By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
For the second straight game, the No. 4-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural girls (10-4, 5-0) played more than the usual 32-minute game.
Senior Brooklyn DeLeye led Washburn Rural with 18 points in the Junior Blues' 45-39 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But unlike their Tuesday night overtime loss to Blue Valley Northwest, the Junior Blues were able to come out on the winning end Friday night, knocking off 5A No. 4 Emporia (12-3, 3-2) by a 45-39 margin in the extra session.
“I thought tonight we were a little tougher, we had ebbs and flows but we fought through the ebbs more and a little better than what we did on Tuesday,” said Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick.
The win gave the Lady Blues a leg up in Centennial League play, as they remain undefeated and create two games of separation from the rest of the league.
“It’s big for the league standings, they are well coached, quick, they can shoot it and they’ve got a great post player, Bordewick said. “I just thought it was a solid effort all around.”
Senior Brooklyn DeLeye led Washburn Rural in scoring with 18 points, but in overtime, it was sophomores Kate Hinck and Tenly Bunck who scored all six points and helped hold Emporia scoreless in the extra time.
“They are both really tough-minded kids, and they are young,” Bordewick said. “I’ll tell you what, they are kind of what makes us go sometimes on defense and I thought they did a great job of disrupting a lot of what they had. But, the mental toughness to make those free throws in overtime, I thought was pretty cool.
Early on the Lady Blues jumped out to a quick 10-point lead, and would be in front 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
DeLeye had six points in the opening minutes and senior Chloe Carlgren had five in the first quarter.
The Spartans were able to knock down shots in the second quarter as well as keep Washburn Rural out of the paint on offense. Junior Addie Kirmer had two 3-pointers in the quarter to tie the game. At the break, the score was knotted up at 20 all.
The Lady Blues had trouble with the full-court pressure from Emporia, turning the ball over early in the third and resulting in an early four-point deficit. Washburn Rural was able to keep it at just four points as they trailed 32-28 at the end of the quarter. DeLeye was responsible for 14 of Rural’s 28 points through the first three quarters.
“Brooklyn is Brooklyn … She’s one of the toughest kids that we have had come through here, and she competes,” Bordewick said. “She did a fantastic job and she knows that we’re on her shoulders for a large part.”
Rural’s comeback bid in the fourth started with a 3-pointer by Hinck and was followed by two run-outs that resulted in layups from Carlgen and DeLeye, giving Washburn Rural a 39-36 lead with 2:37 to play.
In the remainder of regulation, the Lady Blues were held scoreless and the Spartans were able to tie the game after a free throw and a layup by Kirmer on consecutive possessions. The bucket sent the game into overtime after Rural came up empty on the final possession.
Washburn Rural sophomore Kate Hinck put the Junior Blues ahead to stay with a free throw in overtime as the Junior Blues went on to take a 45-39 win over Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore Tenly Bunck came up big at the free throw line in ovetime as Washburn Rural took a 45-39 win over Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
There were no field goals made in overtime and the first point came from Hinck at the line.
On the other end, Emporia was held scoreless in the overtime period while Hinck and Bunck knocked down a combined five more free throws to take the six-point win.
DeLeye led all scorers with her 18-point night while Carlgren had 11 and Hinck and Bunck eight points apiece. Only four players scored for Washburn Rural in the win.
Kirmer’s 16 points led Emporia, which also got 10 points from Rebecca Snyder.
The Lady Blues go on the road next, taking on Junction City next Tuesday.
WASHBURN RURAL GIRLS 45, EMPORIA 39 (OT)
Emporia 7 13 12 7 0 -- 39
Washburn Rural 14 6 8 11 6 -- 45
Washburn Rural (10-4, 5-0) – Schroeder 0-1 0-0 0, Lutz 0-2 0-1 0, Hinck 2-5 3-4 8, Carlgren 5-6 0-0 11, Ochs 0-2 0-0 0, Bunck 2-7 3-4 8, DeLeye 9-15 0-4 18. Totals: 18-38 6-13 45.
Emporia (12-3, 3-2) – Peak 1-6 0-2 2, Kirmer 7-17 0-0 16, Bennett 2-7 2-2 7, DeWitt 2-4 0-0 4, Hamilton 0-0 0-0 0, Shivley 0-4 0-0 0, Snyder 4-8 1-2 10, Pearson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 16-47 3-6 39.
3-point goals – Washburn Rural 3 (Carlgren, Bunck, Hinck), Emporia 4 (Kirmer 2, Bennett 1, Snyder 1). Total fouls – Washburn Rural 11, Emporia 13. Technical fouls – None. Fouled out – None.
