(Stanton) Stanton opened up a tight battle with solid free-throw shooting in the 4th quarter and bounced Audubon in a Class 1A Regional Quarterfinal on Tuesday, 50-38. Jenna Stephens led the home squad with 17 points and the Viqueens defense held Audubon to their 3rd lowest output all season.
There were three lead changes in the first three minutes of the first quarter and it looked like things were setting up for a see-saw battle all night. Stanton grabbed a 12-6 lead with an 8-0 run, but Audubon scored the final five points of the quarter to close back within one.
Neither team ever led by more than three in the 2nd quarter. An Aleah Hermansen 3-pointer tied the game at 16 with 3:30 left in the half and a few minutes later her driving basket gave Audubon their first lead since the opening minutes. Stanton had time to respond however and it was Hope Ogletree getting inside with a point blank layup to tie the game at 18 right before half.
Both offenses struggled during the third quarter. Early in the 2nd half there were five lead changes, but Stanton grabbed the lead for good on a Jenna Stephens free-throw. She hit 9/14 free-throws on the night to highlight an area where Stanton had a convincing advantage in the game. Stanton made 17/23 compared to Audubon’s 1/2. The Wheelers didn’t attempt a single free-throw in the 2nd half. Keep in mind, much of Stanton’s tries came when Audubon began fouling to try and get the ball back.
The Viqueens secured a 31-27 lead by the end of the third quarter and while Audubon snugged it up to two points on one occasion the rest of the way, coach Dave Snyder’s team typically led by anywhere from 4-7 points in the 4th quarter. Leading by six midway through the final stanza, the Stanton girls hit six consecutive free-throws with two from Marleigh Johnson and four from Stephens to open up a double figure lead. Abby Burke added a big three pointer a short time later add to Stanton’s big finish and effectively seal Audubon’s fate.
Stephens led Stanton with 17 points and Marleigh Johnson scored 10. Audubon had 17 points from Jaci Christensen and Aleah Hermansen scored 14. Audubon graduates four seniors including three starters. The Wheelers finish the year at 15-8 and will have to replace Leah Subbert, Rylie Hartl, Mallory Riebhoff, and McKenna Petersen. Subbert’s playing time was limited by foul trouble on Tuesday.
Stanton is 21-2 on the season heading into a regional semifinal at #8 Exira-EHK on Friday. We’ll have the game on 96.5 FM KSOM with Tom McLaren on the call at 7:00 p.m.
Stanton coach Dave Snyder:
