Prep Hoops Round-up: Lady 'Hounds suffer mild upset

WELLINGTON -- Freshman Kayla Goth's two free throws with 10 seconds left gave fifth-seeded Crest Ridge enough of a lead to nail down a first-round upset of the No. 4 Sweet Springs girls' basketball team Monday in the I-70 Conference Tournament at Wellington.

This contest was close throughout, with the teams tied at 10-10 after the first period, the Lady Cougars leading by one at halftime and the Lady Greyhounds taking a one-point edge into the final frame.

However, Sweet Springs missed all six free-throw attempts down the stretch, while Goth came up with six critical points during the fourth quarter.

"We need to move our feet more defensively and handle the ball better in the half-court," remarked Lady 'Hounds head coach Boyd Jones. "Crest Ridge got very little inside, but shot the ball well from 15 feet."

The Lady Cougars (1-1) made 50 percent of their field-goal attempts, with freshman Mel Branscum hitting seven of 10 for a team-high 14 points.

Senior Kristin Jones led Sweet Springs (1-1) with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Brittany Higgins added 11 points.

The Lady 'Hounds will face No. 8 seed Windsor, a 39-8 loser to top-seeded Concordia, in Wednesday's semifinal round.

Orrick 61, Santa Fe 30

WELLINGTON -- Second seed Orrick had no trouble disposing of No. 7 Santa Fe in Monday's first-round game, 61-30.

Senior Megan Swartz got the Lady Bearcats off to a hot start with 11 points during the first quarter for a 21-8 lead. She added a pair of three-pointers during the second period as Orrick pushed its advantage to 44-16 at the break.

Swartz finished with 19 points and juniors Amanda Rodenberg and Shelby Harth each had 11 for the Lady Bearcats (1-0).

The Lady Chiefs (0-3) were paced by senior Lauren Aversman's 11 points. Santa Fe will play in Wednesday's consolation semifinal against Wellington-Napoleon, which lost to St. Paul, 53-17.

Stover 48, Malta Bend 13

HUGHESVILLE -- Malta Bend hung around for a little while, but couldn't generate the firepower to keep up with Stover during Monday's 48-13 loss in the first round of the Northwest Tournament at Hughesville.

Senior Paige Wattenbarger hit a three-pointer and junior Kelsey Forqueran made a lay-up as the Lady Tigers trailed by only 10-5 at the end of the first quarter. However, the Lady Bulldogs, behind junior Kaylee Uptegrove's game-high 12 points, out-scored Malta Bend 32-4 during the middle two frames.

Junior Ashley Rupe added eight points for Stover (3-0).

Wattenbarger had 11 points for the Lady Tigers (0-5), who face Otterville in Wednesday's consolation semifinals.

Boys

Stover 68, Malta Bend 20

HUGHESVILLE -- Senior Tyler Wilson was on fire from the start Monday for Stover, which defeated Malta Bend, 68-20, in the first round of the Northwest Tournament at Hughesville.

Wilson tallied 14 of the Bulldogs' 27 points during the opening period, with junior Joey Hostetter's three-pointer the only basket for the Tigers. It was 44-5 at halftime, with Stover emptying the bench the rest of the way.

Wilson wound up with 22 points and sophomore Demetrius Hayden added 14 for the 'Dogs (3-0).

Senior Tyler Armstrong accounted for most of Malta Bend's points with 12. The Tigers (0-5) will meet the loser of today's tilt between Green Ridge and Otterville in the consolation semifinal round Thursday.