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BLOOMINGTON, Unwell. — The play really proved to be meaningless … which is why it was emblematic as properly.
The Central-Southeastern ladies basketball group already had constructed a 30-point lead late within the third quarter Friday night time and was on its method to a 56-25 victory over Winnebago in a quarterfinal recreation within the small college ladies bracket of the State Farm Vacation Basic at Bloomington Excessive Faculty.
When a unfastened ball rolled into the Winnebago backcourt, junior Agnes Genenbacher dove to retrieve the ball, skidding on her elbows and knees. She dedicated a foul by knocking over a Winnebago participant, who then fell on Genenbacher whereas she was on the ground, however Panthers coach Matt Lengthy didn’t care.
He had a wry smile on his face as he slowly clapped for Genenbacher. It’s the kind of play he expects every of his gamers to make, even when the sport already is in hand.
“We didn’t really feel like we bought sufficient 50/50 balls yesterday (in a rout of Stanford Olympia), and I instructed them (earlier than Friday’s recreation) that I’ll by no means get mad at you for busting your butt to go get a unfastened ball,” Lengthy mentioned. ”As quickly as (Genenbacher) made that play, I turned to the bench and talked to each child about what I meant.”
Senior Karly Peters merely grinned when requested how that kind of play is instilled in this system.
“It’s been an expectation for a lot of, a few years,” she mentioned. “CSE basketball has at all times been identified for the protection and getting after it early, and that transfers to the offense.”
Lengthy says the toughest half was ingraining that type of play into his program 15 years in the past.
“These ladies have grown up and seen how we play and what our tradition is,” he mentioned. “It’s a part of their life. They assume that’s method the sport’s purported to be performed. It wasn’t like we simply began doing it this 12 months and needed to get them to purchase into it. It’s been a realized course of ever since these ladies got here up with us.”
Central-Southeastern compelled its opponent into 37 turnovers for the second consecutive recreation, however the first half wasn’t an offensive masterpiece for the Panthers. They turned the ball over 12 instances themselves and led the Indians 29-15 at halftime.
Winnebago stored it as shut as 34-18 early within the third quarter, however Central-Southeastern lastly took command by scoring 15 consecutive factors. Genenbacher scored seven of her 9 factors within the third quarter to gasoline the rout and activate the working clock for the fourth quarter.
Lauren Miller scored 23 factors to steer Central-Southeastern, the defending small college ladies bracket champions. The Panthers will play Paris at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the Shirk Middle in a semifinal recreation. Paris defeated Galena 42-30 in one other quarterfinal recreation.
One of many memorable moments of the sport got here within the fourth quarter when senior reserve Marlee Lengthy — the coach’s daughter — collected an offensive rebound and scored. The bench erupted in cheers, then in laughter as Lengthy lifted his jacket on the sideline.
“(Marlee) bought me a shirt for Christmas that claims, ‘I’m superior, like my daughter,’” Lengthy mentioned. “So I put it on right now and thought that if she bought an opportunity to attain, I would flash it.”
“He had it on yesterday,” Peters mentioned. “I didn’t know he’d have it on once more right now.”
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