Wynot girls avenge loss to Ponca to claim L&C title

LAUREL — It’s becoming a familiar sight. Ponca and Wynot once again squared off for the Lewis and Clark Conference girls basketball title Monday.

And once again, the game came down to the final buzzer.

With Wynot ahead by three points, Ponca clanged a 3-point attempt off of the rim as the buzzer sounded to preserve Wynot’s 41-38 upset win over the Lady Indians, once again giving the Lady Devils the L&C title.

For awhile it looked as though Wynot would cruise to the victory, as the Lady Blue Devils held a 40-32 lead midway through the final frame.

Ponca closed things out with a 6-1 run, though, as they rallied late in the game. As always happens in tight games, it all came down to the foul line here Monday night, which wasn’t good for the Lady Indians, who only connected on 14-26 freethrows.

Ponca’s Gracen Evans swished a pair from the charity stripe to make it 40-38 with less than a minute left. Emersyn Sudbeck gave the Lady Devils a little breathing room when she hit 1-2 from the line to go up 41-38 with 10 seconds left in the contest.

Wynot took control early in this one, racing out to a 13-4 first-quarter lead.

The Lady Indians regrouped in the second half to earn a 10-4 advantage to cut their halftime deficit to just three points — 17-14.

The two teams traded baskets over the final 16 minutes with Wynot earning a 15-13 scoring advantage in the third quarter and Ponca taking an 11-9 advantage in the final frame.

SCORING

Wynot -Autumn Lawson, 13; Edyn Sudbeck, 9; Karley Heimes, 7; Emersyn Sudbeck, 3; Lauren Haberman, 3; Krystal Sudbeck, 2; Amy Tramp, 2; Kayla Pinkelman, 2. Ponca - Ash lyn Kingsbury, 14; Gracen Evans, 7; Samantha Ehlers, 7; Tailynn Lawyer, 5; Alyssa Crosg rove, 4; Ellie McAfee, 1.

Wynot advanced to the title game with a 49-29 pounding Thursday of the Wakefield Lady Trojans.

Wynot’s defense was showcased in this game as the Lady Blue Devils dominated the game from the opening buzzer. The Blue Devils full court pressure made it difficult all night for the Lady Trojans to get anything going on offense.

On offense, Wynot was lead by Karley Heimes who continues her steady play with a game-high 20 points. The Lady Blue Devils got balanced scoring as 10 players scored in the game.

Wakefield was paced by Aishah Venzuela with eight points and Makenna Decker contributed six points to the Lady Trojans’ offensive efforts.

In the first quarter, Wakefield was held to a single bucket by Anna Lundahl while Karley Heimes dumped in eight points to lead the Lady Devils to a 10-2 lead.

In the second quarter, Aishah Valenzuela scored five points for Wakefield.

Wynot countered with a 3-pointer by Emersyn Sudbeck and a bucket plus one by Karley Heimes to build a 19-9 halftime advantage.

Wynot ramped up the defensive intensity in the third quarter holding Wakefield to just some free throws while going on a 20-5 run to expand their lead to 39-14. Karley Heimes worked the low block area for five more points and six other players hit a basket for Wynot.

In the final quarter, Makenna Decker hit a trio of baskets for the Lady Trojans. Wynot was able to maintain their lead thanks in part to 3-pointers by Autumn Lawson and Lauren Haberman, as they advanced with the 49-24 win.

SCORING

Wynot-Karley Heimes, 20; Lauren Haberman, 5; Edyn Sudbeck, 4; Kinslee Heimes, 3; Emersyn Sudbeck, 3; Autumn Lawson, 3; Krystal Sudbeck, 3; Kayla Pinkelman, 2; Amy Tramp, 2; Kendra Pinkelman, 2. Wakefield - Aishah Valenzuela, 8; Makenna Decker, 6; Anna Lundahl, 4; Maddie Mogus, 3; Jordan Metzler, 2;Destiny Helzer, 1.

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