Junior Molly Blomberg led a second-half comeback which put the Lady Chiefs into the Wildcat Classic finals for the third year in a row. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

SLATER -- The seventh-seeded Santa Fe girls' basketball team pulled off another upset Thursday in the 27th Wildcat Classic at Slater.

Two days after bumping off No. 2 seed Pilot Grove, the Lady Chiefs came from behind to register a 48-47 decision over No. 3 Fayette. After falling behind 18-4 in the first quarter, senior Catherine Kyle racking up 13 of her game-high 24 points for the Lady Falcons during that span, Santa Fe crept back into the contest -- pulling ahead midway through the final frame when junior Molly Blomberg buried her second three-pointer of the half.

The Lady Chiefs were up by three points with a minute left, but missed the front end of two one-and-one opportunities at the free-throw line. Kyle made one bucket and then gave Santa Fe a scare at the buzzer when her shot from the back-court nearly went in.

"If you look at the stat sheet, there's no way we should have won this game," noted Lady Chiefs head coach Tina Burton. Fayette (6-10) grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, forced 27 turnovers and had a 52-27 advantage in field-goal attempts -- but the Lady Falcons' 58.1- to 28.6-percent shortfall in shooting efficiency was decisive.

Blomberg had 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Santa Fe, with junior Dani Heimsoth topping the team with 18 points.

The Lady Chiefs (6-9) will play in the championship game for the third year in a row Saturday, hoping to win their first title since 1992 when they take on top seed Sacred Heart -- a rematch of last year's clash in which the Lady Gremlins claimed the first tourney title in the program's history.

Pilot Grove 45, Slater 37

SLATER -- Pilot Grove fell behind by 10 points early, but a 12-4 second-quarter run had the Lady Tigers ahead by halftime Thursday en route to a 45-37 victory over Slater in the consolation semifinal round of the 27th Wildcat Classic.

Senior Kayla Thomas scored 15 points and collected 15 rebounds as Pilot Grove (11-5) controlled the boards by a 40-26 margin.

The Lady 'Cats (6-11) were led by junior Rachel Gonzalez' 10 points and eight points and 11 rebounds from senior Erika Yager. Slater plays in the seventh-place game today against Carrollton.

Tipton 49, Sweet Springs 33

WINDSOR -- Three days after scoring a season-high 66 points, Sweet Springs was unable to get its offensive untracked Thursday -- shooting a mere 20.0 percent from the field during a 49-33 loss to Tipton in the semifinal round of the Windsor Tournament.

The Lady Cardinals also struggled scoring points, but only for a half -- tallying 31 points after the break to pull away.

Senior Emma Tuttle, a six-foot post, scored nine of her game-high 17 points during the third period as Tipton (9-6) added to its one-point halftime lead.

Junior Stephanie Krause's 10 points led the Lady Greyhounds (11-4), who play Green Ridge for third place Saturday.

Boys

Santa Fe 70, Carrollton 57

SLATER -- Carrollton will be glad if it doesn't see the Santa Fe boys, especially junior Taylor Wesley, again this season.

For the second time in a week, the Chiefs got a big night from Wesley to defeat their neighbors from north of the river by 13 points -- Wesley's 24 points giving them a 70-57 win Thursday in the consolation semifinal round of the 27th Wildcat Classic at Slater.

Wesley scored 18 points on his home court last Friday during Santa Fe's 65-52 victory over the Trojans.

Carrollton led by two points at halftime, but juniors Brett Case and Ben Catlett -- who only returned to action two weeks ago after suffering a football injury -- drilled three-pointers during the Chiefs' 16-7 third-quarter spurt.

Santa Fe held the lead with 27 points during the final frame, making nine of 11 attempts from the free-throw line.

The Trojans (1-12) were led by sophomore Jayson Mayden's 15 points.

Case had 17 points and four assists and junior Luke Brandt added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Chiefs (10-5), which takes on Slater today for fifth place.

Malta Bend 55, Prairie Home 24

BUNCETON -- Sophomores Tyler Armstrong and Tim Trelow combined for 20 points during a 25-7 third-quarter sprint for the Malta Bend boys, who cruised to a 55-24 victory over Prairie Home in Thursday's final pool game of the CCAA Tournament at Bunceton.

The Tigers already led by eight points at halftime, 21-13, behind seven points from Trelow and junior Ryan Armstrong. The Panthers (1-13) got 11 points during the game from sophomore Zach Glenn.

Trelow and Tyler Armstrong each tallied 18 points for Malta Bend (4-8), which meets Otterville for the third-place trophy Saturday.