Shadle, LC win

Shadle Park believes in second chances and the result was the Highlanders’ third victory this season over Mead.

Four third-quarter second-chance baskets following offensive rebounds during the District 8 4A girls basketball tournament at University staked them to a nine-point lead and subsequent 45-43 win.

Victory came amid the electric atmosphere befitting a suspenseful first game of the district semifinal. Shadle (18-3) scored twice in the final minute and advanced to the title game against Lewis and Clark tonight, 7:30 at U-Hi.

The Tigers (21-0) took any suspense out of their game against Central Valley by racing to a 31-4 lead with 1 minute, 30 seconds gone in the second quarter on the way to a 67-47 victory.

With their wins, both Shadle and LC stay home for Tuesday’s first round of regionals..

Mead (17-5) and CV (12-10) play tonight, 5:30 at U-Hi for regional seeding.

Shadle Park 45, Mead 43: The Highlanders used their quickness to neutralize the Panthers’ size advantage and that scrappiness paid off.

They took an early 6-2 lead after Mead scored the game’s initial basket and but for a couple of ties, kept it until the final 2:46 of the game.

Telling was the third quarter when Shadle players hustled for rebounds and baskets four times, twice by Lindsay Niemeyer.

“They’re huge in the post,” said Niemeier, “and we thought, ‘Hey, let’s use our speed to get those rebounds and get those putbacks.’ “

Also key were two 3-pointers by Tori Dezellem, one late in the first-half for a 20-16 lead and second with 1:22 left in the third quarter to make it 37-28.

Dezellem seldom shoots, saying she prefers to get her teammates the ball and let them score.

“I decided my team needed it tonight and stepped up when I was open,” she said.

And her pass to a wide-open Niemeier produced the winning layin with 20 seconds left.

The Panthers, however, had a run in them, inspired by Christinia Puthoff and Jazmine Redmon. Redmond ended the third quarter with a 3-pointer and scored to open the fourth. Puthoff scored twice to tie the game with 2:46 remaining, followed by Redmon’s go-ahead basket on an in-bounds play drive at the 2-minute mark.

Shadle’s scoring leader, Lexie Petterson, who was a force inside finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds tied the game with a minute remaining, setting up the winner.

Niemeier finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

“Both teams played their hearts out,” said Mead coach Regan Drew. “Second-chance points were the difference.”

Lewis and Clark 67, Central Valley 47: Kelsey Baker was an offensive catalyst, scoring 13 of her 15 points in the first and third quarters when LC put the Bears away.

But it was early flustering full-court defense that gave LC its flow, Baker said.

They scored the game’s first 11 points on its way to a 27-point first-half lead.

Justine Bowman scored 15 of CV’s 22 first-half points that cut the lead to 35-22.

But LC went on a 19-2 burst during the middle of the second half to make it 64-32 with 5:12 left to play and Baker scored eight of those points.

Bowman at one point had three-quarters of CV’s points and finished with 29. Tigers Brittany Kennedy and Sarah Kliewer finished in double figures and led rebounding.