From The Capital-Journal:
RILEY
COUNTY GIRLS 47, ROSSVILLE 41 — When Rossville’s Amanda Hill
opened the fourth quarter of Saturday’s girls title game with back-to-back
3-pointers, it could have spelled big trouble for Riley County.
It was a spot where Falcon coach Harold Oliver knew his team’s
overall youth had shone through.
“We just lost her a couple times and she’s so good,” Oliver said
of Hill, Rosssville’s senior standout. “I think it was more of our youth losing
track of her, but give her credit too.”
The shots turned a one-point Falcon lead into a five-point deficit
and, given the Falcons’ youth, could have been a spot where they crumbled.
Instead, Riley County showed the poise of a veteran team and responded with a
14-3 run to secure a trip to next week’s state tournament in Hutchinson.
As might have been expected, it was a senior who got Riley
County regrouped as Bethany Crubel followed Hill’s two treys with a pair of
free throws and her own 3-pointer to tie things back up. After Hill gave
Rossville back the lead with another 3-pointer, Falcon sophomore Addy Oliver
answered with a 3-pointer on the next trip and the Falcons made 7 of 10 free
throws in the last 1:40 to seal the win.
“We’ve just been developing when we went through a tough stretch
of the season competition-wise,” Oliver said of a late-season spell which saw
the Falcons lose six of seven. “We were a little overmatched and the kids grew
through that. It may not have looked like we were improving, but we were.”
Hill was sensational in her final prep game, scoring 24 points,
including all 11 of Rossville’s points in the fourth quarter before fouling
out. Sister Caila Hill added 14 points, but only one other Bulldawg made a
field goal and only two others scored.
And when Rossville looked to Hill late, Riley County did a solid
job of smothering her, forcing a tough shot or her to pass it away.
Crubel led Riley County (15-8) with 16 points
while Emily Earhart added 10 and Sarah Thomson had eight.
