The No. 7 seed Cardinals girls basketball team earned a hard-fought 48-41 victory over No. 10 Parsons on Tuesday night to claim a spot in the substate final.
Whether it was freshman Brynn Deterding hitting a big-time 3-pointer or senior Jayla Erpelding snagging a critical steal in the final seconds, a handful of big plays from a cast of players led the Cardinals to the win in the back-and-forth battle.
“So proud of everybody and how we finished, seniors especially, our career out on our home court,” Erpelding said. “I feel like we represented well.”
Fast starts followed by cold stretches have been a theme for the Cardinals, Erpelding said. But fellow senior Parker Long said the team wanted to get the win at home and earn the chance to play another game together.
“Our team is, like, extremely senior heavy,” Erpelding said. “So, it’s just a motivator, just to know that could have been our last game.”
The Cardinals were propelled by a couple of big runs. They started the game with an 8-0 lead and scored 9 straight points early in the second half. But Parsons kept it close, aided by some long-range 3-pointers and offensive rebounds.
“We did some really good things, especially defensively,” head coach Brandon Parker said. “But then we played some moments where we were tight and looked like we were playing, trying not to lose. And we didn’t execute really well.”
It was an all-hands-on-deck effort to get the win, with players taking charges, gathering steals and diving for loose balls. Deterding led the Cardinals with 22 points. Long and fellow senior Kenzie Yoder each scored 7. Erpelding added 11 of her own.
One key for the Cardinals was full-court pressure. The strategy forced a handful of crucial turnovers including a late steal by Erpelding that sealed the win.
“We wanted to force them to be uncomfortable,” Parker said. “And when we did, typically, it put us in a good position to either score or get fouled.”
Erpelding said in those close games, it was helpful to know her teammates were behind her ready to make a play when needed.
It was the final home game for the Cardinals’ seniors. They said winning their last home game was a key motivator down the stretch. The win capped an undefeated home season for the girls.
“It just meant a ton,” Long said. “I mean, we’ve played on our home court for four years now and I’m just proud of all of us, and we really – our home environment is so great. And everyone really comes alive. And it’s just a lot of fun.”
At the end of the game. Yoder took a hard fall and stayed down on the court before being helped off. Parker said it was her hip that was hurt and the team hopes to have her ready to play in their next game.
The Cardinals now turn their focus to Friday night at 7 p.m. when they will travel to No. 2 Bishop Miege, a team Parker called one of the best teams in the state, regardless of class.
“We need to come out with a competitive spirit and heart that I know that we have,” he said. “Those girls got to know that no one’s going to pick them. No one’s going to pick them to win. And so we’ve got to make sure that we come out and make sure that we don’t leave the court regretting that we could have done more. If we do that, you know, I’ll always take my chances with our kids.”
Erpelding said the team was ready for that challenge.
“We’ve got nothing to lose,” she said. “And I think, like, we play better when we have nothing to lose. There’s no target on our back. Everyone’s betting on Miege. So, I think it’s very motivating for us to go in there and like, have a chance to beat them.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
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