Cheney gets past Eureka to return to 3A semifinals

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - The Cheney Lady Cardinals advance to the Class 3A State semifinals after a 65-48 victory over the Eureka Lady Tornadoes.

Eureka, the fifth seed in the field, started the scoring with a three-pointer. Cheney soon tied the score and then took over the lead. By the end of the first quarter, the Lady Cardinals led 15-5.

Eureka scored 13 points in the second quarter including four field goals and five free throws. Cheney countered with 11.

By the end of the first half, Cheney’s Campbell Hague had accumulated 13 rebounds.

The fourth-seeded Cheney still led at halftime, 26-18.

The Lady Cardinals kept Eureka at a distance in the third quarter. They led by 17 points at five minutes to go in the quarter. The Lady Tornadoes narrowed the Cheney lead to 11 by the end of the quarter to trail 48-35.

Both teams scored in double digits in the fourth quarter. Eureka added 13 points while Cheney totaled 17 to make the finals score 65-48.

“Everyone is good here,” said Cheney Head Coach Sarah McCormick. “A couple of times you hear about a team that has never been there before or they’re just happy to be here. There are no teams like that here. Eureka has a rich history and a lot of tradition. We knew it was going to be tough. They have amazing athletes. The four-five matchup is always the hardest.”

Cheney’s Campbell Hague led all scorers with 17 points. She made seven field goals and three free throws. Hague also ended the game with 22 rebounds for a double-double. She also had three blocks. “She’s had maybe one or two double-doubles this year,” said Coach McCormick of Hague. “For her to have it at the State Tournament what a great time for that to happen. I said honestly if we take care of the ball and just rebound we will win this game. She definitely did her job today.”

Elina Bartlett added 16 points on five field goals and six of eight from the free-throw line for the Lady Cardinals. Reagan Ayers scored 13 points with five field goals, two three-pointers, and one made free throw.

For Eureka, Ashley Singhateh led the team with 14 points. She made four field goals, one three, and five free throws. Brenna Rucker added 13 points on five field goals, a three-pointer, and two of two free throws. Aliyah Singhateh contributed 11 points with four field goals and three made free throws.

Eureka’s season ends with a record of 21-3.

Cheney advances to the 3A semifinal game at 2:00 PM on Friday, March 10th. They will face 24-0 and tournament top seed Phillipsburg.

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