Woodland eliminates Washburn in semis

16 years ago

    The Lady Beavers of Washburn ended their season 15-6 last Thursday in a 56-21 loss to the Lady Dragons of Woodland in a 2009 Class D semifinal game.

ImageStaff photo/Abigail Hunt
    Washburn’s Sarah Sjoberg protects the ball from a Dragon opponent as Beaver Felicia Cochran guards from the left in Thursday night’s game.

    Woodland, who went on to win the 2009 EM title, was seeded first in Class D but it was Washburn’s Rachel Palmer who had the game’s first basket.
    Both teams started out with strong intensity but the Beaver defense kept the game close until the middle of the second quarter, when Woodland jumped to a 16-5 lead.
    Woodland’s Kelsey Burtt fouled senior Morgan Berube, sending her to the line.
    Berube’s shots came up empty but a rebound by Palmer closed the gap to nine points. Washburn’s defense played strong, but the team was in foul trouble with 3 minutes left in the first half.
    Ariel Knights took the ball to the line for the Dragons and then sank a free throw as the teams entered the second half 22-8, Woodland.
    The Lady Dragons kept a close guard on Palmer, only allowing the Washburn senior nine points  during the course of the game. Palmer brought out her best defensively, but reached four fouls by the end of the third quarter.
    As the final eight minutes began, Rebecca Campbell netted a three-point shot, changing the score to 45-15 and, with 4:25 of play left, Palmer fouled out, exiting the court to a cheering auditorium.
    Though the game seemed already decided, Washburn kept up their intensity and the final minutes of play saw baskets from Kristi Sperrey, Jordan Chandler and Dakota Koch, ending the Beaver score at 21.
    Coach Ron Ericson summed up the loss in Washburn’s inability to handle Woodland’s pressure.
    “We had to handle that pressure and we just didn’t. Some of the kids ended up having to do more [on the court] than they could and others got a bit rattled,” he said,  “but we worked hard the whole game. This has been a valuable experience and I’m very proud of the girls.”