See the standouts and which teams move on to the El Dorado girls tourney semifinals
The Lady Cat Classic is underway from El Dorado, and several players and teams stood out during the first day of games.
Here is what you need to know heading into the semifinals and consolation bracket:
East vs. Maize South
The Mavericks committed too many turnovers late and that saved the Blue Aces.
East beat Maize South 43-37 in a performance East coach Brian Johnson said he knows could have been better, particularly in the paint.
“First half, I thought we didn’t show up to play,” Johnson said. “But second half, we picked it up on defense, and we got points off our defense, which I like. That’s what we stress.”
Senior point guard Dymond McElrath scored 13 points, all but two of which came in the second half. Kyeisha Ross was the difference for the Aces late. She scored all nine of her points in the fourth quarter, including hitting 7 of 7 free throws.
Maize South’s Lauren Johnson used her speed to blow past a couple of defenders on her way to a team-high 12 points, but too many errant passes negated the Mavericks’ fourth-quarter comeback.
“We need to work on rebounding, boxing out and rebounding and really just making better passes,” Johnson said.
With the win, East improvesd to 8-2 and will play Mill Valley in the semifinals at 8:15 p.m. Friday. Maize South will play El Dorado at 4:45 p.m.
Circle vs. Campus
The Thunderbirds lived up to their seeding.
The tournament’s top seed played below its potential, coach Brian Henry said, but Circle still earned a 47-34 victory over Campus.
“We talked in the locker room at halftime, and we thought we had played one of our poorest first halves,” Henry said. “Yet we were somehow still up by six or seven.”
Junior center Jordan Hammer was a force inside, scoring a game-high 15 points and seemingly rebounding at will, standing several inches taller than Campus’ tallest defender.
The Colts got a well-rounded performance Thursday with five players scoring at least five points, including Hannah Schutte who scored nine.
Campus’ dynamic scoring had Henry thinking ahead to the semifinals.
“We’ve just got to do a better job working together within our team defense,” Henry said. “We didn’t do a good job communicating on screens.”
Circle bettered its record to 9-1 with the win and faces Gardner-Edgerton at 6:30 p.m. Friday for a spot in the tournament final. Campus plays Augusta at 3 p.m.
El Dorado vs. Mill Valley
At times, Milley Valley’s post players stood 11 inches above their El Dorado defenders.
The height advantage helped the Jaguars in their 62-35 victory. Mill Valley pulled its starters early in the second half, but Trinity Knapp (6-foot-2), Evan Zars (6-1) and Claire Kaifes (5-11) still combined for 27 points.
El Dorado coach Jordan Crawford said there isn’t much a group of undersized underclassmen can do in some circumstances.
“You’ve got to win possessions; you’ve got to win quarters,” Crawford said. “That’s about it.”
The Wildcats continued to fight though, Crawford said. Five players scores at least five points, and Crawford said that is a sign of heart.
“We have a motto, ‘Up 50, down 50, you gotta play hard,’ ” he said.
Augusta vs. Gardner-Edgerton
Augusta got out to a 7-2 lead in the first quarter, getting to the free-throw line after contested shots in the paint. The Blazers didn’t seem to have an answer for the physicality, but they found it, earning a 51-29 victory and sending Augusta to the consolation bracket.
Edgerton’s Skylar Washington finished with a game-high 15 points while the duo of Sofia Semon and Kynli Nelson combined for 20 more. Augusta was hit from all angles as the game wore on.
The Orioles got nine points out of Jayden Marlnee, but their leading scorer this season, Abbee Rhodes, was held in check. Rhodes came in averaging more than 12 points per game but scored only five Thursday.
With the loss, Augusta moves to 5-4.
This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 11:07 PM with the headline "See the standouts and which teams move on to the El Dorado girls tourney semifinals."