Trojans advance to 2nd round
Staff writer
Hillsboro, which lost twice to Moundridge during the regular season, will take on the Wildcats for a third time at 7 tonight in the second round of the teams’ substate tournament.
Moundridge, the No. 1 seed and substate host, will be a tough out for the Trojans.
“We will embrace the challenge and be ready to compete on Wednesday,” coach Micah Ratzlaff said.
Hillsboro advanced to the second round by beating Sacred Heart 34-23 at home Friday night.
In that game, Amyah Werth scored 10 points, Ella Potucek 14, and Kingzley Raztlaff five. Talia Jost pulled down six rebounds while Addison Jost had five defensive rebounds.
“I knew our first round match-up was going to be a tough game, and it was sad that one of us was going to be done right away,” Ratzlaff said. “I thought the difference was our defense. I was proud of our girls for carrying out the game plan and grinding out another tough win.”
Marion
The Lady Warriors ended their postseason with a 43-35 loss Friday to Wichita Classical, 43-35.
In their final games of their high school careers, senior Kenna Wesner scored 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds, Taryn Kraus had 10 points and four assists, and Erin Regnier scored six points with four rebounds.
“This loss was hard, and ending a season is always hard,” coach Jason Hett said. “But this group accomplished so much this year, and I am so thankful I was able to be their coach.”
The Warriors finished the season 13-8, the best finish for the girls’ team since 2018.
“This group became a team,” Hett said. “They started in June with goals and worked hard every day to reach those goals.
“I can’t thank our seniors enough for the past four years. Kenna, Taryn, Erin, Addison [Cooper], and Scout [Redger] mean so much to this program, and the leadership they showed all season is how seniors are supposed to lead.
“Those girls came so far in four years, and we’re going to miss them.”
Goessel
Goessel got off to a slow start Saturday in the second round of its substate playoff.
The Bluebirds scored only two points in the first quarter and trailed 23-4 midway through the second period.
From then on, Goessel matched Madison point for point, trailing 36-21 at the end of three quarters. The game ended the Bluebirds season with a final score of 47-32.
Delaney Duerksen led the Bluebirds with 13 points, Abbigail Funk added 12, Aimee Funk five, and Logan Bryant two.
“I was super proud of the grit and competitiveness these girls showed and have shown all year,” coach Ryan Hoopes said. “We were the smallest team on the court every night but competed every second of every game because of their grit and competitive nature.”
Goessel’s record for the season was 14-8. The Bluebirds will graduate four starters and look to fill those gaps next season.
“We will surely miss these four seniors, but my hope is the competitiveness has worn off on my younger girls and hopefully we will see that same type of grit going forward,” Hoopes said. “We won’t have the experience, nor the athleticism we have had these past couple of years, but these younger girls have battled with these upperclassmen every day in practice, which has helped them improve.
“Although next year might be a rebuilding year, the future looks to be bright for Lady Bluebird basketball.”