Lakers overwhelm Trojans in district semis

WILLARD — South Central never got going. The Trojans had numerous opportunities at different looks, but nothing seemed to fall. Third-seeded South Central shot less than 30 percent from the field in a 62-36 Division IV district semifinal loss to top-seeded Danbury on Thursday at Willard High School. "We didn't shoot particularly well tonight," South Central coach John Vogel said. "When you play a No. 1 seed, you better shoot well and we didn't shoot well from the floor tonight. Give credit to their scrappiness on defense." The Trojans finish the season 17-7. "I think we made some mistakes," Vogel said. "We kind of tried to iron out some things to try to prepare for Danbury in the gym prior to the game. I think we didn't execute that as well as we would've liked." South Central made just 13-of-48 shots and committed 18 turnovers to boot. "They're contesting, but sometimes those contested shots go in and sometimes they don't," Vogel said. "When they go in, the complexion of the game changes greatly. I thought we had some good looks at the basket." A lot of that had to do with the length of the Lakers (23-2). Danbury used a 13-2 run over the final seven minutes of the first quarter to lead 15-7. South Central made just 3-of-15 shots in the first quarter and that included a 3 by Grace Lamoreaux to open the game and steal and score by Kendyl Beverly to go up 5-2 just 56 seconds in. "I loved the fact that we were able to get out in transition early," Danbury coach Joe Miller said. "The speed of the game means a lot for us. We may not be the biggest or tallest team or most physical team, but we run well." The Trojans didn't get rolling in the second quarter either. Consecutive buckets by Kelly Uhnick gave Danbury a 20-9 lead. Later, the Trojans got down 29-16 when Ella McDonald picked a steal and scored. South Central trailed 34-21 at halftime, just 9-of-27 from the field. Danbury kept the intensity up and never relented in the second half. South Central played a bit better, but even then, that wasn't enough on this night. Still down 13, the Trojans watched as a score by Maria Maringer and two tallies from McDonald pushed the Danbury lead to 44-23. South Central connected in just 2-of-11 shots in the third quarter, committing six more turnovers. "I thought their transition game was really, really tough on us, especially in the first half," Vogel said. Maringer topped Danbury with 16 points while Uhnick and McDonald each added 12 points. "I think especially in the second half we hunkered down and played half-court," Miller said. "We didn't do quite as much pressing. Our goal was to try to tire them out in the first half so in the second half they wouldn't have those legs for jump shots." Danbury outrebounded South Central, 36-25. "Danbury is a team that pressures you the entire game," Vogel said. "They're not really looking for a steal. They just want to keep you going and keep you off your guard a little bit." Lamoreaux tallied 12 points and 14 rebounds for South Central while Beverly also scored 12 points. The game brings an end to the careers of Bailey Swander, Beverly, Angela Williams, Lamoreaux, and Marissa Osborne for South Central. Beverly (1,401), Williams (800), and Lamoreaux (929) unofficially combined for over 3,000 points in their careers. "I'm pleased with the effort that my kids gave," Vogel said. "For those seniors that are ending their careers, I couldn't ask for a better group of girls." SOUTH CENTRAL (17-7) Kendyl Beverly 5-2—12, Angela Williams 2-4—8, Grace Lamoreaux 4-2—12, Kalli Ingram 1-0—2, Emily Lamoreaux 1-0—2. TOTALS 13-8—36. DANBURY (23-2) Maci Brown 2-0—5, Kelly Uhnick 5-4—14, Mia McDonald 5-1—11, Ella McDonald 5-2—12, Maria Maringer 7-1—16, Michaela Harris 1-0—2, Sarah Gracemyer 1-0—2. TOTALS 26-8—62. S. Central 7 14 7 8 — 36 Danbury 15 19 18 10 — 62 3-point FGs: (SC) G. Lamoreaux 2; (D) Brown, Maringer