The Papillion-La Vista South girls basketball team repelled a furious rally from Lincoln Northeast to win the A-7 district final on Friday and punch its ticket to state for the first time since 2016.
Story of the Game
The Titans, ranked eighth in our final regular season coaches poll, hit the Rockets with a couple of big runs in the first half — 13-0 in the first quarter and 22-8 in the second — to take a 39-25 lead into halftime. Papio South rolled out a 2-3 zone to deal with Northeast’s size in the frontcourt, and the Rockets went 0-for-8 from 3 in the first half.
On the other end, the star of the first half was senior Kam Exner who nearly equaled the Rockets on her own with 20 points. She shot 6-of-8 from 3 to key the Titan runs and went a perfect 5-for-5 for 14 points in the second period.
Papio South scored the first four points of the third quarter as well to extend its lead to 19. Then the Rocket comeback began.
Lincoln Northeast ripped off a 19-2 run including the team’s first three triples of the night to cut the deficit to two before senior Kate Ligon banked in a shot at the buzzer to make it 47-43 heading into the fourth.
“They started to hit some shots,” Papillion-La Vista South coach Andy Gerlecz said. “You’re not expecting a player like Cam Exner or anybody to make that many 3s in both halves, so obviously they were going to make a run.”
Doneelah Washington, Northeast’s star forward, fouled out at the 4:35 mark with the Titans down by two, but the Rockets continued to push. A 3-pointer from Yelaniya Bradley cut the Titans’ lead to one at 53-52 with just over three minutes to play.
Northeast forced two misses on Papio South’s next possession, but Charlee Solomon ended the possession with a put-back, then she stole the ball on the other end, sparking a 13-4 finish for the Titans as Papio South shot 13-for-14 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Solomon hit the last six of those free throws herself.
Papillion-La Vista South missed all eight of its second-half 3-point attempts after hitting seven in the first half, but the Titans went 25-for-32 from the foul line overall and recorded 20 offensive rebounds to overcome their struggles from the field.
“Our shot selection got a little shaky, and that was a message a couple of times and that kind of let them back in, and then they made shots,” Gerlecz said. “[Our offensive rebounding] was critical. Every possession is critical. So I’m just happy for our kids to get out of here with the win.”
The Titans will head to Lincoln sporting a 17-7 record, snapping a streak of six straight seasons with 13 wins or fewer.
Coach Speak
“Our girls have a tremendous amount of courage, I think, and they demonstrated that,” Gerlecz said. “They hit a lot of free throws late; that takes a lot of guts. Our girls just really, really worked hard all year and it’s just neat to see them get rewarded. I’m so happy for them and their families. Their families are wonderful, just a wonderful group of kids.”
Standout Performers
Exner didn’t score in the second half, finishing with 20 points and four steals, but the rest of the Titan starters picked up the slack as all five finished in double figures.
Freshman Addison Medeck came alive offensively in the fourth quarter after dominating on the glass all game. She scored eight of her 12 in the final frame with two tough buckets and a 4-for-4 showing at the foul line. The 6-foot-3 forward also grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds.
“She’s special,” Gerlecz said. “She just makes everybody on our team better. She just turned 15 a couple of weeks ago; she’s still a pup, Obviously she’s a dynamic player and it was fun to kind of watch her and Doneelah go at it. Doneelah is obviously the best post player in the state.”
Solomon also scored eight of her 12 in the fourth quarter, adding eight rebounds and five assists to her stat line. Ligon grabbed 12 rebounds (including eight on the offensive end), scored 12 points and nabbed four steals. Ella Morehouse chipped in 10 points, three steals and three assists.
Bradley led the Rockets with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Washington, an Illinois State signee, ended her prolific career with a 14-point, eight-rebound, three-steal, three-block performance. Kiara Phillips chipped in an efficient 12 points off the bench while Serena Heeren added 10 points and six boards.
Class A District Results
Seven other teams joined the Titans in punching their tickets to state Friday night.
Millard West took down Omaha Benson 71-48 in the A-1 final. Kennadi Williams led Lincoln Southwest to its eight straight state appearance with a 58-40 win over Omaha Westside in A-2. Bellevue West dominated the fourth quarter in the A-3 final to top Bellevue East 71-58.
Omaha Central upset Millard North 62-56 in A-4, though the Mustangs qualified for state via the wildcard.
Lincoln North Star beat Omaha Marion 49-37 in A-5. Finally, Lincoln Southeast upset Lincoln Pius X on the Thunderbolts’ home court 51-44 in A-6 to steal a bid and end Pius’ season.
Millard West, Lincoln Southwest, Bellevue West, Lincoln North Star, Millard North, Papillion-La Vista South, Lincoln Southeast and Omaha Central will be the eight teams battling it out for the Class A state title next week at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
