(Elk Horn) 8th ranked Exira-EHK hosts Stanton Friday night in a matchup of two red hot teams. We’ll have the Class 1A Region 7 semifinal on KSOM with Tom McLaren on the call.
The Spartans dropped their season opener to Class 2A #12 Logan-Magnolia and have proceeded to win 20 straight games. Stanton is 21-2 with a win streak that has reached a dozen contests. Exira-EHK coach Tom Petersen takes a look at Stanton, “The first thing that probably jumps out to you is their balance. They have five girls that average between eight and 12 points. for teams to be successful you have to have players that are able to step up when others are not playing their best or might in foul trouble.
Petersen says the Viqueens have a couple of good outside shooters with a lot of length defensively. Exira-EHK will have to be aggressive to have success Friday night. “Regardless of what defense teams are throwing at us we have to continue to attack. When we do that we are at our best. WE have to get out and run as much as we can and cause chaos defensively.”
Exira-EHK hasn’t lost to a 1A opponent since the regional semifinal round one year ago when Westwood eliminated them. That ended a run of four consecutive trips to the state tournament. Tatum Grubbs has a big outing for the Spartans on Tuesday when they knocked off Sidney. Grubbs scored 26 points in the 66-49 regional quarterfinal win. Macy Emgarten averages a team best 16 points per game.
Stanton moved into this game with a 50-38 decision over Audubon. The winner advances to see either #12 Central Decatur or St. Albert for a trip to state next week.
Exira-EHK coach Tom Petersen:
