LINCOLN – The Southern Valley Eagles advanced to the state championship for the first time in school history behind strong defense, shutting down Guardian Angels Central Catholic 34-29 Friday morning.
Southern Valley’s defense was strong in all four quarters and didn’t allow GACC to score in double figures in any period. They also held the Bluejays off the scoreboard for the first 4:22 of the game while building an early 8-0 lead. The Eagles would cool off offensively and struggle to score the remainder of the first half while GACC clawed their way back into the game, eventually tying the game at 14 going into halftime.
Southern Valley would have their best offensive output in the second half, scoring in double figures in the final two quarters while GACC would continue to struggle. GACC would eventually take their only lead early in the fourth quarter, but it would be short lived as Southern Valley came soaring back midway in the period and never looked back. The Eagles would hold GACC to six points in the final period.
Southern Valley saw Ann Bose lead the team with 13 points on 5-7 shooting from the free throw line. Adi Hunt added 11 points while Tori Bose scored seven. The Eagles converted 10-16 free throws and finished with six turnovers. Only three players scored for GACC, led by Jocelynn Skoda’s 16 points. Kelsy Steffen added seven and Charlie Dinslage chipped in six. The Bluejays would finish with eight turnovers.
The Southern Valley Eagles will play top seed Pender for the D1 state championship at 9:00 a.m. Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. It’s the first state title appearance for the Eagles. Listen to the game on 93.1 The River and krvn.com. GACC will play St. Mary’s for third place Saturday.
Listen to the game below.
