By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Chapman girls’ basketball team gave Rock Creek a good run for their money in Tuesday’s state quarterfinal, but the Lady Mustangs survived and advanced in a 62-53 final at Tony’s Pizza Events Center.
The Lady Irish showed grit and determination to the final buzzer, mounting a late comeback that turned a 16-point deficit into a 6-point deficit, but the former proved too much to overcome down the stretch.
Both offenses took some time to get going in the first quarter, with Chapman leading 8-7 at the 8-minute mark.
In the second, Rock Creek came alive, knocking down eight field goals to Chapman’s four and taking a 26-18 lead into the intermission.
The third quarter saw more of the same, with Kylee Frazee adding nine points of her own to push the Lady Mustang lead to 16.
The Lady Irish were never going to let Rock Creek off the hook easy, and rattled off a 19-8 run to open the fourth quarter, trimming that lead down to just two possessions.
Unfortunately, as the clock began to expire, the Lady Mustangs pulled away on the strength of seven Frazee free throws, securing the win and a spot in the state semifinals.
Frazee led the charge for Rock Creek, scoring 23 points in the win, backed up by a big night from Rory Pitzer (18), and Lucy Martinie (9).
Chapman’s starting five scored all of their points, and each contributed in a big way, with Callie Cook (14) leading from Avery Baer (13), Jai Rogers (10), Josie Baer (10), and Adelyn Kirkpatrick (6).
The Lady Irish can hold their heads high, turning a 3-18 finish just one season ago into a 16-win season and a trip to state.
For Rock Creek, now 23-3, tournament action continues on Thursday as they prepare to battle Bishop Miege in the state semifinals.
You can watch this game on-demand any time below.