The Lennox High School girls began their post-season journey on Tuesday, Feb. 25 when they traveled to Elk Point Jefferson. It was a battle for the Orioles who managed to break away in the fourth to get the 50-41 victory.
“The EPJ game has been our most complete game so far this season. We won the free throw battle; dominated the glass and took care of the ball. I was really impressed with how we executed our defensive game plan and kept EPJ from finding a rhythm offensively,” said LHS head girls’ coach Adam Quail.
Ryan Hanssen led Lennox offensively scoring 16 points, going six of seven from the field.
Hanssen also collected five rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
Andie Peters was also in double figures on the night, finishing with 11 points after hitting three from downtown. She had one rebound, three assists and two steals. Tori Gerdes finished with eight points, three rebounds, one assist and three steals. Karlie Bosma added seven points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Gavyn Herlyn and Libby Kranz each had three points and Bergan Musser two. Herlyn also grabbed four rebounds, had two assists and one steal. Kranz grabbed six rebounds, had one assist and one steal and Musser had one rebound.
With the win, the Orioles advanced to face Sioux Falls Christian on Thursday, Feb. 27 in Region 4A Semifinal action. Sioux Falls Christian entered the game, having only lost one game all season.
Lennox battled in the opening half and only trailed by six, 24-18; however, turnovers helped Sioux Falls Christian take the 49-33 victory.
“We started out the SFC competitive but after we cut SFC’s lead to one in the middle of the third quarter we lost focus and let SFC take control with easy scores off offensive rebounds and turnovers. In matchups like this you have to play almost perfectly defensively and get hot on the offensive end,” said Quail. “Unfortunately for us neither occurred as we really struggled offensively.”
Gerdes led the Orioles offensively with nine points. She also had three rebounds, one assist and two steals. Kranz provided seven points, two rebounds and one steal. Peters scored six points, grabbed one rebound and one assist and one steal. Both Musser and Bosma finished with four points. Bosma had four rebounds, two assists and two steals while Musser had two rebounds and one steal. Hanssen provided three points, four rebounds, and one assist. Herlyn had one rebound and one assist.
“I really appreciate the incredible effort and dedication from the entire team throughout our season,” said Quail. “Thank you to everyone for all the hard work you put in. A special thanks to Ryan Hanssen and Gavyn Herlyn for their outstanding senior leadership and guidance. Lastly, a big thank you to Natalie Andernacht for her unwavering commitment and hard work as a manager over the past four years.”