By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON -- In their third try in consecutive years, the Hayden girls finally lifted the lid on the semifinal round, beating defending Class 4A state champion Wellington 50-45 Thursday to advance to the championship round.
Hayden girls basketball celebrates Thursday's 50-45 win over Wellington in a Class 4A semifinal in Hutchinson. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Hayden led by as many as 10 in the contest, but found itself in need of some late-game heroics Thursday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Hayden went cold in the middle of the fourth quarter, going more than four minutes without a point.
An 8-0 run by the Crusaders during that crucial interval turned a 42-37 Hayden lead into a 45-42 advantage for Wellington.
Hayden didn’t allow another point, reeling the Crusaders in with their defense and giving themselves a chance to win.
“We were down 45-42 and ended on an 8-0 run. Our girls stayed together the whole time,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said. “Some of those girls were involved in some huge games last year where they came out on top. If we had fizzled out there, it just seemed like, ‘Ok, they’re the better team.' They’re used to it. So, I’m glad we didn’t let that happen. We played really tough down the stretch and hit big shots and got big rebounds.”
Sophomore Sophia Wichman, scoreless for 30 minutes, hit a free throw at 1:23 left to cut the lead by one. Having seen the ball go through the net once, she was warmed up for the biggest shot of her career.
Wellington missed two free throws with under a minute remaining, giving the Wildcats a chance to tie or take the lead. But the Wildcats struggled to produce a shot from their four-out offense. In the scramble, the ball came to Wichman as the shot clock ticked down. She drained the open look to put Hayden ahead 46-45 with 37 seconds left.
“I went in and I airballed that first three (earlier in the game) and I was like, ‘Wow!’ ” Wichman said. “But I didn’t let it get me down completely. I was like, ‘I’m gonna keep shooting, keep my head up,' because that’s what all my teammates told me to do.''
Wichman said the play was designed to create a shot for Lauren Borjon, who had two 3-pointers in the game.
“I would much rather have (Borjon) take that shot because I know that she’s such a good 3-point shooter,” Wichman said. “Everyone has so much faith in her. But I came around and was just like, ‘I’m open. We’re down. I need to make this shot.’ And I just let it fly.”
“She’s just got nerves of steel, I guess,” Reynoldson said. “She’s never nervous about anything and we had confidence when she shot it.”
The Hayden defense, which had been so successful all game, locked down the defending champs on four possessions, holding them scoreless as the seconds ticked away. The Wildcats’ defense was huge all day. A stiff full-court press forced 21 turnovers and held the defending champs to 35.4 percent shooting from the field. The Crusaders were hurt by 9-17 shooting from the free throw line.
“On the backside we run back so much, so we don’t give up too many easy ones, because when you press, that’s the fear, that you’re going to give up easy baskets and whatnot,” Reynoldson said. “We have girls with active hands and get deflections.”
The Wildcats advanced without a big day from sophomore Hailey Schmidlein, who averaged 17.5 points per game this season. Schmidtlein hit just 4-17 attempts and finished with just 10 points. Others had to step up, and Wichman wasn’t the only one who responded. Ella Foster dropped three big 3-pointers for nine points. Borjon and Emberley Connell contributed eight points apiece off the Hayden bench. Blakely Walter added seven.
The Wildcats have been denied trips to the championship game the past two years, but bounced back both times to win the third-place contest. Reynoldson said, with few returners who played significant roles on those teams, this year’s group wasn’t thinking about the previous defeats.
This Hayden team will go for the school’s first state title since 2004. A familiar foe awaits the Wildcats on Saturday. Bishop Miege, winners of 25 state championships, will be out to avenge their defeat in the 4A title game at the hands of Wellington a year ago. The Stags defeated Rock Creek 59-43 to return to the championship.
The Stags and Wildcats will meet Saturday at 12:30 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena to decide the Class 4A championship.
HAYDEN GIRLS 50, WELLINGTON 45
Hayden 11 14 8 17 -- 50
Wellington 8 11 17 9 -- 45
Hayden (21-6) – Walter 2-15 3-4 7, Schmidtlein 4-17 2-5 10, Foster 3-4 0-0 9, Huscher 0-2 0-0 0, Watts 0-4 2-2 2, Wichman 1-3 1-2 4, Mitchell 1-4 0-0 2, Borjon 3-4 0-0 8, Wrench 0-0 0-0 0, Connell 4-9 0-0 8. Totals 18-62 8-13 50.
Wellington (22-2) – Barton 3-9 1-2 7, Zeka 5-17 3-7 15, Wright 2-5 0-0 4, Cornejo 1-4 1-4 3, Gregory 5-11 4-4 14, Ginter 1-2 0-0 2, Gulick 0-0 0-0 0, Newman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-48 9-17 45.
3-point goals – Hayden 6 (Foster 3, Borjon 2, Wichman 1), Wellington 2 (Zeka 2). Total fouls – Hayden 15, Wellington 16. Fouled out – Barton, Wright. Technical fouls – None.
