MINNEAPOLIS — Play defense, take care of the basketball, and make some shots.
In order for unseeded Waterville-Elysian-Morristown to play with high-scoring Minnehaha Academy, the Bucs had to do a lot of things right.
It didn’t happen.
“I looked up at one point, it’s an 11-point game with 7 minutes to go in the first half,” WEM coach Tyler Kaus said. “We had missed a few layups so I thought, ‘all right.’ Then the snowball happened, and it got away quickly.”
Minnehaha Academy used a 15-0 run late in the first half to open a gap and roll to a 75-39 victory over WEM in the quarterfinals of the Class A girls basketball tournament Wednesday at Maturi Pavilion. The Bucs had defeated three higher-seeded teams to win the Section 2AA tournament, but a fourth upset was not to be.
“We haven’t seen a team like that all year,” senior Alayna Atherton said. “They were quick and tall … that’s a good team.”
The Bucs got off to a slow start, making just 1 of the first 8 shots, and Minnehaha quickly led 11-1. The Bucs struggled with Minnehaha’s pressure defense but kept the game close until Minnehaha made a 15-0 run with five layups off turnovers to lead 40-14.
Tianna Pope had an inside basket and two free throws, but the Bucs trailed 48-21 at halftime. WEM made just 7 of 24 shots and committed 14 turnovers, allowing Minnehaha to roll in transition.
“We wanted to make it a halfcourt game,” Kaus said. “But we’d have a turnover, then layup. Turnover, then layup.”
Things didn’t change much in the second half, though the Bucs finally had a spot where they scored consecutive points and Minnehaha didn’t have any long runs.
The Bucs shot 41.4% in the second half but finished the game with 21 turnovers, which led to 27 fast-break points, and were outrebounded 42-22.
Alayna Atherton and Claire Bohlen both had 10 points and five rebounds to pace the Bucs.
WEM (19-12) will play a consolation game at 8 p.m. Thursday against Rochester Lourdes at Concordia-St. Paul.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to play another game,” Bohlen said. “I think we can do it.”
Please follow Chad Courrier on X @ChadCourrier.