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RAPID CITY — The saying is that it's hard to beat a good team three times, but the No. 3 Sioux Falls Washington girls basketball team put that adage to bed on Thursday, March 12.
The Warriors jumped out to a 19-4 lead through a quarter and never looked back in a 66-44 win over No. 6 Sioux Falls Jefferson at Summit Arena at The Monument in the SDHSAA Class AA quarterfinals.
Star senior Dana Harpe poured in 19 of her game-high 27 points in the first half, helping the Warriors take a 40-18 lead into the break.
"I feel like it really started with our defense and our energy," Harpe said. "We held them to four points in the first quarter. We knew our assignments and we knew what we needed to do, and I feel like our defense really translated into our offense."
The Cavaliers just didn't get going off the rip, and that cost them big time. By the time they got into the flow of the game, the deficit was already too large to climb back from.
"I think we came out a little bit back on our heels," Jefferson head coach Shaunteva Pruett said. "Shots that we usually hit weren't falling, and the adrenaline can take over in the first state game. I'm proud of the way my girls didn't give up. They continued to fight as hard as they can."
Jefferson star Brinley Altenburg had an off night shooting the ball, but still mustered 24 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
She was limited to 10-for-24 from the field and 2-for-11 from three, something the Warriors were proud of.
"We knew that she's a lefty and a great shooter," Harpe said. "We stuck one girl on her all game and we knew she was going to try and take over. We really tried to shut her down and let their other players get their shots."
Washington head coach Jamie Parish acknowledged the age-old coach speak about playing a team three times, but he feels it's especially difficult when you win the first two games. He made some uncomfortable adjustments heading into this game, and was happy to see them pay off.
"From one point, if you're winning the game why would you change anything," Parish said. "On the other point, if they've seen it twice they can prep for it and do some different things. It was good for us to do some different things and try to keep them out of balance just a little bit."
Harpe finished with 10 rebounds and six steals to go with her 27 points, Josie Biteler followed her with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists, Jersey Peterson added 10 points and eight boards and Rylan Kennett contributed 10 points.
Washington will face No. 2 O'Gorman for the third time, after losing the first two, in the Class AA state semifinals at 6:45 p.m. MT/7:45 p.m. CT on Friday, March 13.
Abby Horner aided Altenburg with 11 points. No other Cavalier made more than one field goal in the game.
Jefferson now sits at 14-8, one more win than last year's 13-11 finish. Pruett and her girls are very disappointed they came up short in their quest for a state title, but are focused on regrouping to finish out this season strong.
"I just told them the next two games will be the hardest games that they'll play," Pruett said. "Your goal in the season is to come out and win a state championship, and you know that's not going to happen. We get two more games we get to play with this 25-26 team. We get two more games we get to play for these seniors."
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Washington tops Jefferson for spot in SDHSAA girls basketball semifinal
Continue reading...
The Warriors jumped out to a 19-4 lead through a quarter and never looked back in a 66-44 win over No. 6 Sioux Falls Jefferson at Summit Arena at The Monument in the SDHSAA Class AA quarterfinals.
Star senior Dana Harpe poured in 19 of her game-high 27 points in the first half, helping the Warriors take a 40-18 lead into the break.
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"I feel like it really started with our defense and our energy," Harpe said. "We held them to four points in the first quarter. We knew our assignments and we knew what we needed to do, and I feel like our defense really translated into our offense."
The Cavaliers just didn't get going off the rip, and that cost them big time. By the time they got into the flow of the game, the deficit was already too large to climb back from.
"I think we came out a little bit back on our heels," Jefferson head coach Shaunteva Pruett said. "Shots that we usually hit weren't falling, and the adrenaline can take over in the first state game. I'm proud of the way my girls didn't give up. They continued to fight as hard as they can."
Jefferson star Brinley Altenburg had an off night shooting the ball, but still mustered 24 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
You must be registered for see images
She was limited to 10-for-24 from the field and 2-for-11 from three, something the Warriors were proud of.
"We knew that she's a lefty and a great shooter," Harpe said. "We stuck one girl on her all game and we knew she was going to try and take over. We really tried to shut her down and let their other players get their shots."
Washington head coach Jamie Parish acknowledged the age-old coach speak about playing a team three times, but he feels it's especially difficult when you win the first two games. He made some uncomfortable adjustments heading into this game, and was happy to see them pay off.
"From one point, if you're winning the game why would you change anything," Parish said. "On the other point, if they've seen it twice they can prep for it and do some different things. It was good for us to do some different things and try to keep them out of balance just a little bit."
Harpe finished with 10 rebounds and six steals to go with her 27 points, Josie Biteler followed her with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists, Jersey Peterson added 10 points and eight boards and Rylan Kennett contributed 10 points.
Washington will face No. 2 O'Gorman for the third time, after losing the first two, in the Class AA state semifinals at 6:45 p.m. MT/7:45 p.m. CT on Friday, March 13.
Abby Horner aided Altenburg with 11 points. No other Cavalier made more than one field goal in the game.
Jefferson now sits at 14-8, one more win than last year's 13-11 finish. Pruett and her girls are very disappointed they came up short in their quest for a state title, but are focused on regrouping to finish out this season strong.
"I just told them the next two games will be the hardest games that they'll play," Pruett said. "Your goal in the season is to come out and win a state championship, and you know that's not going to happen. We get two more games we get to play with this 25-26 team. We get two more games we get to play for these seniors."
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Washington tops Jefferson for spot in SDHSAA girls basketball semifinal
Continue reading...
