Lady Warriors finish as sub-state runner-up
Staff writer
The eighth seeded Lady Warriors claimed a trophy along with sub-state runner-up status in the Bennington bracket this past week.
In the first round game Tuesday, they knocked off the number one seed Canton-Galva, 44-39, on the road. Ell-Saline fell to the Lady Warriors, 41-31, Friday.
The number two seed Minneapolis, stopped the PBHS squad, 58-33, in Saturday's game.
The team ends the season with a 6-17 record.
Canton-Galva
Canton-Galva opened with a six-point lead in a physical game against the Lady Warriors. With four minutes left in the quarter, Becky Morris scored with an assist from Bayleigh Clark. Jessi Hilliard added a basket and two free throws to take the game to a 6-6 tie at the end of the period.
Jessica Gillet took a short jump shot to take the two-point lead just seconds into the second period. With less full-court pressure from the Eagles, PBHS offense built a three-point lead at the half, 14-11.
PBHS defense held Canton-Galva to six points in the third quarter, while the offense put in 11. Hilliard paced the squad with five. Gillet, Clark, and Danielle Savage each added a basket. The PBHS lead was eight at the end of the period, 25-17.
Free throws became the story in the final minutes of the contest. Fifteen of the 19 PBHS points scored in the fourth came from the charity stripe. Hilliard added 11 points in the quarter. Elaina Newell had four free throws. Gillet had three points and Morris added a free throw.
Hilliard, 24. Gillet, 9. Newell, 4. Morris, 3. Clark, 2. Savage, 2.
Ell-Saline
Round two action took place in Bennington with a match-up of the Ell-Saline Cardinals and the Lady Warriors. The contest favored PBHS early with a 10-4 score at the end of one period of play. Newell had a trey and two free throws to pace the team scoring. Hilliard had three and Gillet put in a basket.
PBHS defense overpowered the Cardinals in the second, holding the opponent to just four points. PBHS offense added 14 to build a 16-point advantage at the half, 24-8. Newell lighted up the board with three treys and three free throws. Clark added a basket.
Both offenses added six points in the third quarter. Newell hit a fifth trey in the contest and Hilliard added three points. The PBHS led was still 16 at the end of the period.
Free throws again were the fourth-quarter story for the Lady Warriors. Nine of the 11 points came as singles. Tabitha O'Neal had a basket and two free throws. Newell and Hilliard each had three free throws. Gillet tossed in one.
Newell, 23. Hilliard, 9. O'Neal, 4. Gillet, 3. Clark, 2.
Minneapolis
In the championship game, the first basket went to Minneapolis. Gillet answered with a basket to tie the game at 2-2. The remainder of the first quarter, PBHS offense came from Morris with just one basket. The Lady Lions added 10 and PBHS was down by eight at the end of the first period, 12-4.
Lady Warrior scoring was slightly better in the second, but no match for the Minneapolis squad. A basket each came from Gillet, Hilliard, and O'Neal. The PBHS team was down 11 at the half, 21-10.
Morris and Gillet each had a basket in the third quarter. The lack of offensive production put the PBHS squad behind by 19 at the end of the period, 33-14.
Both offenses had a big fourth quarter, but the Lady Lions defeated the Lady Warriors, 58-33. Newell put in six for PBHS. Hilliard had five. Gillet, Savage, Traylee Woodruff, and Stephanie Rempel each contributed a basket. The Lady Warriors finished the tournament as sub-state runner-up in the Bennington bracket.
Gillet, 8. Hilliard, 7. Newell, 6. Morris, 4. O'Neal, 2. Savage, 2. Woodruff, 2. Rempel, 2.
