The Rams (11-10) trailed by eight with just three minutes left in regulation, but got back into the game on a 3-pointer by Emily Tucker that pulled them within five. The shot touched off a run that helped Blue Valley pull back into contention and, eventually, take the lead in the waning seconds of regulation on a basket by Hannah Pralle. Wakefield hit a shot at the end of the fourth at the other end, however, to send the game into overtime.
After a stalemate in the first overtime, the Rams finally pulled away in the second, thanks to the hot shooting of Pralle. The sophomore scored five of Blue Valley's nine points to put her team ahead and went to the line to seal it with 3.7 seconds remaining. She went on to miss both shots, but Wakefield wasn't able to mount a last second shot before the buzzer.
"Looking back on it, its kind of good that she missed those free throws," Henry said with a laugh. "They didn't really have a chance to get a play together."
Callie Friedrich led the Rams with 16 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 8-of-10 from the free-throw line down the stretch despite being ill with the flu. Blue Valley had just seven players at practice on Wednesday, but still managed to keep its season alive.
"I knew they could do it, its just that we're so young," Henry said. "For those girls to come out and play like they did after being sick, it just shows a lot of heart."
The Rams will face Southern Cloud in the regional championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Frankfort 53, B&B 52 OT
At Frankfort, the Wildcats survived a potentially season-ending upset bid by third-seeded B&B Baileyville, escaping with a 53-52 overtime win and keeping their season alive.
Second-seeded Frankfort (18-4, 10-2) jumped out to a quick four-point lead over B&B (11-11, 6-6) after the first quarter, but found itself down by one at halftime. The teams went back and forth, with B&B tying the game up in the fourth to send it to overtime before the Wildcats were able to eek out a win.
Chelsea Keating had a game-high 19 points for Frankfort, while Kara Horigan had 11 and Shanae Smart had nine. The Wildcats advance to the regional championship game, where they will face Centralia.
The Wildcats are 0-2 against Centralia, which is ranked fifth in 1A by the KBCA, this season.
Rock Creek 41,
Rossville 33
At Flush, Rock Creek jumped out to a five-point lead in the first eight minutes and led by 16 at the end of three quarters to beat Rossville 41-33 and wrap up the Mid-East League title.
Rock Creek (18-1, 9-1) closed out its season on a winning note, and now has until Tuesday to prepare for its first-round game at the Silver Lake sub state tournament against eighth-seeded Mission Valley. The Mustangs enter the postseason tournament as the top-seed, and are ranked second in 3A in the latest KBCA poll.
Rossville (6-14, 1-9), which is the No. 7 seed in the Silver Lake substate, will play Oskaloosa on Tuesday.
Taylor Ebert led Rock Creek with 13 points against Rossville, while Dana Elliot added 11.
Riley County 47,
St. Marys 42
At Riley, the Falcons outscored St. Marys 13-7 in the third quarter to knock off St. Marys 47-42 and win their fourth straight game going into next week's substate tournament.
Riley County (14-6, 8-2), a perennial power the past few seasons, re-entered the KBCA's 3A rankings at No. 10 in the latest poll. It proved its merit with a win over the Bears (16-4, 6-4), who are ranked third in 2A.
The Falcons will enter the first round of the Marysville substate tournament winners of eight of their last 10. As the tournament's fourth seed, they will take on fifth-seeded ACCHS on Tuesday in Riley.
BOYS
Rossville 47,
Rock Creek 42
At Rossville, Rock Creek ended its regular season with a 47-42 loss to Rossville after falling behind by five at halftime and getting outscored 17-8 in the fourth quarter.
The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for the Mustangs (10-8, 6-3), who will go into the Silver Lake substate on Tuesday as the third seed. Rossville (16-3, 8-1) will go into the same substate as the No. 2 seed and could face Rock Creek again in the semifinals should both teams win.
Rock Creek will play sixth-seeded Mission Valley, while Rossville will play No. 7 Wellsville.
Josh Camacho led the Mustangs with 13 points in the loss, while Taylor Umschied had seven.
St. Marys 56,
Riley County 47
At Riley, the Falcons continued their recent struggles with a 56-47 loss to St. Marys — their fourth loss in their last six games.
Riley County (7-13, 2-8) will be the eighth seed in the Marysville substate and will open with top-seeded Sa-betha, which is 17-2 on the season and ranked No. 2 in 3A by the KBCA.
No stats were available as of press time for either Riley County or St. Marys.
