Lincoln Pius X head coach Ryan Psota (left) walks down the line, high-fiving Adison Markowski (32), Alexis Markowski (50) and Lauren Taubenheim (30) in the closing moments of the game against Millard South during a Class A girls state tournament semifinal game Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
FRANCIS GARDLER, JOURNAL STAR
Millard South’s Jayme Horan (12) and Lincoln Pius X’s Alexis Markowski (50) box out in the closing minutes during a Class A girls state tournament semifinal game Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Junior Jillian Aschoff said practice went really well Friday. There was a lot of energy.
It also was the last opportunity for the Lincoln Pius X girls to go over the game plan for Friday night’s Class A semifinal showdown with top-ranked Millard South.
The reality is, the No. 3 Thunderbolts started formulating a plan for this game about a month ago.
The coaches didn’t like the team’s chances playing man-to-man defense against a very athletic and quick Millard South team that can stretch you out to the corners and drive past you in the lanes. So for 10 to 12 minutes before each practice, coach Ryan Psota and the Bolts would work on polishing a 1-3-1 zone.
Pius X (25-1) executed the game plan throughout a 71-46 victory against the Patriots at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Next up is the state championship game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday with city rival Lincoln East, which defeated Fremont 59-50 on Friday.
The Thunderbolts got a huge game from junior Alexis Markowski, who finished with 32 points and 17 rebounds, and Aschoff, who had 17 points. More importantly for Pius X, its new wrinkle — the 1-3-1 — slowed down a potent Millard South offense.
“We worked on it forever,†Aschoff said. “We knew that if we came to play Millard South that we were going to have to play zone because of our matchups. Everyone played their position right. It was everyone doing their job, don’t have to do other people’s job, and we did that tonight.â€
An 18-0 run helped build a 35-12 halftime lead for the Bolts, who limited Millard South (27-2) to 4-of-25 first-half makes. Mariam Miller hit some key buckets, Aschoff made a pair of threes and Markowski got going, too.
“You can’t ask for a much better start,†Psota said. “It was a lot like yesterday (against North Platte), but really the tale was our defense. To hold them to the percentage that they shot, to rebound the way we did, take them out of what they like to do, I couldn’t ask for more from our kids.â€
Outside of playing a 2-3 zone for three possessions against Lincoln East in the Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament, the Thunderbolts have played man defense all season. But behind the scenes late in the season, they were working on the 1-3-1 a little bit every day, figuring out roles, identifying where they wanted the opponent to take shots. The plan, however, nearly came out at districts.
“I actually thought we were going to use it against Northeast a little bit, but we kind of got through without showing it,†Psota said. “Trying to stop penetrating, that’s the name of the game against (Millard South).â€
The 6-foot-3 Markowski, who had 29 points against North Platte, had a double-double (13 points and 11 rebounds) by halftime, but she had a bigger presence in the second half, scoring 11 points in the third quarter and eight in the fourth.
“We tried to put two kids on her and go kind of an inverted triangle-and-two and make it tough on her, and we tried to make some other kids make shots,†Millard South coach Bryce Meyers said. “They stuck some of them today.â€
Jayme Horan and Maddie Krull completed their storied careers at Millard South. Horan led the team with 11 points and Krull had 10. Both had been part of four state tournament teams.
Last year’s state semifinal loss to eventual champion Millard North in triple overtime has served as a driving force for the Thunderbolts this season. They wanted another opportunity to wash away that loss.
Psota said Friday’s win did that. But the Thunderbolts still feel like they have some unfinished business.
“Hit the reset button,†Psota said of the mindset after knocking off No. 1. “I said, 'We’re here, we might as well win the thing.'â€
Closing seconds of Lincoln Pius X’s win, as the Bolts celebrate clinching a spot in the Class A state final in convincing fashion
— LJS Prep Extra (@PrepExtra)
Photos: East rallies to take down Fremont in Class A semifinal; Pius X dominates Millard South
Lincoln Pius X head coach Ryan Psota (left) walks down the line, high-fiving Adison Markowski (32), Alexis Markowski (50) and Lauren Taubenheim (30) in the closing moments of the game against Millard South during a Class A girls state tournament semifinal game Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Millard South’s Jayme Horan (12) and Lincoln Pius X’s Alexis Markowski (50) box out in the closing minutes during a Class A girls state tournament semifinal game Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.