By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Silver Lake girls punched their ticket to the Class 3A state tournament Saturday by rolling past St. Marys 62-32 at Riley County.
Senior Makenzie McDaniel scored 22 points, 20 in the second half, as Silver Lake earned its fourth straight Class 3A state berth with a 62-32 sub-state win over St. Marys. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake senior McKinley Kruger scored 19 points with four 3-pointers in the Eagles' 62-32 sub-state win over St. Marys on Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
The Eagles will be making their fourth consecutive trip to the state tournament, an accomplishment proudly proclaimed by coach Kyle Porter. Silver Lake finished third at the state tournament in 2022 and fourth in 2023, due in large part to the current group of seniors.
“The special thing about this team is the balance and the fact that you can’t take everybody away,” Porter said. “We’ve had a number of players step up. I think when everybody plays to their role it’s a special thing. That’s what we saw tonight.”
St. Marys’ post Hayden Heim made things difficult for Silver Lake in the first period. The 6-foot-3 junior scored eight points in the opening period while holding Eagles’ post MaKenzie McDaniel to 1-4 shooting at the other end of the floor.
With the Eagles clinging to a 19-14 lead early in the second period, the game changed when Heim picked up her third foul.
When Heim went to the bench with 6:29 still remaining before halftime, the Eagles adjusted their strategy. They began sending guards into the middle of the paint to receive passes from the perimeter. Once there, the ball was kicked out to shooters. The plan ignited a run of eight points on three consecutive possessions.
“All game, one of our goals was to attack the scoring area,” Porter said. “We knew that they don’t play a ton of players, have a limited bench. So, we really wanted to get to the rim and use our inside game. We hit a number of shots outside early, and then with Heim not in there we were able to take advantage inside.”
With the Eagles expanding their lead, St. Marys elected to reinsert Heim despite her having three fouls.
With 22 seconds remaining before halftime, Silver Lake senior Kaylee Deiter drew a charge against Heim, her fourth.
Porter praised Deiter for her performance.
“She’s had a huge impact on our team on both ends of the floor. Defensively she really shined tonight. She made the play of the game when she drew the charge on Hayden Heim to get her fourth foul. Haylee is the epitome of a player doing her role to help the team win.”
“It was definitely a positive moment,” said Deiter. “It was my main goal trying to get her in foul trouble because she was one of our biggest competitors going into the game.
"She’s a really good player. It was hard getting around her, but with my teammates on my back side, it was all about getting in front of her. Drawing the charge was super exciting.”
With Heim shackled with fouls, St. Marys was forced to defend McDaniel with a different player. That proved ineffective. Repeatedly, McDaniel caught passes on the low block and converted them into buckets. She scored 12 points in the third period, turning the game into a rout. Silver Lake outscored St. Marys 18-4 in the third period.
McDaniel finished the game with 22, scoring 20 after intermission. McKinley Kruger knocked down four 3-pointers and recorded 19 points. Kailyn Hanni added 13.
Deiter, McDaniel, Kruger and fellow seniors Kaibryn Kruger and Sarah Wehrli are the group making their fourth trip to state. Porter said their experience will pay dividends.
“I think there’s going to be a level of comfort having been there and played quite a few games,” Porter said. “For these seniors, this will be their eighth game at state, so that’s pretty special. And this is another opportunity. We are not taking this for granted. Each year is special in its own self, and we’re excited to see this team write their story next week.”
Deiter said the seniors recognize the opportunity before them.
“I feel like all four years it’s been like ‘You’re going to win state.’ So, this is our last chance,” Deiter said. “I think we have what it takes to do it, but there is a lot of pressure.”
Silver Lake improved to 22-0 and now awaits the release of the 3A tournament bracket. The tournament will be played in the Hutchinson Sports Arena March 6-9. As the only undefeated team in the field, the Eagles will be the top seed in the bracket.
SILVER LAKE GIRLS 62, ST. MARYS 32
St. Marys 12 7 4 9 -- 32
Silver Lake 16 16 18 12 -- 62
St. Marys (13-9) – Garland 1-4 0-0 2, Moylan 1-5 2-2 5, Smith 3-10 0-0 6, Heim 6-11 3-3 15, Hurla 2-4 0-0 4, McCann 0-0 0-0 0, Kent 0-0 0-0 0, Figge 0-0 0-0 0, Hutley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 13-34 5-5 32.
Silver Lake (22-0) – Hanni 4-7 4-4 13, Deiter 2-7 0-0 4, McDaniel 9-17 4-8 22, K. Kruger 1-3 1-2 4, M. Kruger 7-9 1-2 19, Bolan 0-0 0-0 0, Wehrli 0-2 0-0 0, Wise 0-0 0-0 0, Zordel 0-0 0-0 0, Heiman 0-0 0-0 0, Brewster 0-0 0-0 0, Wende 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 23-45 10-16 62.
3-point goals – St. Marys 1 (Moylan 1), Silver Lake 6 (M. Kruger 4, K. Kruger 1, Hanni 1). Total fouls – St. Marys 11, Silver Lake 9. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
