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For a while, it seemed that Girard was going to run away with third place in the Class 4A girls tournament at Salina as the Lady Trojans held Holton to 12.5 percent shooting in the first half and built a 30-13 halftime lead.
But the Lady Wildcats rallied in the second half and Girard had to hit free throws down the stretch to secure a 45-39 win.
Girard’s defense ruled the first half, as Holton made just four of 32 field goals and missed all 11 three-point attempts.
Late in the second quarter, the Lady Trojans started to fire on offense as well.
A 10-0 run fueled by turnovers put Girard up 26-9 after freshman Hadyn Herlocker completed a four-point play with 2:12 left in the half.
Holton scored four straight, but Kenzie Dunlap hit a three, and Herlocker added a free throw to send Girard into halftime with a 30-13 lead.
The Lady Trojans led 38-22 late in the third, but Holton’s Rylie Bowser finished the quarter with a three-point play to start a 15-1 run.
Following a string of Girard turnovers, Holton got within two on a pair of Jill Lutz free throws with 2:31 left.
The Lady Trojans finally stopped the bleeding when Herlocker was fouled while reaching for a defensive rebound with 1:41 left. The freshman hit one free throw to put her team up 40-37.
Girard got another stop, and then the Lady Trojans started trying to run the clock out. With 1:01 left, senior Carly Twarog was corralled near midcourt and fouled. She calmly hit both free throws for a 42-37 advantage.
Lutz missed a three and Holton fouled Twarog again. She connected on both charities again, but with 34.7 seconds remaining, Lutz scored on a putback to keep Holton’s hopes alive.
Despite aggressive full-court defense by Holton, Girard got the ball safely in-bounded, and Herlocker effectively iced the game with another free throw in the final thirty seconds.
Twarog and Herlocker led Girard with 10 points apiece. Twarog was six-for-six from the free throw line, and had five rebounds and two assists. Herlocker added four assists.
Senior Morgan Boore added seven points and four assists, while Danica Kelly chipped in six points and senior Carly Lallemand grabbed six rebounds.
GHS coach Brad Herlocker said his team’s great start was a product of their execution, and he was proud of their free throw shooting down the stretch.
“The girls came out and executed our game plan very well. And we came out shooting hot,” he said. “Holton’s a team that over the past two years is about 46-1 coming into this game, so we knew that they would have a run in them and our kids stepped up at the end of the game, hit the free throws when they needed to shift the momentum back in our direction. I could not be more proud of each and every one of them.”
Girard finished the season 24-2 while Holton, which got ten points from Lutz, wound up 23-2 on the year.
For a while, it seemed that Girard was going to run away with third place in the Class 4A girls tournament at Salina as the Lady Trojans held Holton to 12.5 percent shooting in the first half and built a 30-13 halftime lead.
But the Lady Wildcats rallied in the second half and Girard had to hit free throws down the stretch to secure a 45-39 win.
Girard’s defense ruled the first half, as Holton made just four of 32 field goals and missed all 11 three-point attempts.
Late in the second quarter, the Lady Trojans started to fire on offense as well.
A 10-0 run fueled by turnovers put Girard up 26-9 after freshman Hadyn Herlocker completed a four-point play with 2:12 left in the half.
Holton scored four straight, but Kenzie Dunlap hit a three, and Herlocker added a free throw to send Girard into halftime with a 30-13 lead.
The Lady Trojans led 38-22 late in the third, but Holton’s Rylie Bowser finished the quarter with a three-point play to start a 15-1 run.
Following a string of Girard turnovers, Holton got within two on a pair of Jill Lutz free throws with 2:31 left.
The Lady Trojans finally stopped the bleeding when Herlocker was fouled while reaching for a defensive rebound with 1:41 left. The freshman hit one free throw to put her team up 40-37.
Girard got another stop, and then the Lady Trojans started trying to run the clock out. With 1:01 left, senior Carly Twarog was corralled near midcourt and fouled. She calmly hit both free throws for a 42-37 advantage.
Lutz missed a three and Holton fouled Twarog again. She connected on both charities again, but with 34.7 seconds remaining, Lutz scored on a putback to keep Holton’s hopes alive.
Despite aggressive full-court defense by Holton, Girard got the ball safely in-bounded, and Herlocker effectively iced the game with another free throw in the final thirty seconds.
Twarog and Herlocker led Girard with 10 points apiece. Twarog was six-for-six from the free throw line, and had five rebounds and two assists. Herlocker added four assists.
Senior Morgan Boore added seven points and four assists, while Danica Kelly chipped in six points and senior Carly Lallemand grabbed six rebounds.
GHS coach Brad Herlocker said his team’s great start was a product of their execution, and he was proud of their free throw shooting down the stretch.
“The girls came out and executed our game plan very well. And we came out shooting hot,” he said. “Holton’s a team that over the past two years is about 46-1 coming into this game, so we knew that they would have a run in them and our kids stepped up at the end of the game, hit the free throws when they needed to shift the momentum back in our direction. I could not be more proud of each and every one of them.”
Girard finished the season 24-2 while Holton, which got ten points from Lutz, wound up 23-2 on the year.
