Class B: South Sioux City, Alliance advance to title game
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Friday's Class B tournament results:
South Sioux City 61, Elkhorn 43: When Alexa Phipps got a hot hand on the perimeter Friday, it was just what South Sioux City needed to do what it wanted.
The Cardinals went on a 14-0 run in the second quarter to take control of their Class B girls state tournament semifinal against Elkhorn at the Devaney Sports Center and went on to a 61-43 victory to advance to their 12th state final.
“Alexa Phipps had been sick and got some antibiotics yesterday. Whatever it was, she needs to take them again tomorrow because she came out and shot the ball real well and did a good job of leading us,” said South Sioux City coach Kelly Flynn.
Phipps nailed a three-pointer on an assist from Kodi Fischer on the Cardinals’ first trip down the floor. She added a short jumper and two more three-pointers in the first quarter as South Sioux took a 17-12 lead.
The Cardinals cranked up the pressure in the second quarter after Jackie Keithley scored on an assist from Ashley Hagemann for Elkhorn.
While South Sioux City went on its 14-0 run, the Antlers missed six shots from the field and turned the ball over twice. Autumn Boyer scored four of her team-high 16 points in the stretch for the Cardinals.
“That felt a lot more like our style, where we’re transitioning and playing good defense,” said Flynn, whose team battled for an overtime victory against Gretna in the first round. “We also talked about that first round and how we play better in the semifinal round after you get those jitters out of the way.
“We had a little scare yesterday, but I think we played back to our style today.”
That meant a balanced attack, from inside and outside and from every player. Two players in addition to Boyer scored in double figures — Phipps with 11 points and McKayla Knudson with 10.
“We knew we played them close a week ago and we felt we had a shot at them if we played the defense we played yesterday,” said Elkhorn coach Jennifer Wragge. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we played that defense. We had some mistakes and a team like this, you can’t make those mistakes and expect to stay in the game or pull ahead.
“They went after the ball and worked us on the boards in the second quarter and that’s where we fell behind.”
--Ryly Jane Hambleton
Alliance 39, Lincoln Pius X 29: The Alliance girls basketball team may want to just skip straight to the second half of its championship game with South Sioux City.
For the second straight day, the Bulldogs struggled through the second quarter and still found a way to keep their title defense alive.
Jordan Hooper scored all 17 of her points in the second half to help second-ranked Alliance rally for a 39-29 victory against No. 4 Lincoln Pius X in the Class B state tournament.
“We just don’t know how to start, I guess,” said Hooper, a sophomore who also pulled down 14 rebounds. “We know how to finish, though. I hope in the final we can continue on from the way we ended today. We struggled for a while, but I’m glad we came through at the end.”
In a first-round win against Beatrice, Alliance suffered through an 0-for-16 shooting slump in the second quarter. Friday, the Bulldogs didn’t score — at all — during the period.
Still, Pius X could only forge a 15-10 halftime advantage. And then Hooper stepped up again. Thursday, she grabbed 10 of her 21 rebounds in the final period.
“Coach wanted me to demand the ball more and take it to the hoop,” she said. “Then you create more and go to the free-throw line.”
While the Alliance offense got untracked, the Bulldog defense remained solid, allowing Pius X to shoot just 4-for-17 from the field in the second half.
“They were sagging in and playing good defense. It was hard to get any shots tonight,” said Pius X coach Bill Rice. “Hooper dominated the game in the fourth quarter. It seemed like she got every rebound.”
Tara Grosserode hit a free throw to open the fourth quarter and give the Thunderbolts a 25-21 lead. But Hooper followed with a three-point play, then scored on an assist from Krista McDonald to begin a 10-0 run by the Bulldogs, who connected on 12 of 15 free throws in the final period.
“At halftime, we could say, ‘All right, ladies, we were here yesterday and look what happened.’ We could pull from that experience,” said Alliance coach Nate Lanik. “We played good defense. If we have those spells where we don’t score, if we’re playing good defense, they’re not going to get a big run at us.
“I challenged Jordan again and obviously she stepped up to the challenge on night No. 2. It’s a credit to her. She accepts the challenges.”
Natalie Braun led Pius X (17-4) with 13 points. Lindsey Briggs had 12 for Alliance (25-0), which extended its state-leading winning streak to 47 games.
--Ryly Jane Hambleton
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