SALINA -- History isn’t something Shelly Hoyt takes lightly.
 
As head coach of Hoxie, she relished watching her team accomplish just that. In winning four straight Class 1A Division I state titles and in the process set the state record for consecutive victories as the Indians reeled off 107 straight wins.
 
Now at Eureka, Hoyt got to relish another historic moment for the program she’s coaching. With a hard-fought 51-45 win over Oakley in Tuesday’s Class 2A quarterfinal at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina, Eureka won its first-ever state tournament game.
 
And the moment left Hoyt a little choked up.
 
“I remember the first time I won it and that feeling -- you always just want it for the kids,” Hoyt said. “I wanted it so bad for them. It’s hard to do when you’re trying to get that first one, and people are talking about it all the time. … They’ve put a lot of time in and sometimes hard work doesn’t pay off. But when it does, man, it’s a wonderful feeling.”
 

 
Hoyt had some company in that good feeling department. One game after Eureka got its first-ever state-tournament win – having gone 0-fer in its previous four appearances – Ellinwood followed suit.
 
The top-seeded Eagles survived a huge night from Rossville senior guard Rylee Dick, who went for 31 points, and held off the Bulldawgs for a 55-48 victory that was the program’s first at state. Ellinwood had been to state only one other time, but the sense of accomplishment was no less significant for Eagles’ coach Greg Maxwell.
 
“I took over three years ago and we had just five wins,” Maxwell said. “The goal is this, to be winning games in the state championships. It means the world because I know what these kids have done.”
 
While Sacred Heart has won games at state in the past, reaching two state title games, the Knights’ may have scored arguably their biggest state tourney victory on Tuesday with a 52-42 upset of No. 3 seed St. Mary’s Colgan, one of 2A’s top programs over the past decade.
 
“I knew we were going to be jittery coming in because we haven’t been to the state tournament since 2009,” Sacred Heart coach Carl Hines said. “No one has experienced this. Pregame is different and a long trip was a change. This is the first time in 17 years since we have had a group at state and this was (Colgan’s) seventh straight time. They knew what it was like and we didn’t.”
 

 
EUREKA 51, OAKLEY 45 – Perhaps the pressure of getting that first state tournament win was starting to get to Eureka.
 
After controlling much of the first half and leading 26-22 at halftime, Eureka got a bit out of sorts early in the second half. Oakley took advantage and got right back in the game.
 
“I think there was a sense of urgency on their part,” Hoyt said of Oakley’s surge. “We changed up our defense and lost some people and got, what I call it, undisciplined. We were undisciplined and they made us pay. I told the kids, you can get by with that stuff in the regular season sometimes but not at state. Teams just keep getting better and better.”
 
Eureka’s lead was down to 35-33 by the end of the third period. But Lydia Mason opened up the fourth quarter and that seemed to settle the Tornadoes down as Eureka outscored Oakley 10-3 to start the fourth to take control back.
 
Oakley never got closer than the final six-point margin.
 
If Mason’s 3-poiter was big, then Elliana Coulter’s first half was huge. With Tornado standout Brenna Rucker attracting plenty of Oakley’s defensive attention, Coulter came off the bench and scored nine first-half points to lead all scorers in the half.
 
Though she only added two more points in the second half, her impact in the opening half keyed Eureka’s victory.
 
“I think that’s our team,” Hoyt said. “You never know who’s going to show up. It’s just whoever gives us that spark and she was the one to do it.”
 
Eureka can usually count on Rucker to show up and she did, finishing with a game-high 21 points, going 8 of 12 at the free throw line to supplement just a 6-of-17 shooting night from the floor. Coulter added 11 and Mason had 9, six coming in the second half.
 
Oakley, which was seeking its first state tournament win since 2007, got 12 points from Alexa Weiser and 11 from Chesney Marshall. The Plainsmen finished with a 22-5 mark.
 
Eureka (23-2) will take on No. 1 seed Ellinwood (26-1) in Thursday’s 2 p.m. semifinal at the Hutchinson sports Arena.
 

 
ELLINWOOD 55, ROSSVILLE 48 – What a year it’s been for Ellinwood so far.
 
In the fall, the Eagles captured the school’s first-ever state volleyball championship, going 47-0. Now history on a hardwood of a different kind with the program’s first-ever basketball state tournament win.
 
“There’s a belief,” said Maxwell, who coaches both programs. “Our coaches just said the kids never doubted. They believed it, they knew they were the better team, they knew they were going to make the plays they needed to. … Yes, we appreciate the support we get in volleyball but my purpose and why I coach both of them is I want them to be champions in everything they do and not just one sport.”
 
After Rossville got out to a quick 7-2 lead behind 3-pointers from Dick and Bristol Miller, Ellinwood settled in and rode a big first half by Brynn Widener to a 32-21 halftime lead. The sophomore connected on 6 of 8 shots in the opening half, including 3 of 4 3-pointers, to nearly match Rossville’s total by herself, dropping in 16 points.
 
“Going in we knew the matchup was probably going to favor her,” Maxwell said. “It was just good to see that Brynn saw that occasion and rose to it. It’s been someone different every game and that’s what we love about this team. It’s their unselfishness and ability for someone to step up in a key moment when we need them to.”
 
Ellinwood expanded its lead to 14 points in the second half and threatened to pull away and cruise into the semifinals. But Dick put Rossville on her shoulders and got the Bulldawgs back in it in a big way.
 
With Rossville trailing 46-39 in the fourth, Dick scored nine straight points for the Bulldawgs and her 3-pointer with 1:20 left – her fifth 3-pointer of the game – made it a 50-48 game.
 
Ellinwood got a free throw from Mette Maxwell with 39 seconds left to go back up three. With a chance to tie, Dick drove the paint for a contested layup that missed and the Eagles made 4 of 4 free throws in the last 18 seconds to hold on for the win.
 
The No. 2 all-time scorer in Rossville history, Dick finished with 31 points in her final high school game, making 9 of 21 shots, including 5 of 11 3-pointers, and 8 of 8 free throws.
 
“We have the utmost respect for an athlete like that,” Maxwell said of Dick, who also is Rossville’s career leader in 3-pointers made. “We knew she was going to be a huge threat and we’re very fortunate we stayed on top. It’s fun to see a kid perform like that in that type of moment. We love that.”
 

 
Maxwell also loved the performance his team had on the glass. While the Eagles didn’t have a great shooting night overall, hitting just 20 of 58 shots, the pounded the offensive boards to the tune of a 16-5 edge in that category for the game.
 
And it was a collective effort with five Eagles getting at least five rebounds led by Widener’s nine and eight from Julia Schlessiger, who also had three blocked shots.
 
“It was huge,” he said. “It turned into some key buckets no doubt.”
 
Widener cooled off a bit after her hot first half, but still finished with 21 points to lead the Eagles. Mette Maxwell added 10 and Ayla Ritchie came off the bench for 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
 

SACRED HEART 52, ST. MARY'S COLGAN 42 —  Sacred Heart waited 17 years to return to the state tournament. Now that the Knights are back, they are making sure the stay lasts a little longer.

The No. 6-seeded Knights used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from No. 3 seed St. Mary’s Colgan for a 52-42 victory in the Class 2A girls state quarterfinals Tuesday at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Sacred Heart (23-4) outscored the Panthers 18-9 in the final period, turning a tight game into a double-digit win and advancing to the state semifinals.

“Defensively I thought we were good the whole game, but we were a little out of sorts offensively,” Sacred Heart coach Carl Hines said. “As the game went on, we got a lot more comfortable. They played hard and I am blessed to have a great group of girls. We guarded well and we made enough shots and free throws down the stretch.”

Both teams struggled to find a rhythm in the third quarter. Sacred Heart went scoreless for the first five minutes of the period, but Colgan was unable to capitalize, managing just two points during that same stretch and failing to build on its lead.

That defensive stretch set the stage for Sacred Heart’s surge in the fourth as the Knights began attacking the paint and knocking down open shots.

“We were able to stretch it out in the fourth quarter when they went man and we were able to find the paint,” Hines said. “Our big (Edyn Sharpton) was great in finishing, and we had a couple 3’s that were open and able to hit them. We did a much better job of running offense in the fourth quarter.”

Freshman Emmy Lee played a major role for Sacred Heart on both ends of the floor. Lee scored a team-high 15 points while also drawing the assignment of defending Colgan standout Jakayla Davis, one of the state’s top scorers.

Davis still finished with a game-high 22 points, but many of her opportunities were heavily contested.
 

“We put our best on-the-ball defender on her and she is a freshman,” Hines said of Lee. “We told the girls going in that Jakayla is going to score, but we have to make her make contested shots. We put her on the line a little too much, but as far as shooting the ball from the field, we contested everything. Davis is just a phenomenal player. She is the real deal.”

Sharpton added 12 points for the Knights and Adelyn Lee chipped in 11. Nicole Richards controlled the glass with a team-high nine rebounds.

Colgan (23-3) was led by the Davis twins, who accounted for nearly all of the Panthers’ offense. Jakayla Davis scored 22 points while Janessa Davis added 15 as the pair combined for 37 of Colgan’s 42 points. Bella Ascanio pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.

For Sacred Heart, simply reaching the state tournament had already ended a long drought. Now, the Knights will head into the semifinals with confidence after surviving their first game on the big stage.

“I think we will be a little more relaxed moving forward,” Hines said. “We have been through it once now and we are blessed to be here. This is the final eight, so there is not going to be a gimme, but the game of basketball doesn’t change.”

 

 
MOUNDRIDGE 63, VALLEY HEIGHTS 48 – Defending champion Moundridge used a 17-10 edge in the third quarter to gain some separation from Valley Heights and never let the Mustangs get close enough to challenge in the final quarter, returning to the semifinals for the second straight year.
 
The Wildcats were somewhat in control late in the first half, leading by eight, 27-19, with 1:17 left before halftime. But Valley Heights put together a 5-0 run to finish the half, scoring at the buzzer on a jumper by Mia Vermetten to cut Moundridge’s lead to just 27-24.
 
But the momentum the Mustangs carried into the locker room didn’t carry over to the second half and once Moundridge found its range from deep, the Wildcats took control. After going just 2 of 11 beyond the arc in the first half, both makes by Mackenzie Conklin off the bench, Moundridge hit 4 of 7 3-pointers in the second half.
 
Addysen Patrick led the way, hitting 3 of 4 3-pointers in the second half. Conkling added another, giving Moundridge a 10-point lead in the third. Two of Patrick’s threes came early in the fourth quarter on back-to-back possessions that put the Wildcats up by double-digits for good.
 
Conkling finished with 15 points while the Wildcats were led by senior Cammi Unruh, who scored 16 of her game-high 23 points in the first half. Ava Smith scored 21 to lead Valley Heights, which finished the season 19-8.
 
Moundridge (23-2) will look to avenge one of its two regular-season losses in the Thursday’s 4 p.m. semifinal against Sacred Heart (23-4), which knocked off Colgan. The Knights beat Moundridge 47-41 in the championship game of the Hillsboro Trojan Classic in late January.

CLASS 2A GIRLS QUARTERFINALS
 
EUREKA 51, OAKLEY 45
 
Oakley … 10 … 12 … 11 … 12 … -- … 45
Eureka … 18 … 8 … 9 … 16 … -- … 51
 
Oakley (23-2) – Rucker 6-17 8-12 21, Mason 3-5 1-2 9, Mongeau 1-8 0-0 3, Shepherd 1-6 2-2 5, Westerman 0-0 0-0 0, Coulter 4-7 2-2 11, Peerrier 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 16-44 13-18 51.
 
Eureka (22-5) – Carman 2-2 0-0 6, Weiser 5-11 1-1 12, Marshall 4-13 3-3 11, Selensky 2-5 1-2 5, Johnson 4-10 0-0 6, Frantz 2-3 1-2 5, Ritter 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-45 6-8 45.
 
3-point goals – Oakley 3-13 (Carman 2-2, Weiser 1-3, Marshall 0-6, Selensky 0-1, Johnson 0-1); Eureka 6-25 (Mason 2-4, Rucker 1-4, Mongeau 1-8, Shepherd 1-5, Coulter 1-4). Rebounds – Oakley 27 (Johnson 6); Eureka 32 (Rucker 13). Assists – Oakley 12 (Selensky 6); Eureka 8 (Rucker 4). Turnovers – Oakley 18, Eurkea 13. Total fouls -- Oakley 20, Eureka 14. Fouled out – Oakley: Weiser.
 
ELLINWOOD 55, ROSSVILLE 48
 
Rossville … 13 … 8 … 18 … 9 … -- … 48
Ellinwood … 13 … 19 … 14 … 9 … -- … 55
 
Rossville (15-11) – E. Sanders 0-0 0-0 0, Dick 9-21 8-8 31, M. Sanders 0-1 1-2 1, Burdiek 3-12 3-5 9, Miller 3-11 0-23 7, Bunck 0-1 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-47 12-17 48.
 
Ellinwood (26-1) – R. Widener 1-4 0-0 2, Maxwell 4-13 1-2 10, B. Widener 7-12 4-7 21, Schlessiger 2-11 0-0 4, Batchman 2-4 0-0 5k Joiner 1-4 0-0 2, Ritchie 2-7 4-10 8, Stickney 0-1 0-0 0, Panning 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 20-58 9-19 55.
 
3-point goals – Rossville 6-19 (Dick 5-11, Miller 1-3, Burdiek 0-4, Bunck 0-1); Ellinwood 6-20 (B. Widener 3-6, Maxwell 1-4, Batchman 1-3, Panning 1-2, Joiner 0-1). Rebounds – Rossville 33 (Burdiek 11); Ellinwood 44 (B. Widener 9). Assists – Rossville 6 (M. Sanders 2, Burdiek 2); Ellinwood 10 (Maxwell 4, Batchman 4). Turnovers – Rossville 11, Ellinwood 11. Total fouls -- Rossville 14, Ellinwood 18. Fouled out -- none.
 
MOUNDRIDGE 63, VALLEY HEIGHTS 48
 
Valley Heights … 10 … 14 … 10 … 14 … -- … 48
Moundridge … 14 … 13 … 17 … 19 … -- … 63
 
Valley Heights (19-8) – Parker 1-4 1-2 3, Miller 2-7 1-1 5, Bigham 1-1 0-0 2, Smith 9-19 3-4 21, Vermetten 4-9 0-0 8, Gray 4-8 0-0 9, Gillig 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-49 5-9 48.
 
Moundridge (24-2) – Ad. Patrick 3-7 0-0 9, Unruh 9-14 5-6 23, Hal. Hecox 0-4 0-0 0, Hat. Hecox 2-7 0-0 4, Kaminkow 4-7 0-0 8, Conkling 4-8 4-4 15, Stos 0-2 2-4 2, As. Patrick 0-0 2-2 2, Durst 0-0 0-0 0, Rierson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-49 13-16 63.
 
3-point goals – Valley Heights 1-10 (Gray 1-4, Smith 0-4, Parker 0-1, Miller 0-1); Moundridge 6-18 (Ad. Patrick 3-6, Conkling 3-6, Unruh 0-2, Hal. Hecox 0-2, Hat. Hecox 0-2). Rebounds – Valley Heights 24 (Smith 7); Moundridge 35 (Kaminkow 8). Assists – Valley Heights 3 (Three with 1); Moundridge 9 (Hat. Hecox 5). Turnovers – Valley Heights 12, Moundridge 12. Total fouls – Valley Heights 18, Moundridge 13. Fouled out – Moundridge: Kaminkow. 
 

SACRED HEART 52, ST. MARY’S COLGAN 42 

Sacred Heart… 9 … 17 … 8 … 18 … -- … 52 

St. Mary’s Colgan… 6 … 20 … 7 … 9 … -- … 42 

Sacred Heart (23-4) – A. Lee 4-11 3-4 11, Douglas 3-13 3-4 9, Richards 2-9 0-0 5, Sharpton 6-6 0-2 12, E. Lee 4-6 4-4 15. Totals 19-45 10-14 52. 

St. Mary’s Colgan (23-3) – Gilmore 1-5 0-0 2, Yaghmour 0-3 0-2 0, Jak. Davis 6-20 9-9 22, Ascanio 0-2 3-4 3, Jan. Davis 6-8 0-0 15, Osborn 0-2 0-0 0, Dayton 0-0 0-0 0, Turnbull 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-40 12-15 42. 

3-point goals – Sacred Heart 4-18 (A. Lee 0-3, Douglas 0-4, Richards 1-6, E. Lee 3-5); St. Mary’s Colgan 4-16 (Jan. Davis 3-4, Jak. Davis 1-6, Gilmore 0-4, Yaghmour 0-2). Rebounds – Sacred Heart 27 (Richards 9); Colgan 28 (Jak. Davis 6). Assists – Sacred Heart 11 (Douglas 6); Colgan 5 (Jak. Davis 4). Turnovers – Sacred Heart 12, Colgan 16. Total fouls – Sacred Heart 14, Colgan 20. Fouled out – Sacred Heart: none; Colgan: Yaghmour