The Emporia Gazette

May 27, 2012

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Moments after the Emporia High girls basketball team’s 53-42 victory over Hayden on Friday night, there was a sense of relief coming from the Lady Spartan players and their coach, Bill Nienstedt.

You could almost hear the collective exhale coming from the locker room.

Hayden was a scary matchup for EHS. The Hayden girls are big, athletic and — when they get going — can shoot a team out of a game in a hurry.

Emporia found that out last year in Topeka when the Lady Wildcats buried 9 of 9 shots in the first quarter on their way to a 63-46 victory over the Lady Spartans.

Add in that Emporia had gone through a particularly tough week of practice and was dealing with some bumps and bruises to some crucial players — forward Lexi Hileman and point guard Alli Armitage barely practiced last week — and things could have gone all wrong for the EHS girls.

But the Lady Spartans, despite every challenge facing them, once again came away with a victory, and now go into a two-week break sporting a 5-0 record and the No. 2 ranking in Class 5A.

This season quickly is shaping up to be a very special one for the EHS girls, with the victory over previously unbeaten Hayden being a statement game of sorts.

I’ve been most impressed with three players in particular: Sadie Webb, Hileman and Nichole Naab.

Webb, a senior, seemingly has carried over the leadership she displayed on the volleyball court this fall to the basketball court, often giving the Lady Spartans a calming dose of upperclassman know-how when they need it most.

Hileman has been the most tenacious and most aggressive player on the court in every game Emporia has played so far. Her attitude and determination is exactly what Emporia needs this season, as sometimes, the Lady Spartans are too nice out on the court.

And then there’s Naab, who is as good a scorer as any in the Centennial League.

When Emporia started the Hayden game in a serious funk, it was Naab who kept the Lady Spartans in it early with three baskets in the first 8 minutes. And it was Naab who brought EHS all the way back in the second half, scoring seven of Emporia’s first 13 points in the third quarter to help the Lady Spartans turn a 20-19 halftime deficit into a 32-26 advantage just 4 minutes into the period.

In the second half against Hayden, Naab was perfect shooting-wise — 6-for-6 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. It was the second time this year that Naab has had a perfect shooting performance in the second half of a game.

The basketball season is only about a fourth of the way finished, but if Emporia can keep the trio of Webb, Hileman and Naab going strong like they have to begin the season — and continue to get quality production from the rest of the starters and the bench — there is no reason to think the Lady Spartans can’t be in Topeka when the State Tournament starts in March.