BY CHRIS FORTUNE
The Eudora girls varsity basketball team overcame a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter and came out victorious against De Soto Monday night in Tonganoxie.
The Cardinal offense struggled for most of the game, but found life when it mattered most in the fourth quarter. Junior Harper Schreiner scored a game high 15 points and made both of her 3-pointers. Junior Mackenzie Mayer scored 7 points and shot 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
The Cardinals came out of the first quarter with a 10-7 lead, but the offense slowed as De Soto scored 15 points in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 22-18 lead. Each time Eudora would begin to chip away at a De Soto lead, De Soto would answer with a quick bucket of their own. The trend continued as they took a 36-25 lead going into the fourth quarter.
“At halftime we talked about the fact that we weren’t playing tough at all, and we were about as soft as we could be,” head coach Brandon Parker said. “We had to decide at that point whether we are going to get back in this game and compete or just take our butt whooping because that is what was getting ready to happen.”
The halftime talk must have resonated with the players by the time the fourth quarter started. Eudora scored 18 in the fourth quarter by getting to the foul line and netting crucial second chance points. They also increased their defensive intensity holding De Soto to only 3 points in the fourth.
De Soto held a 39-38 lead with just under a minute left and they were fouled on a 3-point attempt. De Soto missed all three and Eudora got to the free throw line on the next possession.
Eudora knocked the first free throw down to tie the game, but missed the second. Schreiner came up with the offensive rebound and putback to take a 41-39 lead and seal the game.
“We had kids make big clutch plays for us and the foul line was huge for us,” Parker said. “I’m really proud of the kids for stepping up and making the tough plays.”
The Lady Cardinals advance to the next round of the Tonganoxie Invitational and will face St. Thomas Aquinas at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Reach reporter Chris Fortune at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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