Drama in Bartley! Southwest girls get last-shot win
BARTLEY, Neb. — All those early dawn practice jumpers paid off late for the Southwest Roughriders Thursday night.
“I unlock the gym around 7:30 a.m. for anyone,” coach Dennis Hengen said. “And these girls have shown up.”
The three fab freshmen fueled a Roughrider rally with 27 combined points, but it was one steady senior who stepped up when it counted most in Thursday’s basketball opener.
The ’Riders unleashed a 15-4 final quarter to erase Medicine Valley’s 25-14 lead.
Yet tied 29-29, the determined Raiders took away Southwest’s best option in freshman Bailey Truksa (11 game-high points).
“Bailey hit a three and couple twos to get us going,” Hengen observed. “And we took it from there.”
In other words, senior Jadyn “Bubbly” Brooks took charge of these final seconds with one word:
SWISH!
Brooks buried the tie-breaker that didn’t touch any rim after so many first-half Southwest shots rimmed out.
The home team now led 31-29 and Medicine Valley could barely cross mid-court before those last less-than-two seconds ran out.
Just like that, Southwest’s girls (1-0 record)matched last year’s win total (1-20) and their fun is only beginning.
“It’s a good group and fun to coach,’ Hengen said about his second season with them. “Last year, we had one girl (Nicole Dewey) and no one else really seemed to want to take a shot.”
Not this year.
Freshman Caylin Barnett erased any first-game jitter ” when she scored all eight of her points in that quarter.
Classmate Brooklyn Clements ignited breaks throughout the game while adding another eight points.
Hengen also praised defensive efforts from junior Haylee Adams and freshman Aubrey High, who stepped in to play key minutes while the ’Riders battled some foul troubles. They contained visiting Med Valley just enough to avenge last year’s 36-11 opening loss at Curtis.
Junior Acelyn Klein joined senior Sabra Schmidt and sophomore Kaylyn Roblee in scoring 25 of 29 Raider points.
Med Valley finished the first half on a 10-0 surge to lead 18-8 by intermission.
The Raiders (0-1) host Paxton tonight while Southwest visits Maywood-Hayes Center Saturday.
SOUTHWEST (31) — Bailey Truksa 11 points, Brooklyn Clements 8, Caylin Barnett 8, Jadyn Brooks 4. Three-pointer: Truksa.
MED VALLEY (29) — Acelyn Klein 11 points, Sabra Schmidt 7, Kaylyn Roblee 7, Milla Farr 4. Three-pointer: Roblee.