Fort Calhoun senior Dala Drowne scooped up one more loose ball and scored one more layup just before the buzzer signaled the end of Tuesday's Class C1 Subdistrict 3 Tournament game.
Omaha Roncalli won the elimination matchup 48-38 at Douglas County West, ending the Pioneers' season and the 5-foot-6 guard's prep basketball career. The final bucket meant something to the senior.
“It was a good point to end off with a great team,” Drowne said. “I love the girls and they worked really hard to this point.”
FCHS finished the season 9-14 overall.
“I'm glad I was apart of that,” Drowne said.
The Pioneers built leads during the first and third quarters against the Crimson Pride, but lost them both during the second and fourth periods. While they scored 28 combined points during the first and third, they managed just 10 total in the periods that ended each half.
“We just didn't take care of the ball,” Calhoun coach Marty Plum said. “It's just that simple.”
Roncalli applied full-court pressure at times, but the Pioneers also had struggles holding onto the ball in their half-court offense.
“When we had sureness with our possession, we were fine,” Plum said. “When we got sloppy with the possession, that's when they made their couple of runs.”
The miscues proved costly in what was a two-point game with 2:37 left.
“You can't win any game, let alone a tournament game, with 27 turnovers,” the coach added.
The loss was tough to swallow.
“It is very disappointing, but it is what it is,” Drowne said. “We worked really hard. We kept fighting.”
Fort Calhoun started the postseason game with a 14-11 lead through the first 8 minutes. Junior Bria Bench notched nine of those points, while Drowne had four of her six for the game.
The Pride's Brigid McGill ended the first period with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, though, which led into an 8-2 run to start the second quarter. As a result, a 14-8 FCHS lead turned into a 19-16 deficit.
Thanks to pair of Maelie Nelson buckets, the Pioneers briefly held a one-point advantage during the second period. They ultimately trailed at the halftime break, however, 22-20.
Bench's 3-point shooting forced a lead change again during the early stages of the third quarter, though. Calhoun led by as many as five, 32-27, on a Bench putback before going into the fourth period ahead — 34-30.
The Pioneers' momentum wouldn't last, though.
“We had a chance to go up six or seven,” Plum said. “But, you know, you can't score if you turn it over.”
Roncalli dominated the fourth period 18-4, securing the win and advancing along in tournament play. FCHS, meanwhile, called it a season.
“The frustrating thing is I know we are more like the team that we were in the first and third quarter rather than the second and the fourth,” Plum said.
Bench finished with a game-high 19 points in defeat. The 5-foot-10 junior made three 3-pointers and handled the ball out of position as the Pioneers played without starting point guard Ella Bouwman, who was injured.
“(Bria's) an all-conference player,” Plum said. “I'll be really disappointed if she's not a first-team all-conference player because, not only does she have the stat line to prove it, but for all of the sacrifices that she made herself, personally.”
All told, the coach was disappointed his team wasn't able to pull out a win and continue on with its season.
“It sucks for our seniors who are just terrific kids,” Plum said. “I'm really proud of them.”
Class of 2023 members Axelle Bicaba, Sophia Thomas and Kylie Perfetti subbed into the game late for Fort Calhoun, joining Drowne on the floor for the final seconds.
“Dala played a heck of a game in our last game,” Plum said. “Really proud of her effort. She gave us everything she had.”
FCHS BASKETBALL LINE SCORE
Tuesday
Omaha Roncalli 48, Fort Calhoun 38
OR (7-14) 11 11 8 18 — 48
FCHS (9-14) 14 6 14 4 — 38
Scoring: FCHS — Bria Bench 19, Maelie Nelson 9, Dala Drowne 6, Izzy Greenough 4.
OR — Agnes Lampe 12, Whitney Meier 9, Brigid McGill 9, Rhionna Matthews 7, Madeline McChesney 7, Alice Cunningham 4.
