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BLOOMINGTON, In poor health. — The play truly proved to be meaningless … which is why it was emblematic as effectively.
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 approach to a 56-25 victory over Winnebago in a quarterfinal sport within the small faculty ladies bracket of the State Farm Vacation Traditional at Bloomington Excessive College.
When a free 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 sport) that I’ll by no means get mad at you for busting your butt to go get a free ball,” Lengthy stated. ”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 sort of play is instilled in this system.
“It’s been an expectation for a lot of, a few years,” she stated. “CSE basketball has all the time been identified for the protection and getting after it early, and that transfers to the offense.”
Lengthy says the toughest half was ingraining that fashion 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 stated. “It’s a part of their life. They suppose that’s manner the sport’s presupposed 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 discovered course of ever since these ladies got here up with us.”
Central-Southeastern compelled its opponent into 37 turnovers for the second consecutive sport, however the first half wasn’t an offensive masterpiece for the Panthers. They turned the ball over 12 occasions themselves and led the Indians 29-15 at halftime.
Winnebago saved 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 gas the rout and activate the operating clock for the fourth quarter.
Lauren Miller scored 23 factors to guide Central-Southeastern, the defending small faculty ladies bracket champions. The Panthers will play Paris at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the Shirk Heart in a semifinal sport. Paris defeated Galena 42-30 in one other quarterfinal sport.
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 stated. “So I put it on right now and thought that if she bought an opportunity to attain, I’d flash it.”
“He had it on yesterday,” Peters stated. “I didn’t know he’d have it on once more right now.”
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