MANHATTAN — That’s what you call playing your best at tournament time.
The Olpe girls’ masterful dismantling of Berean Academy in the first half of Friday’s Class 2A State semifinal left no doubt that the top-seeded Eagles would be the favorite in today’s title game. The Eagles crushed Berean with a 15-0 first-quarter run and led by 29 before it was even halftime, coasting to a 77-45 victory at Bramlage Coliseum.
Olpe (25-0) is one win away from not only winning its first State championship since 1981, but also completing an undefeated title run. Which would be quite an accomplishment for a team with no senior starters or regulars.
Does second-seeded Hill City, Olpe’s opponent in today’s 4 p.m. championship game, stand a chance to beat the Eagles? Not if coach Jesse Nelson’s team is clicking like it was in the opening 11-or-so minutes of Friday’s game.
“I thought we defended extremely well in the first half,” Nelson said. “And then, of course, when the ball goes in the hole for you, your offense looks pretty good. I thought we shared the ball so well and moved it so well, got it to the people in positions where they could score.”
During that first-half stretch, the Eagles simply didn’t allow open shots and executed ably on offense, finding the open man and taking smart shots. For the game, Olpe shot 68.6 percent and held Berean to 33 percent from the floor.
Jill Cole got the 15-0 run started with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 12-7. Then Janae Haag grabbed a long rebound and found Katelyn Henderson on the break for a layup, and Flott scored on the block. Berean called a timeout after Flott’s basket, but it didn’t slow Olpe down. The Eagles completed the run with eight more points, ending on a layup by Haag to make it 24-7.
Six points from Flott in the second quarter and a 3-pointer by McDougald helped the Eagles push their lead out to 41-12 before the break, when they led by 25.
“It was pretty tiring,” Flott said of the pivotal first-half stretch. “But after you get over that hump of being tired, it just feels awesome, because you’re doing so well as a team. And we really had good teamwork all-around.”
Olpe wasn’t quite as sharp all-around in the second half, but the Eagles shot almost as well from the floor and managed to widen their lead, allowing Nelson to empty the bench early.
Flott was again superb, scoring 22 points to lead the Eagles. McDougald scored 18 and handed out six assists from the point guard position, and Henderson was everywhere for Olpe, particularly during the first half. She scored 14 and tied Flott with nine rebounds, and Henderson also grabbed three steals.
“The atmosphere was really good for us,” Henderson said. “Our fans kept us going, and we just did a really good job of getting the ball where it needed to be. And luckily, everyone had their shot (today).”
The freshman Haag added eight points and five assists. Mallory Zuercher led Berean (21-4) with 15 points.
One more win is all the Eagles need to win their first title since Nelson was in his third year as Olpe’s coach.
“People have heard me say it a bunch: getting to the State tournament’s an awfully nice thing,” Nelson said. “Getting there and playing three good basketball games, where you play well three times, is really important, too.
“I don’t want to fall short with it. But if we come out tomorrow and just play a good game, you gotta be happy with the way the kids approached it.”
Friday at Manhattan
Berean 9 7 12 17 — 45
Olpe 28 13 14 22 — 77
Berean (21-4) — Wilgers 3-9 0-0 7, Rust 2-11 4-6 9, Zuercher 6-15 1-2 15, Witte 0-2 0-0 0, Khosravipour 3-5 0-0 6, Wiebe 0-0 0-0 0, Barron 0-1 0-0 0, Ladwig 2-5 0-1 4, Burkhart 0-2 0-0 0, Wiebe 1-2 0-0 2, Sommerfield 0-0 0-0 0, Entz 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 18-54 5-9 45.
Olpe (25-0) — Henderson 7-8 0-0 14, McDougald 7-12 2-2 18, Kuhlmann 2-2 0-2 4, Cole 2-3 0-0 6, Flott 11-18 0-0 22, Haag 4-5 0-0 8, Garretson 0-0 0-0 0, Benton 1-2 1-1 3, Redeker 0-0 0-0 0, Stout 1-1 0-0 2, Samuels 0-0 0-0 0, Scheidegger 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-51 3-5 77.
3-point goals — Berean 4-21 (Zuercher 2-5, Rust 1-7, Wilgers 1-7, Barron 0-1, Ladwig 0-1), Olpe 4-8 (Cole 2-2, McDougald 2-5, Haag 0-1). Rebounds — Berean 22 (Witte 6), Olpe 37 (Henderson, Flott 9). Assists — Berean 5 (Wilgers 2), Olpe 15 (McDougald 6). Total fouls — Berean 8, Olpe 11. Fouled out — None.