Lincoln East’s Olivia Kugler (4) and Taylor Searcy celebrate a basket scored in the closing moments of the game against Papillion-La Vista on Thursday during the Class A girls state basketball tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
FRANCIS GARDLER, JOURNAL STAR
Lincoln East’s Kylie Johnson (23) drives to the basket against Papillion-La Vista’s Olivia Boudreau (2) in the first half during a Class A girls state basketball first-round game at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday.
Lincoln East’s eight seniors have accomplished a lot in basketball.
Their latest triumph: A third straight trip to the Class A state tournament semifinals, a first for the program since the late 1980s.
East looked like a veteran team Thursday night, methodically pulling away for a 50-30 victory against No. 6 Papillion-La Vista at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The Spartans got seven early points from senior Charley Bovaird in building a quick lead. They closed the first half on an 11-0 run. They put pressure on the Monarchs’ ball-handlers and limited open looks.
“I think the experience thing definitely helps,†said Bovaird, who finished with 10 points. “I think we’re just more calm now. We talked about it when we walked in, it doesn’t really feel as big of a deal this time. It’s not as much as we’re afraid or nervous to play on the big court with all the lights. It’s more just a game.â€
Seniors accounted for 40 of the Spartans’ 50 points Thursday. Taylor Searcey led the way with 17 points.
“I think that experience helped the girls kind of calm their nerves early in the game and they were confident,†East coach Dennis Prichard said.
The Monarchs pulled within 16-12 before a three from Bovaird and buckets from Briley Hill and Searcey pushed the lead back to double digits.
“We had a couple perimeter shots which kind of opened up a little bit,†Prichard said. “Just kind of like we’ve been doing all year, I think our tempo, they were starting to drag a little bit on our cuts. We were able to get some turnovers, get some conversions on the turnovers … and that helped us relax a little bit.â€
The Monarchs never could find a rhythm offensively. They started 5-for-25 from the field and East made sure to limit their three-point looks. Papio finished with three three-pointers.
Senior Lindsey Ingwerson led the Monarchs (20-6) with 14 points.
Though East took control of the game, the Spartans (23-3) will look to clean up some things before Friday’s 8:45 p.m. semifinal matchup with No. 7 Fremont. East had several turnovers.
But the Spartan defense never let up.
East held a Papio team that entered state averaging 60.5 points per game to 12 first-half points and 21 after three quarters.
“We beat a good team by 20 so we must have played pretty well, but I was kind of frustrated on the sideline at times,†Prichard said. “I thought we were a little loose with the ball and it took us a little while to make some shots and get going, but (we) played really hard defensively, which has been kind of our thing this year.â€
Fremont advanced to the semifinals with a 58-40 win against No. 2 Omaha Westside.
The Tigers (21-7) hit 10 three-pointers. They opened the game on a 16-4 run and the Warriors (23-6) were unable to recover.
"Ten’s good, especially here, because I’ve also had teams come in that are good three-point shooting teams and didn’t shoot it that well," Fremont coach Kelly Flynn said. "There’s a lot of jitters, a lot of low-scoring games today. A lot of little chip shots that were missed and we really focused on the finishing and I was really happy with the way the girls did finish."
Lincoln East’s Olivia Kugler (4) and Taylor Searcy celebrate a basket scored in the closing moments of the game against Papillion-La Vista on Thursday during the Class A girls state basketball tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Lincoln East’s Kylie Johnson (23) drives to the basket against Papillion-La Vista’s Olivia Boudreau (2) in the first half during a Class A girls state basketball first-round game at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday.