Beatrice's Mak Hatcliff (12) moves the ball during a first-round game in the Class B girls state basketball tournament Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
EMILY HANEY, Journal Star
Beatrice's Carley Leners (32) moves the ball down the courtduring a first-round game in the Class B girls state basketball tournament Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Mak Hatcliff wasn’t ready for her season to be over.
Beatrice’s junior guard delivered a personal 6-0 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, as the Class B No. 2 Lady Orange broke from a 38-all tie to hold the lead the remainder of the way in a 51-47 win over Platteview in the opening round of the girls state basketball tournament Thursday night at the Devaney Sports Center.
Hatcliff’s bucket with 1:13 remaining in the third put Beatrice up two. She then scored on a driving layup to open the final period and added a pair of free throws to give Beatrice (21-3) a small cushion.
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“We’ve put so much work into the season,” Hatcliff said. “I kept thinking, our season’s not ending tonight. My teammates did such a good job of sealing their girls during that stretch so I could get to the hoop.”
Hatcliff was one of three Lady Orange players to reach double figures in scoring with 16. Junior post player Nevaeh Martinez netted 14, while senior Carley Leners added 12. Both Hatcliff and Martinez posted double-doubles with 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively.
“Mak is a tough, tough girl,” Beatrice coach Jalen Weeks said. “She’s been battling some aches and pains of late, but she came out and competed like a stud.”
Platteview (16-9) rallied from a seven-point deficit early in the third quarter to grab a 33-31 lead on a pair of Anna Koehler free throws. The Trojans tied it twice more in the period on a Halle Johnson drive and a three by Rachel MacDonald.
But each time the Trojans made a push, Hatcliff and her teammates had an answer.
“There’s a lot of nerves at the state tournament,” Weeks said. “We’ve been talking about staying in the moment and moving on to the next play. Our girls did a heck of a job doing that.”
The Lady Orange held on for the win despite finishing 11-of-26 from the line, including just 7-of-17 in the fourth quarter. Two of the makes came from Martinez with 17.5 seconds left to seal the win.
Martinez, who came in averaging just 3.6 points per game, drew the praise of her head coach.
“I’m really proud of Nevaeh,” Weeks said. “She’s worked her tail off, and she’s earned it.”
Scottsbluff 57, Bennington 47: Scottsbluff (17-10) used a dominant second half to upend second-ranked Bennington to move into Friday’s 3:45 p.m semifinal at Pinnacle Bank Arena against Beatrice.
The Bearcats pulled away from a 30-all halftime tie using their speed and quickness to get transition baskets and get to the rim off the dribble.
“We just committed to running the floor and being aggressive,” Bearcats coach Dave Bollish said. “We just wanted to be who we are.”
Back-to-back hoops by senior guard Aubry Krentz pushed the lead to 41-34 midway through the third.
Senior guard Yara Garcia’s driving layup pushed the lead to 51-41. Garcia, who led all scorers with 22 points, would make 3 of 4 free throws over the final minute to ice the win.
Photos: Crete fends off Norris in a Class B thriller; Beatrice moves on in tight battle
Beatrice's Mak Hatcliff (12) moves the ball during a first-round game in the Class B girls state basketball tournament Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Beatrice's Carley Leners (32) moves the ball down the courtduring a first-round game in the Class B girls state basketball tournament Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.