Record Setting Defensive Effort Propels Seward to Second Round Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Independence Community College (13-19) | 9 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 33 |
|
Seward County Community College (30-1) | 12 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 57 |
A pair of longstanding Seward County records fell Monday afternoon in the Region VI Quarterfinals in Park City, Kansas as with a pair of threes, freshman Mollie Mounsey breaks the all-time single season three point record with 129 while as a team, the 4th ranked Lady Saints held Independence to just 33 points in a 57-33 win, the lowest opponent point total in Seward playoff history.
The Lady Saints got off to a hot start against Independence Monday afternoon in the first game of quarterfinal day, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage early on behind a pair of threes from Brennyn Seagler and Neidy Ocuane. Two Manuela Fungate free throws midway through the first quarter extended Seward's lead to 12-4, but the Lady Saints went ice cold from there, failing to score for the final 5:03 of the quarter to see their lead cut to 12-9 at the end of one.
Seward got back on track early in the second as Alex Tyson scored on back to back plays to push the lead back to seven at 16-9. But again, the Lady Saints found themselves out of sorts offensively for the next three minutes, allowing the Pirates to slice the lead down to just three at the 6:00 mark at 16-13. Then it was the Lady Saints turn to put the clamps down on Independence's offense. Seward held the Pirates without a single point for the final 6:01 of the half as they went on a 13-0 run to close the period to storm into the locker rooms at half in front 29-13.
Neither team shot it well in the first 20 minutes as the Lady Saints finished the half at 35% overall and just 2 for 7 from the three point line while Independence shot 23% and was 1 for 8 from deep. Mollie Mounsey led Seward with nine in the first half while six other Lady Saints worked their way into the scoring column for the gals in green.
Seward opened up a 20 point lead early in the second half as Joanna Grymek took over for a 2:30 stretch to give the Lady Saints a 39-19 advantage. After a Pirate three with 3:45 remaining in the quarter made it a 15 point game, the Lady Saints again stepped it up on the defensive end again, holding Indy without a field goal for the remainder of the period to take a 46-25 lead into the fourth. Late in the quarter, Mounsey connected on her second three of the game, breaking Seward's all-time single season three point record with her 129th triple of the season.
Seward continued their defensive pressure with the game in hand in the fourth, limiting Independence to just one field goal over the first four minutes of the quarter to all but seal the game with a 52-27 lead and 5:45 to go. The teams played even over the final five minutes of the game as Seward coasted to a record setting 57-33 win. The 33 points allowed by the Lady Saints are the fewest in program playoff history.
Seward shot 50% from the floor in the second half to finish the game at 42% overall while turning the ball over just nine times in the win. The Lady Saints held Independence to just 14 field goals on the afternoon and 26% shooting while forcing 20 turnovers. Mounsey led Seward with 16 points while also pitching in 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Seagler went for 13 and notched a career high 7 steals.
The Lady Saints win their 30th game of the season to improve to 30-1 on the year, hitting the 30 win mark for the 10th time in program history. Independence finishes their season at 13-19.
Seward advances to the Region VI Semifinals where they will take on the winner of the late game Monday between Cloud County and Coffeyville at 3:00 Tuesday at Hartman Arena with a ticket to the title game on the line.