(Cherokee) Cherokee, Washington defended their home court Wednesday night in a Class 3A Region #7 semi-final girls’ basketball game at Cherokee.
Freshman guard Addy Wolfswinkle led the Braves with 13 points, and Addy Pigot finished in double figures with 11. Deidra Doeden, the Braves’ 6’1 freshman post player, 9 points; Lainey Wolfswinkle, 8; Harper Benson, 7; Kaden Volkert, 6; and Kassie Leeds, 1.
Sophomore Zoey Kirchhoff led the Trojans with 15 points, including 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Makenna Schroeder and Paytn Harter scored nine points each. Lila Wiederstein pitched in 7; Peyton McLaren, 2; and Claire Pellett and Avery Knuth scored one point each.
The Braves jumped out to a 4-0 lead early and extended it to 8-3. The Trojans outscored the home team 7-4 down the stretch, led by Schroeder’s three-point basket, and trailed 12-10 after one-quarter of play.
Cherokee, Washington bolted out to a 7-2 run in the second quarter for a 19-14 lead, but Atlantic countered with a 9-2 run and tied the game at 21-21. This time, the Braves answered with a 5-0 run to finish the half leading 26-21 in what was becoming a defensive battle with each team forcing turnovers.
The third quarter was similar to the first half, with both teams playing intense defense, making it difficult for either team to score. There were several steals throughout the quarter. After a tough battle, the Trojans outscored the Braves 10-9, closing the gap to 35-31 at the end of the third quarter.
The separation between the two teams came in the final eight minutes. The Trojans went on a 5-0 run and took a 36-35 lead. However, Cherokee’s backup guards, Addy Pigot and Kayden Volkert, made three-point shots, and the Braves pulled away, outscoring the Trojans 20-13, ultimately winning the game 55-44.
With their win, Cherokee has now extended their record to 15-7 and will travel to Harlan (whose record is 19-3) on Saturday, February 17th, for the Regional Final. The game will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Atlantic Head Coach Dan Vargason had these comments after the game.
