Wildcats advance to RPAC semifinals

The Wallace girls’ basketball team is making the most out of this year’s RPAC tournament.
The third-seeded Wildcats won their first round matchup with Maxwell 54-37 in Hayes Center then beat second-seeded Wauneta-Palisade in its home gym Monday evening.
Wallace will head to Maxwell Thursday to take on Maywood/Hayes Center in the tournament semifinal. The Wolves beat Paxton 46-27 Monday in Wauneta.
The winner will play in the RPAC championship game Saturday at 6 p.m. in the MCC Graff Events Center.
The consolation game will be earlier that afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
Maxwell
The Wildcats jumped out to a 14-8 lead over Maxwell in the first quarter. Dajana Garrison made three out of Wallace’s first four shots in the game. Mariah Gardner added two baskets before shots fell for Kendyl Flaming and Ainsley Strawder.
Maxwell made two second quarter three pointers and clawed themselves back into the game. Flaming made two field goals for the Wildcats and Karlie Finley added a bucket and free throw, as well. Wallace held a 21-20 lead at the half.
Behind nine points from Gardner, the Wildcats took control in the third quarter. Strawder, Flaming, Finley and Garrison combined to add nine more points. As Wallace’s defense limited Maxwell to one player with nine points and another with three, Wallace had a 39-32 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats extended its lead in the fourth quarter behind another eight points from Gardner, who finished with a team-high 21 points.
Also finishing in double figures were Flaming with 12 points and Garrison with 11 points.
Wallace girls 54, Maxwell 37
    2 PT.    3 PT.    FT/
    FG    FG    FTA    F    TP
Kendyl Flaming    5    0    2-2    1    12
Karlie Finley    2    0    2-4    3    6
Reagan Pelster    0    0    0-0    1    0
Dajana Garrison    4    1    0-0    0    11
Mariah Gardner    10    0    1-3    3    21
Ainsley Strawder    2    0    0-0    2    4
WALLACE TOTALS    23    1    5-9    10    54
MAXWELL TOTALS    12    4    1-3    14    37
Points by quarters:
Wallace    14    7    18    15—54
Maxwell    8    12    12    5—37
Wauneta-Palisade
Each team only had two players score in the first quarter. Finley had the hot hand early on and scored 10 of Wallace’s 14 first quarter points. Flaming added a field goal and two free throws. Wallace led 14-10 at the end of the period.
Finley and Flaming scored the Wildcats’ first six points of the second quarter, as well, before Gardner scored Wallace’s last two field goals of the half. A 15-point quarter by the Broncos left Wallace trailing by one, 24-25, at halftime.
The Wildcat’s best offensive quarter came in the third quarter. Gardner got hot and scored nine points to go with a three pointer by Garrison and two pointers by Flaming and Finley.
WP whittled into Wallace’s 40-33 lead in the fourth quarter. Garrison poured in two more 3s and Gardner added a two pointer. But with only eight points of offense, the Wildcats found themselves tied with WP at the end of regulation.
Once more Flaming and Fleming stepped to the plate. Finley made Wallace’s only field goal of the overtime period. She added one free throw and Wallace got two free throws from Flaming. With the Wildcat defense holding WP to three points, Wallace took the 53-51 win.
Finley scored a game high 20 points. Gardner also finished in double figures, totaling 15 points. Gardner also scored her 1,000th point in the game.
Wallace girls 53, WP 51 OT
    2 PT.    3 PT.    FT/
    FG    FG    FTA    F    TP
Kendyl Flaming    2    0    5-9    1    9
Karlie Finley    7    1    3-6    0    20
Reagan Pelster    0    0    0-0    5    0
Dajana Garrison    0    3    0-0    4    9
Mariah Gardner    6    3    0-0    1    15
Ainsley Strawder    0    0    0-0    3    0
WALLACE TOTALS    15    7    8-15    14    53
WP TOTALS    19    2    7-14    15    51
Points by quarters:
Wallace    14    10    16    8    5—53
WP    10    15    8    15    3—51
Up next
Once the tournament wraps up the Wildcats (9-5) will host Brady (0-17) Tuesday night and travel to Maxwell (4-13) Thursday.