Lady 'Hounds denied spot in I-70 tourney finals

SWEET SPRINGS -- The second meeting in two days between the basketball teams from Sweet Springs and Crest Ridge was decidedly different, in both style and outcome, than the previous one.

The Lady Cougars avenged the loss of their boys' team to the I-70 Conference Tournament hosts Wednesday with a 51-44 semifinal decision, a contest which saw no three-pointers made -- as opposed to a combined 19 for the two clubs on Tuesday -- and defense far more evident than a boys' game in which 186 points were racked up.

The Lady Greyhounds got three first-quarter baskets from senior Stephanie Krause to take a 16-12 lead, but Crest Ridge -- a Class 2 playoff squad last year -- storm back with 23 points during the second frame, 10 from senior Brittany Stringer.

When the teams returned to the court for the second half, the Lady Cougars applied the defensive heat -- limiting Sweet Springs to five points during the third period to take a 10-point lead into the final frame.

The Lady 'Hounds, getting two goals from junior Rachel Thornton, narrowed the deficit -- but couldn't catch up.

"We need to be more physical," noted Sweet Springs head coach Boyd Jones. "Our lack of physical play was probably the reason for the loss."

Shooting 37.8 percent from the field didn't help, but was probably not as damaging as the Lady 'Hounds' 26 turnovers -- five on steals by senior Lauren Brockhaus, who tallied 18 points during the game.

Stringer finished with 20 points for Crest Ridge (2-1), which will play Concordia -- pulling off a 40-31 upset of top-seeded Orrick -- for the championship Friday.

Thornton scored 10 points, while juniors Jodie Harris and Hollie Heaper -- who Jones said "played their best game of the year so far" -- each had six points for Sweet Springs.

The Lady 'Hounds (2-2) will face Orrick in Friday's third-place game.

Meanwhile, Santa Fe moved into the trophy round with a 49-36 come-from-behind consolation semifinal victory over Wellington-Napoleon.

The Lady Chiefs trailed by four points heading into the fourth quarter, but then senior Dani Heimsoth and junior Lauren Aversman got hot. Both scored 11 points down the stretch, Santa Fe blitzing the Lady Tigers by a 23-6 margin -- making 13 of 20 attempts from the free-throw line.

Senior Kaitlin Soendker scored 13 points, none in the fourth quarter, for Wellington (0-4).

Heimsoth wound up with 21 points and Aversman had 19 for the Lady Chiefs (2-2), who play St. Paul -- a 55-17 winner over Windsor -- in the consolation final Friday.