Olpe girls drop close one to Ellis in 2A semis
Justin Nutter - Special to the Gazette
Saturday, March 14, 2009
MANHATTAN — After Olpe’s 72-43 win over Elkhart in the first round of the Class 2A State tournament, head coach Jesse Nelson said he knew the Eagles would have to perform well on a consistent basis to win a State title.
The Eagles fell just short of that goal, dropping a 65-61 decision to Ellis High School in their semifinal matchup on Friday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Similar to Thursday’s win, neither team could gain control early in the contest. But Olpe began to find its rhythm late in the first quarter, closing the period on an 11-0 run to take a 23-14 lead at the first buzzer.
However, unlike in the Eagles’ first tournament game, their opponent had a response.
The Railroaders’ Whitney Taylor, who erupted for 32 points for the game, led a steady attack in the second quarter, in which Olpe allowed four consecutive 3-pointers in the final four minutes.
“One thing (Ellis) did to adjust was start putting the ball in the hole,” Nelson said. “We let them get going during that time because we got away from executing offense. That’s what really allowed their run.”
Taylor, who scored 12 points in Ellis’ first round win over Clifton-Clyde, had 10 in the period, including a 3-pointer that gave the Railroaders the lead with about two minutes left in the half. The Eagles were outscored 19-7 in the period and trailed 33-30 at the break.
Olpe’s Katelyn Henderson, who had five points, said Taylor’s ability to score from anywhere on the floor caused difficulties for the Eagles.
“(Taylor) had a really good jumper and that just surprised us a bit,” she said. “She’s just a really good shooter. We were having some confusion whether to go up and guard the wing or stay down and guard the post. We were overplaying on other areas of the floor.”
Olpe’s offense got back on track in the third quarter, as Jill Cole connected on three shots from beyond the arc to lead the charge. But Taylor kept the game close, hitting five field goals in the quarter. A bucket by Cole gave the Eagles a 50-48 lead, which they took into the final period.
“(Taylor) has a lot of different ways that she can score,” Nelson said of the senior’s consistent performance. “If you catch her on a night where she’s shooting the ball well, then you’re in trouble. She’s just an exceptional player.”
A 9-0 Ellis run at the beginning of the fourth quarter proved to be the game’s deciding factor. Olpe kept the game close, cutting the deficit to three on a 3-point play by Kathryn Flott with 1:33 remaining, but the Railroaders used late free throws to put the game out of reach.
The Eagles will face Salina-Sacred Heart in the consolation game at noon today. Flott, who scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, said Friday’s loss won’t affect the team’s effort in the matchup with the Knights.
“We’ve just got to come out tomorrow, play as hard as we can and get third place,” she said. “We’ll go back to the hotel and get a good night’s sleep and concentrate on what we need to do tomorrow.”
Nelson agreed with Flott, saying he expects the Eagles to give it their all in today’s game.
“Maybe it’s because they’re so young, but I think their approach (to the game) will be fine,” he said. “It’s really easy to lay down after you lose this one right here, but we’re going to play a really good team in the third-place game and I think our kids will come out and play really hard.”
Friday at Manhattan
Ellis 14 19 15 17 — 65
Olpe 23 7 20 11 — 61
Ellis (20-5) — Taylor 32, Wolf 17, Mickelson 8, Hollingshead 5, Polifka 2, Waldschmidt 1.
Olpe (22-3) — Flott 20, McDougald 16, Cole 14, Moyer 6, Henderson 5.
3-point goals — Ellis 6-12 (Mickelson 2-2, Taylor 2-4 Wolf 2-6), Olpe 7-15 (Cole 4-7, Moyer 2-3, McDougald 1-4, Flott 0-1). Rebounds — Ellis 28 (Taylor, Polifka 7), Olpe 34 (Flott 12). Assists — Ellis 6 (Wolf 2), Olpe 7 (McDougald, Moyer 2). Fouled out — None.