Any momentum the New Prague girls’ basketball team may have gained from winning their final regular season game of the season didn’t hold up well as the Trojans fell in the opening round of the Section 1AAAA playoffs Wednesday night, Feb. 25, at Lakeville North.
The Panthers, the section tournament’s No. 3 seed, ended No. 6-seeded New Prague’s season with a 73-40 win. The Trojans end the season at
At 9-18 overall, 2-10 in the Metro West and 1-3 against Section 1AAAA opposition.
The win advanced Lakeville North to a showdown with its cross-town rival, Lakeville South, the No. 2-seeded team, Saturday at Lakeville South.
The Trojans struggled against the Panthers’ interior size advantage, particularly Sahara Wilson, a powerful 6-foot-4 forward and Madilynn Bell, a 6-foot-2 guard/forward. Wilson finished the game with 26 points, 17 in the first half when Lakeville North built a 42-18 lead heading to intermission. Bell scored all seven of her points in the opening half. When New Prague’s defense clogged the lane and made it tough for Lakeville North to get the ball inside, the Panthers stepped back and nailed outside shots. They nailed four three-pointers in the opening half.
In the second half, the Panthers used a smothering press to expand their lead even more.
Elle Neiderhiser paced New Prague with 13 points. Mallory Bastyr finished with nine and Maya Kilian, NP’s leading scorer, struggled against the Panthers and finished with just six points, four of them coming in the second half. Claire Meyer added five points Emily Giesen finished with three points while Kyra Doughan and Ashlee Nelson finished with two points each.
Details were not available when this story was posted online.
Trojans 56, Bloomington Jefferson 44
Winning their second Metro West game of the campaign, the Trojans jumped out to a 15-2 run and cruised to a 12-point win in their lone contest against the Jaguars Friday, Feb. 20.
“We played a lot of kids. It was a nice way to finish off the (regular) season,” NP coach Eric Specht said after the game.
The Trojans pressed the Jaguars early, creating copious turnovers. They were also able to penetrate the Bloomington Jefferson defense, scoring 32 of their 56 points in the paint. They also overcame 25 turnovers and were 3 for 14 shooting from beyond the three-point line. Maya Kilian paced NP with 16 points and 17 rebounds in 33 minutes. Elle Neiderhiser added 13 points in 23 minutes. Claire Meyer and Ashlee Nelson chipped in seven points each. Catherine Ambroz finished with four points while Brynnley Fischer chipped in three and Emily Giesen, Mallory Bastyr and Ellison Zimmerman chipped in two point each.
Additional details will be available in the March 5 print edition of The New Prague Times.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s 80, Trojans 54
The Trojans played the Red Knights tough in the Feb. 17 clash at BSM. A three-pointer at the end of the first half gave the Red Knights a 38-32 advantage heading into intermission.
Taking advantage of their athleticism and depth, BSM took charge of the gamer and built a comfortable lead in the second half, NP coach Eric Specht said. New Prague closed the gap to 10 points with about 10 minutes left in the second half but could not close the gap tighter.
“Benilde (-St. Margaret’s) has the athletes and the depth to do that. We’re not as deep right now,” Specht said.
The Trojans were hampered by 27 turnovers, 17 in the second half. Maya Kilian finished with 16 points. Elle Neiderhiser chipped in 11 points in the setback. Claire Meyer finished with seven while Lily Schoenecker finished with five points. Mallory Bastyr and Nora Jacobson both finished with five points. Ashlee Nelson finished with three points and Emily Giesen chipped in two in the setback.