PLEASANTON — The seventh-seeded Erie Red Devils pulled out a win against the second-seeded Pleasanton Blu-Jays by a score of 33-29 in the KSHSAA Class 2A Girls Basketball Sub-State Championships here Tuesday.
The night was one of the most efficient of the season for Erie, as the Red Devils shot 33 percent from deep. They turned the ball over just 17 times, much lower than their season average of 25-plus.
Pleasanton took control of the matchup early, but Erie battled back to a 10-10 score after a quarter.
“The first half was pretty ugly as Pleasanton was moving and working the ball,” Erie head coach Sindy Daniels said. “We struggled offensively and we were forcing the ball inside.”
The second quarter saw things slow down, as just a single player from each team found the bucket. The Blu-Jays held a 14-13 lead heading into the locker room.
“We started out in a 1-3-1 zone. In the second half, we made a few adjustments and went to a 2-1-2. We packed it in and forced them to shoot from the outside,” Daniels said. “They hit a couple on us early, but we picked up our defense and caused them to throw the ball away a few crucial times down the floor.”
The Erie offense finally found its stride in the third quarter, outscoring the home team 13-9 in the period. The run was sparked by 3s from senior Skyller Hopper and sophomore Taytum Olds.
“We finally became a little more patient on the offensive end,” Daniels said. “That led to some big shots from Skyller and Taytum.”
Pleasanton hit a pair of 3s in the final frame, but junior Kinzie Cleaver and sophomore Jacksen Powell kept the Red Devils on pace to victory.
Hopper finished with nine points, Olds had eight and both tallied two steals and an assist. Powell also scored eight, grabbing 10 rebounds in the process.
Normally carrying the offensive weight, junior Alex Pasquarelli netted just four points to go with seven rebounds and three assists, while junior Kinzie Cleaver and freshman Kaeleigh Daniels notched a pair of points each.
Up Next
With one upset in the books, the Red Devils (7-14) will need another to get to the sub-state finals, and in their way is a matchup with the third-seeded Northeast Vikings (12-6) on Friday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at Erie High School.
Box Score
Erie: 10 3 13 7 — 33
Pleasanton: 10 4 9 6 — 29
Scoring
Erie: Skyller Hopper 9, Taytum Olds 8, Jacksen Powell 8, Alex Pasquarelli 4, Kaeleigh Daniels 2, Kinzie Cleaver 2
Pleasanton: Leah Myrick 10, Eryn Sabine 7, Kara Umphenour 6, Landry George 5, Kali Umphenour 1
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