Varsity Girls Clutch 46-38 Victory Over Washington

The Lady Eagles (9-16) entered districts on the high note they had aimed for.

After a six-loss skid, Sullivan rebounded with three wins at the end of the regular season. They beat the brakes off Salem 70-33 and Pacific 51-25 before their last test at home.

The Lady Eagles battled Washington (7-18) to the wire and overcame an early deficit to win 46-38. Sullivan’s final game before the playoffs took place on Thursday, Feb. 27.

Head coach Jordan Flora was proud to see his team bounce back after losing to the Dutchgirls two days prior. “[During] our last Owensville game, we came out flat [in] the first half. And then that second half, we kind of turned it on and started playing like what we’re capable of,” he shared. “So tonight, it was more or less like, let’s play like that—let’s put four quarters together. And [we] came out a little slow; they jumped on us early. But man, we battled and our girls played with a lot of heart and effort.... It’s a good win going into districts, you know; getting a win going into that is huge for us.”

The Lady Eagles found themselves on the ropes early against Washington. They struggled to keep up with the Lady Blue Jays and fell behind at 16-6. 

Karlee Head lifted Sullivan from the jaws of defeat. She ignited her team’s comeback with a three and a layup. Molly Lohden followed with a shot from downtown, while Cora Shetley racked up four points in the paint. Avery Merkel banked in the final score of the first half, leaving Sullivan down by just 23-20.

Katie Miller and Olivia Barton started the third quarter with two strikes to the net. After they stole the lead, Sullivan never trailed again on the board.

The Lady Eagles shot nothing but net from the arc. Their three-point daggers soared Sullivan past Washington for the victory.

Flora praised his two seniors for giving it their all in their final home game. He stated, “It’s been a blessing being able to coach those girls. I love them both to death, and I’m just proud of them. And glad we got a win on their last night playing on [our] court, so it was fun.”

Lohden dominated with a team-high ten points, and Shetley put up six. 

Flora was proud of his girls for working together to win their final regular season game. He said, “Just picking each other up and playing together, it’s what we built on all year. It’s what we talk about: being a family, working together and tonight we did that.”

Miller played a crucial role in the victory, sinking nine points.

Head shot lights out with eight points, while Barton drilled five and Merkel swished two.

Kynlee Peterson and Montee each tallied three points.

The Lady Eagles aimed to continue their momentum into districts. They faced St. Clair (14-10) in the quarterfinal on Tuesday, Mar. 4. Results were unavailable at press time. 

Flora hopes Sullivan’s recent wins will prepare them for the rivalry rematch. He explained, “The thing is against [St. Clair], they’re bigger than us, [so] we got to defend well. We didn’t shoot the ball very well at all against them last time. You know, it was a close game going into the fourth. But again, we got to execute on the defensive end, take care of their shooters... then hopefully, we can get some transition buckets and knock some shots down.”