By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Despite being the lower seed, the Hayden girls showed on Thursday they belong amongst the best in Class 3A, totally shutting down Olathe-Heritage Christian Academy.
The 48-33 win Thursday propelled the Wildcats into a much-anticipated match with Silver Lake on Friday.
Junior Amelia Ramsey scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in Hayden's 48-33 Class 3A state tournament win over Heritage Christian. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden's bench celebrates during Thursday's 48-33 Class 3A state tournament win over Heritage Christian. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
The Wildcat defense completely overwhelmed the fourth-seeded Chargers for three periods, including shutting them out in the first quarter to grab an 11-0 lead.
After three periods, Hayden led 38-13 and only a late rally by the Chargers made the game appear at all competitive.
“I loved our intensity coming out,” said Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson. “I would like to have seen a little better execution on the offensive end. We were so hyped up I don’t think we took the time on offense to be as good as we can be.”
Hayden hit 41 percent from the field and turned the ball over 20 times, leaving some feelings of frustration despite the lopsided win, particularly after Heritage Christian cut into Hayden’s wide margin.
“The letdown came from us getting a little sloppy. But they’ll be OK,” Reynoldson said. “We’ve been through a lot of tough challenges this year and been fine. We’ll do better.”
Hayden senior Lauren Sandstrom, who averaged 13 points on the season but frequently scores 20 or more, was held to six points – just two in the first half.
“We need Lauren to play a good offensive game,” Reynoldson said. “Recently a game like that is really rare for her. So I expect her to come back tomorrow and have a great game.”
With the Chargers bottling up their leading scorer, the Wildcats looked to others to step up. Junior Amelia Ramsey, a mid-season transfer, came to the rescue.
Ramsey has had to make a quick adjustment to her new team. As her level of comfort grows, so does her production.
“It feels great to be able to help my team, especially coming in and being new,” Ramsey said. “I know that when I came, I was a little bit nervous. But everybody was super nice and welcoming to me and surrounded me with love. I didn’t feel like the outsider. I already knew a couple of (Hayden players) so it was just a matter of learning the offenses. They made it really easy and were patient.”
Ramsey converted 7-10 shots and 5-5 free throws to lead all scorers with 20 points. She also hauled in 14 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
“I played really hard, boxing out, rebounding,” Ramsey said. “My size is hard to guard, and it’s great having teammates around me who can get me the ball.”
“She’s such a talent, and she’s been showing more and more as she gets comfortable,” Reynoldson said. “We’ve got plenty of weapons so if someone is having an off game, we should be able to pick up the slack (when Sandstrom is shut down). Today Amelia did that.”
Heritage Christian got 15 points from Mia Vinson, but it failed to get its usual production from star senior Caelyn Ferguson, who entered the game averaging 19 points per game.
“Lauren Sandstrom did a great job on their best player (Ferguson),” Reynoldson said. “We had great help on her. When you can keep her off the 3-point line and off the glass, then you’ve got a good shot. So we did a good job guarding the scouting report.”
Hayden will face top-seeded Silver Lake Friday at 4 p.m. The Eagles advanced by easily eclipsing eighth-seeded Haven.
Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson talks to his Wildcats during Thursday's 48-33 state tournament win over Heritage Christian. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
“It’s going to be a good game,” Reynoldson said of the chance to face Silver Lake. “I expect there’s going to be a lot of people here from our area. They haven’t lost a game for a reason. They’re very efficient at what they do offensively, and we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
HAYDEN GIRLS 48, HERITAGE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 33
Hayden 11 14 13 10 -- 48
Hertiage Christian 0 7 6 20 -- 33
Hayden (20-4) – Sandstrom 2-8 2-2 6, Ramsey 7-10 5-5 20, Meier 5-8 0-0 12, Grunert 1-4 0-0 3, Greco 0-3 0-0 0, Reagan Huscher 0-3 0-0 0, Reid 1-1 0-0 2, Fulton 2-7 0-0 4, Reese Huscher 0-0 0-0 0, Ella Foster 0-0 0-0 0, Watts 0-0 1-2 1, Borjon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-44 8-9 48.
Heritage Christian (20-4) – Ferguson 3-12 1-3 7, Sachau 0-6 1-2 1, Cunningham 2-2 0-0 5, Vinson 5-9 1-2 15, Schenk 1-11 2-3 4, Wolf 0-1 1-2 4, McVay 0-4 0-0 0, Gower 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-45 6-12 33.
3-point goals – Hayden 4 (Meier 2, Ramsey 1, Grunert 1), Heritage Christian 5 (Vinson 4, Cunningham 1). Total fouls – Hayden 16, Heritage Christian 10. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
