Girls Basketball Playoff Results Wednesday, February 23rd
South Central Calhoun Vs Sibley Ocheyedan At Estherville- Class 2A Region 5 Final
South Central Calhoun 54
Sibley Ocheyedan 51
It was a game of runs and the last run belonged to a gritty, gutty, never say quit South Central Calhoun team that punched their ticket to Wells Fargo and the Girls State Basketball tournament. The Titans advanced with a 54-51 win, with every player making a key play to help the Titans win. South Central Calhoun will face #1 seed Dike New Hartford in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 1st at 6:45 on KIKD 106.7.
Sayer Steig, Addisyn Korleski and Emma Anderson grabbed the momentum for the Titans at the beginning. Steig nailed the first of her four crucial three’s to put the Titans up 3-0. Addisyn Korleski drove the left baseline for a layup and the Titans were out quick 5-0. The defense was suffocating early, as they knew they must stop Madison Brouwer, who averaged 19 points per game for the Generals. Back-to-back baskets by Emma Anderson put the Titans up 9-4 and Anderson found Riley Batta inside, and the Titans had their largest lead 11-4. The momentum switched quickly to the Generals. Olivia Hensch knocked down a pair of baseline jumpers and they took over on the offensive glass with Brouwer asserting her size and athleticism inside. They closed the 1st quarter on a 6-0 run, cutting the Titans lead to 11-10. The run didn’t stop there, as the Generals scored the first-seven points of the 2nd quarter and led 17-11. Addison Korleski three point play stopped the run, and the Titans hung within five the rest of the half. Sayer Steig kept the Titans close with another three, pulling them within three at 21-18. The turning point of the game may have come in the final minute of the 1st half. Madison Brouwer picked up her second foul and went to the bench with 1:52 to play. Generals Coach Steve Kellen brought her right back in and the Generals led 25-18 with 1:02 left in the half. Brouwer went to the bench and the Titans went on a run. It started with an Emma Anderson steal and layup. The Titans picked up three straight steals and converted that into seven points, with Kylee Schliesman draining a three with under 4 seconds left, tying the game at 25 going into the locker room. The Titans withstood the 13-0 run by Sibley Ocheyedan and tied the game at half. They needed to make adjustments as the Generals had been dominating the glass in the 1st half, with Brouwer on the floor. She had 15 of her teams 25 points at half, with most having come on offensive rebounds and put backs, along with getting to the free throw line where she was 5-5.
PHOTOS: Credit to Jeff Storjohann (ViewFinder22)
South Central Calhoun scored the take the lead, (which changed hands 6 times) at 27-25. That would be there last lead until 50-47. Sibley Ocheyedan went back up 29-27, extending the lead to 37-29, with the only Titan basket coming on a steal and layup by Kylee Schleisman. The Titans looked to be in trouble, but Chloe Judisch hit a baseline jumper, ending the Generals 14-2 run. Kylee Schleisman followed that with a bucket, and South Central Calhoun was right back in the game, down 37-33. Schleisman hit her second huge three just before the end of the 3rd quarter, and South Central Calhoun trailed 41-38, but had grabbed some momentum to close the quarter. A pair of free throws by Addisyn Korleski early in the 4th quarter pulled the Titans within 1. Olivia Hensch hit a three, putting the Generals back up 4 but Sayer Steig hit another clutch three, cutting the Titans deficit to 44-43. Keytin Elser hit her only three of the game, putting the Generals up 47-43. This time it was Kylee Schleisman answering with a bucket. The Titans tied the game at 47 with a bucket by Steig. Kylee Schleisman found Steig for her fourth three of the game and South Central Calhoun went up 50-47. Sibley Ocheyeday responded with four straight points. They led 51-50 with under a minute to go. Emma Anderson was fouled battling for a rebound and stepped to the free throw line for a one-and-one. The senior knocked down both and the Titans never trailed again. Kylee Schleisman hit a pair of free throws to make it a three point game. Sibley Ocheyedan had one final chance, but they didn’t get a shot off, and Schleisman came up with a loose ball, getting fouled with 0.2 seconds left. She missed the free throw, but the Generals didn’t have time to get a shot off and the Titans advanced with the win.
Sayer Steig and Kylee Schleisman both led the Titans with 14 points, Steig hit 4 of 7 from three and Schleisman went 2 of 9 from three, but had two huge ones to end the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Schleisman had a team high 5 assists. Riley Batta nearly had a double-double with 9 points and 11 rebounds. Emma Anderson scored 8 points to go with 5 rebounds and 4 big steals and was disruptive on defense, forcing a number of the Generals 19 turnovers. Addisyn Korleski added 7 points and went 3-3 from the free throw line.
The Titans shot 37% from the field, while the Generals shot 43.5% from the field. The Titans rebounded much better in the 2nd half, with both teams finishing with 28 rebounds. The defense held Brouwer to 2 points in the 2nd half, though Hensch hurt them with 12, all coming from beyond the arc. The Titans forced 19 turnovers, while finishing with 14 of their own. They outshot the Generals 8-11 to 6-9 from the free throw line.
The win improves South Central Calhoun to 19-5 overall as they are seeded 8th in the State Tournament and will face off against Dike New Hartford on Tuesday night at 6:45. The game will be broadcast on KIKD 106.7.
South Central Calhoun Stats
Addisyn Korleski 7 Points, 4 Rebounds
Riley Batta 9 Points, 11 Rebounds, 2 Assists, Steal, 2 Blocks
Sayer Steig 14 Points, 5 Rebounds, Assist, Steal
Kylee Schleisman 14 Points, 2 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals
Emma Anderson 8 Points, 5 Rebounds, Assist, 4 Steals
Chloe Judisch 2 Points, Rebound, 2 Steals
Box Score
Teams 1 2 3 4 Final
SCC 11 14 13 16 54
SO 10 15 16 10 51
