of the Class 1 District 7 tournament.
“This was probably the best we’ve played for the full game,” Wheatland coach Jeremiah Bryan said. “We’ve had signs this year… we played Leeton earlier this year and they were ranked third in the state. We were up 30 in the second quarter against them, playing good defense, running the floor. And, in the second half, we came out kind of flat and they came back a little bit.
“This game, we got a big lead against a pretty good team. They took us to overtime last time. We shot really poorly; they shot well. They had the momentum the whole game. This game, we got a big lead quick, and we kept the tempo up.”
And, it happened early and often.
With the game tied at 3 in the early going, Grace Fatino scored on a putback, and it was off to the races for the Lady Mules, who improved to 23-2 overall.
Freshman Aleah Asare scored six straight points off offensive rebounds to spark the run.
“Asare was a difference-maker,” Bryan said. “She’s a freshman, and she’s played timid all year, and she’s finally starting to play like she can. She was getting offensive rebounds over a 6-foot girl, and she’s 5-5.
“We worked on blocking out hard because they’re tall. That’s what beats us – second-chance points – and they only had maybe two or three baskets that they got off an offensive rebound.”
The Lady Mules, ranked No. 2 in Class 1 and No. 10 in the Ozarks Sports Zone Power Rankings, were eager to get the bad taste of not only the close game to Lakeland out of their mouth, but also a 61-55 loss to Hermitage on Feb. 17.
“We had a bad loss last Friday against Hermitage,” Bryan said. “Hermitage is a good team. It was a big night, a big crowd. It was senior night, and there were some emotions. We shot 28 percent; they shot 47 percent.
“We had a target on our back. So, after that loss, it really hurt them; it hurt me. They came out tonight and showed me something. That was the best overall that we’ve played, passing the ball, running the floor, sharing the ball. Everybody scored.”
And, that was just too much for Lakeland (15-11) to overcome.
“They played really well tonight and we didn’t come out ready to play in the first quarter,” Lakeland coach Justen Cooper said. “That (17-0 run) really set the tone. You can’t get behind them. They’re too good offensively to fall behind.”
The Lady Mules had three players in double figures, led by Madi Sutt’s 21 points. Fatino added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Asare chipped in with 15 points and nine boards.
“I was really impressed with our performance,” Bryan said.
And, his team is ready for the rubber match against Hermitage in the championship game on Saturday night.
“I think if we play like we did and control what we can control, we should be all right, but we can’t overlook (Hermitage),” Bryan said. “We just have to show up and control what we can, and hope for the best.”
NO. 1 WHEATLAND 65, No. 4 LAKELAND 27
Class 1 District 7 semifinal
LAKELAND – 6-3-14-4—27
WHEATLAND – 22-13-16-14—65
LAKELAND (15-11) – Annie Swaters 14, Lindsey Haines 5, Lana Fellhoelter 2, Chyann Maples 2, Courtny Walters 2, Maddie Towne 1, Tracy Munsterman 1.
WHEATLAND (23-2) – Madi Sutt 21, Grace Fatino 19, Aleah Asare 15, Ashley Horton 9, McKinsey Bryan 1.
Up next: (Championship) No. 1 Wheatland vs. No. 2 Hermitage, 5 p.m. Saturday
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No. 2 Hermitage 55, No. 3 Macks Creek 46
Hermitage High School coach Shane Salmon knew the rubber match against Macks Creek was going to be a battle.
And, it certainly wasn’t pretty in the early going, but his Lady Hornets used a 12-0 run to close out their 55-46 victory over the Lady Pirates on Thursday night to advance to Saturday night’s Class 1 District 7 championship game against Wheatland.
“It was pretty tough, but we knew it was going to be close,” Salmon said. “We played them twice earlier and both games were close. The first game, we kind of did what we did tonight and pulled away late. The second game was a two-point game the whole way.”
And, Thursday night’s game was tight throughout – in more ways than one. Hermitage seemed to have trouble capitalizing on open shots under the basket, and that kept the game close.
“We have a freshman and some younger players, and we have a senior who I think was a little nervous, that this could be her last game,” Salmon said. “They were a little tight, maybe. But, we settled down and I think we did OK.”
Up 36-35 heading into the fourth quarter, Salmon encouraged his team to “keep playing; keep playing!”
And, keep playing they did.
The Lady Hornets, who improved to 21-6, closed out the last 3:30 with a 12-0 run, sparked by baskets from Makayla Hostettler and Sheridan Corum. In addition, Hermitage was able to keep Macks Creek from getting much going on offense.
“We kind of panicked, offensively,” Macks Creek coach Craig Parrack said. “We weren’t patient enough. We didn’t quite get the quality of shots that we would like to.
“It happens sometimes when you’re trying to win so hard, and we’re trying to do it all at once. And, that happens sometimes. We weren’t able to relax and work to get good shots and then it got away from us.”
Hermitage switched up its defense and hit the boards to hold off the Lady Pirates.
“We went to the 2-3 zone, and then we really got out and guarded their shooters and we rebounded,” Salmon said. “We rebounded much better there in the last three minutes, and we just took our time on offense; took care of the ball.”
Corum led the Lady Hornets with 19 points, while Makayla Hostettler added 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Hermitage faces another rubber match – this time, against Wheatland for the district championship on Saturday night.
“We lost to them earlier in the year and then we beat them last Friday,” Salmon said. “It’s going to be a tough game, that’s for sure. They can score and we’re going to have to do what we did tonight, probably a little better. We’re going to have to take care of the ball a little bit better, and we’re going to have to just get out and guard them; make them make shots.”
No. 2 HERMITAGE 55, No. 3 MACKS CREEK 46
Class 1 District 7 semifinal
MACKS CREEK – 14-3-18-11—46
HERMITAGE – 16-7-13-19—55
MACKS CREEK (19-7) – Jesse Willis 17, Shelby Willis 13, Lexi Mayer 10, Kali Eidson 6.
HERMITAGE (21-6) – Sheridan Corum 19, Makayla Hostettler 12, Alyssa Owens 8, Anna Ginnings 9, Sadi Hostettler 7.
Up next: (Championship) No. 1 Wheatland vs. No. 2 Hermitage, 5 p.m. Saturday
