Senior Leah Chance and the Blair girls basketball team earned some comfortability with the South Sioux City High School Mini-Dome on Monday during a blowout victory against Schuyler.
On Tuesday, though, the Bears faced the Cardinals themselves with the Class B-5 Subdistrict Tournament title and a guaranteed spot in Saturday's district finals on the line.
“It's really important,” Chance said 24 hours before the subdistrict finals matchup with SSC. “We're really focusing. Right now, we're at one down, one to go.”
Senior Joslyn Policky explained BHS' objective in even simpler terms.
“We want to get to Saturday,” she explained.
After a 55-47 loss to the Cardinals, the Bears were left waiting into Wednesday to see how the Class B wild card standings shook out. Finally, by mid-morning, Chance, Policky and their teammates found out they'd officially get at least one more game — 2 p.m. Saturday at second-seeded Elkhorn North.
“It can be tough,” Blair coach Matt Aschoff said of the waiting game. “They have been through this before. Their freshman year, we had to wait a whole day to make sure we were in.”
Before the wait, Chance started Tuesday's game in the Mini-Dome with a 3-point make, giving the Bears a rare lead against the Cardinals. Through 8 minutes, though, SSC led 13-9 despite addition long-range buckets by BHS' Addie Sullivan and freshman Taytum Macholan.
While the home team continued its lead into the second period, the ninth-grader kept hitting 3s. Macholan's second cut the Cardinals' lead to 13-12 before her third pulled the Bears within 20-15.
The freshman guard made the first 2-pointer of the game for Aschoff's team, too.
“Taytum, like all the girls, has worked hard to improve throughout the season,” the coach said, noting the ninth-grader's improved footwork on her shot. “So the credit goes to Taytum for putting in the work and time.”
Policky and Gueryn Kay, another Blair freshman, added baskets down the stretch, but SSC still led 33-23 at halftime. The Cardinals extended their lead to 15 points through three quarters, too, but the Bears battled back with an 18-11 fourth, cutting their overall margin of victory down to just eight points.
Sullivan, a junior forward, led BHS with 18 points, scoring 11 of them during the final 8 minutes. Macholan finished with 16 points as well after her 11-point first half.
“Thought the effort was good,” Aschoff said. “It was a physical game, and I thought the girls played hard for 32 minutes.”
BHS beats Schuyler
Ten Bears scored Monday as Aschoff's team routed the Schuyler Warriors to open the B-5 Tournament, 77-21.
“It was, really, to prepare for tomorrow,” Policky said of the victory. “Looking for the team shot and not just our shot.”
It was an opportunity to get comfortable in the Mini-Dome, too, which resembles a college arena more than a high school gym with bleachers behind the hoops and wide open space behind the team benches.
“It felt good to just play on their court and get a win, and I'm hoping we do the same thing tomorrow,” Chance added.
BHS jumped out to a 6-0 lead against the Warriors with Policky, Macholan and Kaitlynn O'Neil scoring buckets before their opposition took its first timeout just 60 seconds into the game. From there, Macholan hit back-to-back 3-pointers before Sullivan added her own 3 at 18-6. Kay added a runner in the lane before Laynie Brown's layup made the score 22-6 through one quarter.
Blair's Claire Anderson and Kay added long-range make during the second period, too, as the Bears pushed their lead to 32 points, 42-10, through 16 minutes.
Aschoff's team ultimately outscored Schuyler 35-11 during the second half as well, producing a 56-point win. Kay led all scorers with 15 points, while O'Neil notched 10 and Brown totaled nine. Macholan and Anderson had eight apiece, too, while Chance finished with seven points.
“We're just playing really well together,” Chance explained after BHS' fourth win in five games. “I feel like we're playing more as a team. We just have so much confidence in each other.”
BHS GIRLS HOOPS LINE SCORES
Tuesday
South Sioux City 55, Blair 47
BHS (11-12) 9 14 6 18 — 47
SSC (15-9) 13 20 11 11 — 55
Scoring: BHS — Addie Sullivan 18, Taytum Macholan 16, Gueryn Kay 4, Leah Chance 3, Joslyn Polikcy 2, Kate Wulf 2, Kaitlynn O'Neil 2.
SSC — Brooklyn Heineman 17, Izabella Moret 11, Keyana Weaver 9, Bailee Durant 7, Abbi Aitken 7, Bryleigh Robinette 4.
Monday
Blair 77, Schuyler 21
SHS (3-17) 6 4 9 2 — 21
BHS (11-11) 22 20 17 18 — 77
Scoring: BHS — Kay 15, O'Neil 10, Laynie Brown 9, Macholan 8, Claire Anderson 8, Chance 7, Policky 6, Madeline Chikos 6, Sullivan 5, Wulf 3.
SHS — Allison Vavricek 10, Nalleli Ajualip 3, Abigail Reyna 2, Addison Vavricek 2, Alekxa Olvera 2.
