(Atlantic) AHSTW is one step away from landing a berth in the Class 2A Girl’s State Basketball Tournament. The Vikings downed Nodaway Valley 63-58 in a Class 2A Regional semi-final at Atlantic on Friday night.
Kailey Jones led AHSTW with 16-points, Claire Denning scored 15, Claire Harris, 14, and Kinsey Scheffler added 10. Julia Kock and Morgan Heiny chipped in 4-points each.
“Kailey Jones played a huge game for us tonight,” said AHSTW Head Coach Steve Sauvain. “She’s was tough on the glass and made things difficult on drives. Nodaway Valley builds its offense around the dribble drive, and I thought Kailey and Kinsey shut the door on that part of the game a little bit.
“Claire Denning and Claire Harris did a great job handling their pressure and did a nice job carrying out what we wanted to do late in the game,” said Sauvain. “
Maddax DeVault lead Nodaway Valley with 22-points, Alyssa Davis, 17, and Reagan Weinheimer finished in double-figures with 10. Macy Kuhns scored 5, Lexi Shike, and Corrine Bond scored 2-points each.
The Vikings set the tone early in the first quarter. Alyssa Davis knocked down a three-point basket for Nodaway Valley, however, AHSTW bounced back with an 8-0 run and never trailed again. The Vikings led 19-13 at the end of the first quarter and 34-26 at the break.
“We did the same thing the first time we played Nodaway Valley in their gym without Kailey,” said Sauvain. “We knew we were capable, and we needed to come out and do what we do best.”
Nodaway Valley clawed their way back in the second half. The Wolverines led by Maddax DeVault’s 20-second half points closed the deficit to 51-50 in the fourth quarter. DeVault averaging 18-points per game buried five three-point baskets in the second half. However, AHSTW kept the Wolverines at arms-length with some sharp shooting from the free-throw line. Kinsey Scheffler finished the contest a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe.
Coach Sauvain credited Morgan Heiny with a solid performance off the bench. “She’s probably not happy because of a couple of turnovers, but she made a shot at a critical time in the game and played good defense.”
Meanwhile, Coach Sauvain took a chapter out of Coach Chapman’s book at Treynor. “There recipe for success was playing good defense, be methodical on offense, and try to wear people out.”
AHSTW now 20-3 advances to the Regional final against Logan-Magnolia on Wednesday, February 26. Nodaway Valley finished an outstanding season with a 20-3 record.
