Lomega and Balko split regional semis in Taloga
HADLEY OTT drives to the lane during Lomega’s win over Balko on Thursday in Taloga. Ott scored 11 as the Lady Raiders moved into the regional championship game. [Photo by Chris Simon/www. simon-sports-photos.smugmug.com]
Balko hung for one quarter.
Lomega dominated three of them.
Big advantage for Lomega.
The Lady Raiders cruised into a regional championship game as they thumped Balko 66-21 Thursday in a winner’s bracket semifinal.
They’ll play No. 20 Boise City for that regional title Saturday night in Leedey.
Balko’s best showing was the second quarter when Estrella Martinez and Emilie Trantham combined to score all 15 of its points.
However, Lomega scored 17 and had already outscored Balko 15-3 in the first quarter.
The Lady Raiders followed it up with a 14-1 run in the third and a 20-2 advantage in the fourth.
Balko had just one second- half field goal.
Offensively, the Lady Bison struggled with Lomega’s ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc.
Second-ranked Lomega made 12 treys, half of them by senior Abby Swart, who finished with 18 points.
Claire Myers and Bree Yost each made two.
Hadley Ott scored 11 for Lomega while Trantham led Balko with 13.
Bison hold off Lomega in boys semifinal Balko had just a bit more firepower than Lomega.
With that, Class B’s 14th-ranked Bison knocked off No. 15 Lomega 54-45 Thursday in their regional semifinal in Taloga.
Balko moved into the regional championship game while Lomega dropped into the consolation bracket. The Raiders played their first elimination game Friday after- noon (after press time) against Boise City in Leedey.
Balko’s Payton Parker and Mason Taylor combined for 30 points while Lomega’s Lance Yost and Chase Burton combined for 33.
But it was the rest of Balko’s lineup being able to make plays that made the difference.
Nathan Cardwell made three of the team’s five 3-pointers, one in each of the first three quarters as the Bison slowly built up a 12-point lead.
It was enough to hold off the Raiders in the fourth.
Burton scored seven of his 17 points in the final frame and Yost six of his 16.
Lomega outscored the Bison, but Taylor made all four of his free throw attempts and Parker three field goals to keep the comeback from happening.
Ben Marsh added eight points for the Raiders.