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The Warriors expected to knock off Banner County-and it showed.
On paper, Leyton pounded the Wildcats in the sub-district opener Tuesday night in Gering, coming away with a 44-18 win. But it was hardly their usual sharp performance, at least in the beginning.
"We were way too relaxed," senior point guard Kelsey Waite explained.
In the first quarter the Warriors failed to take advantage of four Banner County turnovers. When the girls in blue presented them with a traveling turnover, Leyton handed it right back. Just under two minutes before halftime the sub-district top seed found themselves in a tight 13-10 battle.
Banner County-2-18 on the year-had to play into the bracket.
"They adjusted well," Katy Ernest observed.
With 1:49 to go before the break, however, Ernest hit a jumper from just inside the arc. She followed it up moments later with a strong put back. Suddenly Leyton held a more comfortable 17-10 margin.
"Those were important," she said. "We worked hard for those points."
As halftime neared, Diedra Waite was hacked fighting against a double team in the paint. She hit one of two. Less than a minute into the third quarter, the big sophomore drew another foul under the rim, tacking on yet another free throw. Then Ernest, sharing low post responsibilities with Waite, went to the line, knocking down the second of two.
Waite, a six-footer, and Ernest had an edge over Banner County's back line. Indeed, Ernest ended up with 11 points on the night to lead all shooters. Diedra and Kelsey Waite added 9 points each.
"We knew we could use our height advantage," Diedra Waite said.
Leyton began to assert themselves in the second half. Kelsey Waite drained one from nine feet out. When the Wildcats' powerful Paige Cross responded with a high arching heave from the key, Ernest calmly stepped up and sank a three, capping a 12-2 run that spanned parts of the second and third quarters.
Cross netted another of her roof-scraping shots. But now the Warriors were rolling.
Kelsey fed Diedra along the baseline, then banked a jumper off the glass for a Waite one-two. Kelsey Waite tacked on a free throw and converted a finger roll after dicing up Banner County's defense with a deft spin move.
Kaitlyn Berner took over from there, driving into the paint for a layup and dropping a six-footer from the left side. By the time Natalie Cruise fought her way to a rebound and put back-along with a bonus, after being fouled by Dalle Rutledge on her way up-the game had progressed deep into the final period, and Leyton was on a 17-2 run.
"We got off to a slow start, but you can't get upset," head coach Nick Newkirk pointed out. "We found a way to win."
The Warriors now face number two seed Garden County, a dangerous opponent, in the sub-district championship game. The Eagles downed South Platte on Tuesday and sit just a fraction behind Leyton in power points. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Gering.
Girls Sub-Districts
Leyton 44
Banner Co. 18
Linescore
Banner Co. 7 3 4 4 – 18
Leyton 11 7 14 12 – 44
Leyton scoring
Katy Ernest 11
Kelsey Waite 9
Diedra Waite 9
Kaitlyn Berner 6
Natalie Cruise 5
Emily Gill 2
Abbe Draper 2
Banner County scoring
Paige Cross 8
Taylor Evans 6
Ashlynne Hanan 3
Savannah Jordan 1
Next Game
Sub-district finals
Leyton vs Garden County
Thu. 7 p.m.
Gering High School
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