Seaman had hung around for too long, and the Emporia High girls didn’t intend to see their senior night — not to mention their nine-game winning streak — ruined.
Sparked by Lexi Hileman’s fourth-quarter return from foul trouble, the Lady Spartans kicked into gear in the fourth quarter, putting together a 7-0 run to finally get separation from the Vikings and nailing every fourth-quarter free throw. Emporia’s seven seniors won the final game on their home floor — unless the Spartans host a substate game — and their 10th in a row by a 48-35 score.
“We got some things said to us,” said Hileman, the senior post who scored two big baskets and pulled down four rebounds after checking in at the beginning of the fourth quarter. “Coach talked to us, and he’s like, ‘You guys need to pull it together.’ There’s seven of us seniors, and with Lindy (Arndt) on top of that, we came together and decided it was time to step it up. We couldn’t let them hang with us any longer.”
Emporia coach Bill Nienstedt believed the pressure for his accomplished senior class to win its final home game weighed heavily on them early. Emporia slogged to a 16-14 deficit at halftime, struggling to score inside partly because of Hileman’s foul trouble and partly because of Seaman’s size inside, with 6-foot-2 Kara Lee and 6-foot Ariel Johnson. The Spartans made just 5-of-17 first-half field goal attempts against the team they were tied with for second place in the Centennial League.
“It’s just a night that emotions are high,” said senior point guard Alli Armitage. “We want to win, but we just started out trying too hard, and you can’t do that when you want to actually win.”
Emporia pulled ahead in the third quarter on an Armitage 3-pointer that made the score 20-19, then increased it to 22-20 when Armitage found Arndt in transition for a righthanded layin and a foul with four minutes remaining in the third. Arndt’s free throw made it 23-20, and the Spartans reached the end of the third with a 27-24 lead.
Hileman had picked up her third foul just 17 seconds into the third quarter and sat the rest of the period. Once she checked back in, the Spartans made sure to get her the ball immediately, and didn’t take long to jumpstart the deciding run. Hileman posted up, pivoted into the lane and scored on a righthanded scoop to make it 29-24.
Two minutes later, she and Arndt hooked up for Spartan fans’ favorite play of the game to widen the lead to seven. Hileman set an inside screen for Arndt on the right wing, then rolled to the basket as Arndt dribbled into the lane. Hileman caught the pass from Arndt and finished the textbook pick-and-roll with a layin. When Seaman then called timeout with 5:25 left, the EHS crowd was on its feet.
Out of the timeout, senior forward Hilary Heinrichs rebounded a missed 3-pointer by Seaman’s Erin Greenwood, and at the other end, Armitage knocked down a three for a 34-24 lead. Seaman never got closer than nine points away after that, and the Spartans’ last 14 points came on 14-of-14 free throw shooting in the last three-and-a-half minutes. For the game, Emporia (15-4, 9-3) was an almost-perfect 21-for-22 from the line.
“That was the last thing I wanted to do, was get in foul trouble tonight,” Hileman said. “I don’t even know what happened, really. ... But I knew I had to come fourth quarter and bring something, and give us a spark.”
Arndt made six of Emporia’s last 14 free throws and finished 12-for-12 at the line, leading the Spartans with 14 points. Armitage had 10, all in the second half, and Hileman had seven. Lee led Seaman (11-8, 8-4) with eight points.
The senior class of Armitage, Hileman, Heinrichs, Ashley Leihsing, Amber Miller, Janae Scheve and Rachelle VanGundy is one that has both helped Nienstedt win plenty of games and captured him emotionally.
“I’ve never kept seven before anywhere, I don’t think,” he said. “And a lot of people told us we were crazy to keep that many. But... we felt like one of the big strengths of that senior class is their togetherness as a group of seven, so it was an easy decision for us. Great kids, great families.”
As would be expected, the final home game was a time for some reflection for the Lady Spartan seniors.
“It’s so many emotions,” Hileman said. “I’m so happy that I finally made it here. Then again, I know this is the last time to play in this gym, unless we get a substate game. But for the most part, this is the last time I’m ever gonna be on this floor, and it’s a bummer, big-time.”
“It’s very surreal,” Heinrichs said. “You just don’t realize how quickly it comes. ... It’s good to know we’ve left such a name for ourselves, the seven of us.”
Armitage verbals
to Hutch
Armitage said she verbally committed last weekend to play next year at Hutchinson Community College.
“I was (looking at some other schools), but Hutch was for me,” the 5-foot-4 Armitage said. “It fit me well, and I’m very excited to go on and play for coach (John) Ontjes.”
Armitage plans to sign with the Blue Dragons during the spring signing period in April.
Emporia girls 48, Seaman 35
Seaman 7 9 8 11 — 35
Emporia 9 5 13 21 — 48
Seaman (11-8, 8-4) — Brooks 1-6 0-0 2, Greenwood 2-4 1-2 5, Sowards 1-7 4-6 7, Gatewood 0-3 1-2 1, Lee 2-3 4-6 8, Johnson 2-3 0-0 4, Tenpenny 0-3 3-4 3, Slimmer 2-5 0-0 5, Eakes 0-0 0-0 0, Akin 0-0 0-0 0, Potvin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 10-34 13-20 35.
Emporia (15-4, 9-3) — Armitage 3-7 2-2 10, Miller 0-2 2-2 2, Arndt 2-6 12-12 14, Heinrichs 1-4 2-2 4, Hileman 1-2 2-2 5, VanGundy 1-2 2-2 5, Kolmer 1-1 0-0 2, Leihsing 1-5 0-0 2, Scheve 0-0 0-0 0, Waldner 0-1 0-0 0, McRell 0-0 0-0 0, Elbe 0-0 0-0 0, Burenheide 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-32 21-22 48.
3-point goals — Seaman 2-12 (Sowards 1-6, Slimmer 1-1, Brooks 0-2, Greenwood 0-1, Tenpenny 0-2), Emporia 3-6 (Armitage 2-4, VanGundy 1-2). Fouled out — None.