By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Thursday's Class 3A girls state tournament game between Silver Lake and Cherryvale belonged to the Eagles' Makenzie McDaniel.
McDaniel, a 6-foot sophomore, registered a big double-double as the No. 1-seeded Eagles rolled to a 63-33 victory to advance to Friday's state semifinals.
McDaniel hit 16 of 21 shots from the field on the way to a 34-point outing and grabbed 16 rebounds as Silver Lake improved to 23-1.
Makenzie McDaniel
With Thursday's win Silver Lake moved on to a 4 p.m. semifinal against No. 4 seed Goodland, which took a 38-37 first-round win over Southeast-Saline.
Cherryvale, which ended its season 15-9, was within six points (15-9) at the end of the opening quarter, but Silver Lake held the Chargers to just two points in the second quarter en route to opening up a huge 31-11 halftime advantage.
The Eagles' lead grew to 49-26 at the end of the third quarter and Silver Lake continued to pull away over the final eight minutes.
Silver Lake, which does not have a senior on its roster, is in the 3A final four this season after making it to the state quarterfinals a year ago.
