MANHATTAN — The Olpe Eagles shot lights out in the first half of their Class 2A girl’s state tournament game with Berean Academy on Friday night.
The Eagles shot 70 percent from the field and used the inside presence of junior Kathryn Flott — who had 14 first-half points — to score 28 points in the first quarter and hold a 41-16 lead at halftime.
That translated to a 77-45 win for the Eagles, sending them to the state championship game, while the Warriors (21-4) moves to today’s consolation contest at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
“I think they had a good shooting night, and we gave them way too many layups,” said Berean Academy head coach Kristen Wiebe.
While Olpe was putting on a shooting clinic in the first half, the Warriors struggled throughout, managing just 25 percent shooting from the field while being outrebounded 20-7 by the taller lineup for the Eagles.
Berean attempted to slice into the Eagles’ lead in the second half, and even took away some of the easy layups they gave up in the first half, however, the Warriors’ offense could not seem to get on track.
“In the second half, they held their heads up and got back on defense,” Wiebe said.
For the Eagles, they pushed the tempo and created several fast-break opportunities throughout the game, leaving Berean trying to play catch-up.
“It was pretty tiring, but once you get over that hump, it just feels great,” Flott, who had a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds for Olpe, said.
For the game, Olpe shot a shade under 70 percent from the field (68.6 percent), while the Warriors struggled, going 18-of-54 from the field for 33.3 percent.
Mallory Zuercher led the Warriors with 15 points, and Janelle Rust had nine in the losing effort.
Regardless, Wiebe said it still feels good to get to play in the consolation game, which begins at noon today.
“I’m glad to play tomorrow, and third place really does mean something,” Wiebe said.
Class 2A state basketball
at Bramlage Coliseum
Manhattan
Semifinals
Girls
Olpe 77, Berean Academy 45
Berean 9 7 12 17 — 45
Olpe 28 13 14 22 — 77
BEREAN ACADEMY (45) — Mallory Zuercher 6-15 1-2 15, Janelle Rust 2-11 4-6 9, Kayla Wilgers 3-9 0-0 7, Kristin Khosravipour 3-5 0-0 6, Makayla Ladwig 2-5 0-1 4, Carrie Wiebe 1-2 0-0 2, Angela Entz 1-2 0-0 2, Libby Witte 0-2 0-0 0, Morgan Barron 0-1 0-0 0, Meredith Burkhart 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 18-54 5-9 45.
OLPE (77) — Kathryn Flott 11-18 0-0 22, Kendyl McDougald 7-12 2-2 18, Katelyn Henderson 7-8 0-0 14, Janae Haag 4-5 0-0 8, Jill Cole 2-3 0-0 6, Natalie Kuhlmann 2-2 0-2 4, Dalten Benton 1-2 1-1 3, Shelby Stout 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 35-51 3-5 77.
3-point goals — Berean 4-21 (Zuecher 2), Olpe 4-8 (McDougald, Cole 2). Rebounds — Berean 22 (Witte 6), Olpe 37 (Henderson, Flott 9). Turnovers — Berean 16, Olpe 18.
