VOLGA – Sioux Valley used a strong defensive effort to advance to the Sweet 16, beating Clark/Willow Lake 50-37 in a Region 2A girls’ basketball semifinal Thursday evening.
The Cossacks (8-13) led 11-9 after a quarter and then dominated the middle quarters to take control.
“It was an awesome effort those first three quarters, and we finished the fourth quarter like we needed to,” said Sioux Valley temporary head coach Jordan Fast. “I loved the defensive intensity; we got after it on the defensive end; rebounded; and we limited our turnovers. Those are keys to playoff success.”
Lynsey Stevens dropped in 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the home team.
Miakken Vincent scored 12 of her 14 points in the middle quarters, hitting four 3-pointers during that stretch. She also totaled 10 boards to complete the double-double.
Vincent hit a pair of 3s, Stevens added five points and Carly Granum had four markers in the second stanza as the Cossacks moved ahead 24-16 at halftime.
The lead continued to grow after the break.
Stevens and Vincent canned back-to-back 3-balls to make it 34-18 with 3 minutes to go in the third.
Stevens hit 1-of-2 free throws with 2:25 remaining. Chloe Larsen grabbed the rebound on the miss and then Vincent hit another shot from long range.
Granum found Stevens for a breakaway layup soon thereafter to stretch the margin to 40-19.
Larsen added a foul shot as the Cossacks were up 41-21 through three.
Stevens converted a wide-open layup on an inbounds play to push the margin to a game-high 22 points – 43-21 – early in the fourth.
The Cyclones began to chip away after that, eventually getting as close as nine points at 46-37 with 2:42 showing on the clock.
But Stevens had another layup with 2 minutes to play and Sioux Valley didn’t allow another point down the stretch. A pair of Granum free throws late provided for the final margin.
“I thought we played pretty well,” said Stevens, a junior. “We really improved from the beginning of the season, and then we are just working our hardest to do our best.”
Granum added nine points, Cassie Rawden six, Rachel Miller two and Larsen one. Rawden dished out three assists and corralled six boards.
For CWL, which finished the season with a 7-15 record, Janae Kolden had a game-high 22 points.
Thursday marked a drastic change from the teams’ first meeting this season – a 65-48 Cyclone triumph on Dec. 10 in Clark.
“I think we had more desire to win, and we really did a lot better on rebounding and working together as a team,” Stevens said when asked about the change.
“Coming into this game, our focuses were defense and rebounding,” added Fast. “Those were things we just didn’t do in early December. So we had a scout and the girls believed in it, and they accomplished our goals.
“So hat’s off to them.”
The Sweet 16 is Friday, March 3.
Notes: Miller started the game in place of Larsen, who wore a protective mask after suffering a nose injury in a game last week. Larsen, however, was on the floor to begin the second half. … Sioux Valley committed just nine turnovers and forced 14.
• Hamlin 53, Deuel 25
HAYTI – The Chargers (21-0) posted their 22nd consecutive victory, defeating the Cardinals (7-15) in the other Region 2A semifinal to advance to the Sweet 16.
Hamlin led 13-4 after a quarter, 35-14 at halftime and 49-19 through three.
Lexi Wadsworth had game-high totals of 17 points and nine rebounds. Brynn Alfson added 14 points and five boards.
For Deuel, Britney Lovre totaled 11 points.
