Stanton stays unbeaten, slipping by Trojanettes
FARRAGUT – As the seedings for the Corner Conference girls’ basketball tournament were released, the Stanton Viqueens knew there would be a good chance of a rematch against Essex or Sidney in the championship game.
Stanton already faced both teams this season, winning early in the season by three over Essex and then by seven over the Cowgirls.
As the tournament started Jan. 16, South Page and Hamburg played their way into the bracket as the Rebels earned their second win of the season, 47-28, over East Mills.
Hamburg beat the winless Clarinda Academy Eagles, 52-23, punching their ticket to face Essex in the first round.
In the first round of the tournament, Villisca hosted their game against Farragut and the Stanton-South Page game.
The fifth-seeded Villisca Blue Jays surprised the fourth-seeded Lady Admirals as their defense let by Courtney Auxier (four steals) limited Farragut to only 36 points, who shot only 12 of 40 from the field and turned the ball over 18 times.
Auxier, freshman Morganne Haer, and Kelci Sunderman each scored 10 points in the upset win.
South Page was no match for the Viqueens, as Kadie Subbert (19 points, six rebounds, six steals) and Ragen Anderson (12 points) combined for more points than South Page scored as a team.
In the same round, Essex ran through Hamburg, winning 68-31, their fourth consecutive win by 20 points or more.
The Trojanettes trio of Joscelyn Coleman, Annie Lindburg, and Tara Maher combined for 56 points and 34 rebounds.
Also in Essex, Sidney had had problems with Fremont-Mills as they squeaked past the Knights with a 41-39.
Wednesday, the semi-finals continued in Stanton where Villisca took on Stanton and Essex faced off with Sidney.
The Viqueens held Villisca to only four points in the first quarter and 10 points in the first half as they led 32-10 at halftime.
Senior Jordan Sorensen and Subbert led Stanton with 20 and 26 points respectively while Subbert pulled down nine rebounds. With the 57-30 win, Stanton advanced to the championship game.
Essex did not have it as easy in their semi-final game against Sidney as they slipped past the Cowgirls in a 49-51 win. Felicia Monson stepped up scoring 11 points to go with her six rebounds.
The Cowgirls were able to contain Joscelyn Coleman holding her to only nine points, but she still led all players with 15 rebounds. Annie Lindburg led all scorers with 16.
The stage was set for Friday’s championship game between the Trojanettes and Viqueens. The Trojanettes were defending last season’t tournament championship.
The Viqueens focused on Coleman in the middle as their two-three zone held the senior center to five points in the first half and jumped out to a 12-4 lead early in the game.
Sorensen led the Viqueens with 15 points to go with Subberts 13.
Late in the game, the Trojanettes struggled with foul trouble as their three top scorers, Lindburg, Maher, and Coleman, fouled out. Lindburg’s fifth foul came late in the third quarter.
The Viqueens held on for a 45-41 win along with their second tournament championship in three season.
In the consolation game, the Sidney Cowgirls defeated Villisca, 46-40 for third place. Jill Vanderhoof led the way for the Blue Jays with 14 points and nine rebounds. Haer and Auxier each added eight points in the losing effort.