Girls basketball: Sterling battles, falls short against Stillman Valley in Dixon KSB tournament semifinals

DIXON – Coming into the Dixon KSB Holiday Tournament with a losing record, Sterling wasn’t a team many pegged to reach the semifinals – or one that was expected to compete with Stillman Valley. And yet, that’s exactly what the Golden Warriors did in a 41-31 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday at Lancaster Gym.

After falling into a 10-point deficit with 4:15 remaining, Sterling (9-9) rallied to within 37-31 with 1:26 to go on back-to-back baskets by junior Madison Austin.

But that was all the offense the Golden Warriors could muster. Locking in defensively for the last few possessions and adding two layups to stretch their lead to 10 points, the Cardinals (16-3) sealed the win and secured their spot in Friday night’s championship game.

[ Photos: Sterling vs Stillman Valley at the Dixon KSB holiday girls basketball tournament ]

“I think we struggled to put the ball in the hoop. I think their defense was really good. We knew that going in,” Sterling coach Taylor Jackson said. “I think there were just times where we forced some things, we weren’t able to get our best looks out of it, and then when we did get shots, they just struggled to go in for us. They’re a really good team, and obviously 15 [Taylor Davidson] is a really impressive player.

“I thought our kids played hard, but we’re going to have to play a little cleaner next time.”

Stillman Valley took control of the game with a 7-0 run in the last 2:44 of the first quarter. After a Maggie Rowzee 3-pointer put Sterling up 9-8, Cardinals junior Taylor Davidson scored seven straight points to end the quarter.

Davidson got to the rim and converted a three-point play for an 11-9 lead with just under three minutes left. A minute later, she made a tough leaning layup to stretch the margin to four points. With just under a minute left, she sank two free throws to build a 15-9 lead.

Stillman Valley junior Amelia Dunseth buried a right-corner 3 for a 25-15 lead with two minutes left in the second quarter. A right-wing 3 by Sterling junior Delali Amankwa made it a 25-18 game at the half.

“It was definitely our defense,” Davidson said about the key to controlling the first half. “We started off with a new type of defense that we’re running, and we’ve been working it this whole tournament, and it really clicked this first half.”

Davidson hit two free throws with 6:39 remaining in the third quarter for a 29-18 lead – Stillman Valley’s largest of the game – but the Golden Warriors refused to back down.

An Austin putback and free throw got Sterling within six points with just under three minutes left, and an Amankwa buzzer-beater layup cut the deficit to 35-27 at the end of the third quarter.

“We were working to stop their best players and making sure we did our job in rebounding and getting the best shot possible,” Austin said. “Our effort was great. We just needed to hold on for a little bit longer in order to pull through.”

Neither team scored a basket for the first 3:45 of the fourth quarter.

Stillman Valley sophomore Joslyn Nanni ended the scoring drought with a deep shot from the left corner for a 37-27 lead with 4:15 play. After Austin’s back-to-back baskets cut the deficit to six points, Cardinals senior Mya Janssen sank back-to-back layups in the final 1:11 to seal the win.

“Just the intensity. We never really got down on ourselves. We always stayed in the game,” Davidson said about how Stillman Valley finished the win, despite a fourth-quarter shooting slump. “Our defensive and offensive intensity, even though our shots weren’t falling, we were still getting back, hustling, everything like that.”

Sterling outrebounded Stillman Valley 39-27 and played solid defense throughout to keep the win within reach.

Austin finished with 12 points, 19 rebounds, four blocks, two steals and two assists; Amankwa scored 10 points; Rowzee supplied six points and six rebounds; senior Olivia Melcher totaled three points and five rebounds; and freshman Joslynn James added seven rebounds and three assists.

Davidson paced the Cardinals with 21 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists; Janssen tallied 11 points, six rebounds and two steals; Dunseth compiled four points and three rebounds; and junior Brooke Jordal added three points, six rebounds and two steals.