The Eureka Lady Tornadoes finished out the regular season last Monday, Feb. 19, claiming the road victory over the Olpe Eagles, 50-48. Olpe struck first, but Brenna Rucker tied it up quickly converting an offensive board into a putback. The teams continued scoring in alternating fashion. Rucker orchestrated a 5-0 run on her own with a free throw and four points in the paint before Olpe ended the spree with a free throw. With under 20 seconds left in the first quarter, junior Laynie Winfrey weaved her way through the lane, spinning off of her defenders, and scored the basket. Olpe managed to beat the buzzer with a reverse layup to conclude the first 8 minutes of play, Eureka leading 14-11.
Winfrey kicked off the second quarter with a shot at the basket, assisted by freshman Elle Coulter. Olpe answered with a three-pointer. After another offensive putback, this time from Coulter, and a free throw from Rucker, the Eagles nailed another shot from behind the arc.
Sophomore Britta Mongeau responded in kind with a triple from the corner. Both teams continued their attempts at the basket. Olpe threw the last punch of the half after scoring a buzzer-beater 2-point field goal. Eureka’s effort on both offense and defense in the second quarter helped to extend their lead to 33-24 by the end of the first half.
The first 7 points of the third quarter belonged to Olpe, giving them a lot of momentum. Rucker finished a contested, right-handed layup to end the run. The preceding possessions resulted in back and forth scoring, each team responding when the other would score. Winfrey wrapped up the scoring in the third quarter after earning a quick bucket on a baseline inbound. The Eagles outscored the Tornadoes 15-10, but Eureka still had the 43-41 lead after their strong first half.
The score was knotted up 48-48 with 37 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Coulter drove to the basket and caught Winfrey trailing behind her. Winfrey finished the shot in front of the rim to give Eureka the lead and another Tornado victory, 50-48.
The Lady Tornadoes began postseason play on Monday, Feb. 26. In the first round of sub-state, Eureka hosted the Pleasanton Bluejays. The winner will advance to semi-final action this Thursday, Feb. 29.
Stats and Scoring Leaders: POINTS: Rucker 28, Winfrey 11, Coulter 7, Mongeau 3 and Alaina Westerman 1. REBOUNDS: Kimber Ptacek and Rucker 9, Winfrey 5, Coulter 4 and Mongeau 2. ASSISTS: Winfrey 4, Mongeau 3 and Ptacek and Coulter 2. STEALS: Winfrey 3 and Ptacek 2.
