PANGBURN -- Sidnee Bopp turned in a four-point play on Marmaduke's first possession Wednesday afternoon at the Class 2A girls basketball state tournament.
That pretty much set the tone for the Lady Greyounds in their 92-59 rout of Johnson County Westside in the semifinals at Tiger Arena.
Marmaduke (40-2) forced Johnson County Westside into 20 turnovers in the first half and used a 17-0 run over a three-minute span during the second quarter to take a 46-20 lead into halftime.
Madison Price scored 13 of her game-high 21 points in the first half, including nine in the second quarter when Marmaduke outscored Johnson County Westside 24-9. Allison Hampton scored 20 points -- 9 coming off 3 three-pointers in the third quarter -- and was one of five Marmaduke players with at least 10 points.
It was the third consecutive 30-point mercy rule victory of the tournament for Marmaduke, which made 14 three-pointers.
"We're not bad when we shoot well, but you don't expect that in a state tournament ," Marmaduke Coach Rick Smith said. "We played pretty good defense, and it was amazing.
Johnson County Westside (28-6) tried to get into the game behind two three-pointers by Marlee Stepp and five points by Mckenna Mainard that closed the gap to 19-13, but Marmaduke's defensive pressure was too much.
" This is Marmaduke's time," Johnson County Westside Coach Steve Golden said. "They did a great job and shot the eyes out of it. Even if we had we played our best, which we didn't, I don't think we could have won that game the way they shot it."
ENGLAND 78, BUFFALO ISLAND CENTRAL 56
Six players scored at least 10 points each to lead England (30-6) back to the state championship with a victory over Buffalo Island Central (25-12).
Amber Martin came off the bench to make five three-pointers and led England with 15 points, while starters Shavonta Blanks and Cecela Phillips scored 14 points each, Samantha Gooden added 12 and Alesha Penister and Julia Bryant had 11 each.
Hannah Poe finished with 24 pointsto lead BIC.
BOYS
ENGLAND 81, EARLE 67
England (28-5) dominated play inside as the Lions advanced to the state championship game with an easy victory over Earle (27-8).
Brandon Thompson had 23 points -- including five dunks -- and 14 rebounds, Tyrik Harris added 21 points and Monte Toney scored 19 as England built a large lead in the second half and didn't let up.
"I don't think anyone gave us much of chance from the get-go because we've squeaked by a lot of teams," England Coach Tyler Scott said. "Everybody was taking about how much Earle would win by, and our guys had that chip on their shoulders. They weren't going to take a loss."
Earle kept pace for most of the first and second quarters with Elisha Dunn scoring inside, a three-pointer by Marcus Brown and a three-point play from B.J. Murray, but Thompson scored eight points in a 13-2 run over the last five minutes of the second quarter England built its lead to 37-26.
Thompson had another dunk early in the third quarter as England opened the second half with a 7-2 scoring run that led to a 15-point lead. Earle fought back and pulled to within 48-39 on Murray's three-pointer, but England kept it going into the paint and Harris' three-point play gave the Lions a 59-45 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Murray led Earle with 22 points.
JUNCTION CITY 56, BUFFALO ISLAND CENTRAL 53
Junction City (31-1) hit its first nine shots and 10 of its first 13 to race out to a 23-15 lead against BIC, but it was the defense and free-throw shooting of Jamario Bell that secured a victory and sent the Dragons into the state title game.
With the game tied at 53-53, Bell drove the length of the court for a layup and then took a charge on the defensive end that fouled out Austin Pike, BIC's leading scorer who had a game-high 33 points. Seconds later, Bell made the game-winning free throw.
Junction City had a 38-25 halftime lead, but Pike scored 12 points in the third quarter -- including a three-pointer, a three-point play and the final two baskets-- to pull BIC within 44-43.
Bell led Junction City with 16 points and Rondell Holyfield scored 15 points, eight in the second quarter.
Sports on 03/12/2015