Spartans punch ticket to Regional Final

With less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Class 2A - Region 7 Second Round Game against the MVAOCOU Rams, Exira-EHK Sophomore Taryn Petersen stepped up to the free line with her team trailing by one, making both free throws to give the Spartans their first lead of the game, en route to a 49-48 victory.
“Overall, it’s just a great team effort,” said Spartan Head Coach Tom Petersen. “The girls put their bodies on the line tonight. I’m just so proud of this group of kids. We’ve had a ton of adversity this year, but I told them don’t be content. We have to play better in order for us to have a chance in the next game.”
Senior Ram Trista Ohlmeier set the tone immediately going on an 8-0 run to open the game before the Spartans got their first basket on a layup by Junior Jaelynn Petersen. Following Jaelynn’s basket, Taryn made two free throws, but the Rams continued to dominate on the offensive end of the floor leading 17-6 at the end of the quarter.
Ohlmeier open the second quarter with another shot, however Junior Spartan Kadence Sporrer got the Spartans next three points on a few throw and layup chipping away at the Rams lead.
Senior Ram Makynlee Yockey made a mid-range jump shot approaching the midway point of the quarter, forcing a timeout from Petersen. When play resumed, Taryn made a 3-point shot, followed by a turnaround jump shot from Jaelynn with layups soon after from Senior Harlee Fahn and Taryn as the Spartans trailed by seven at halftime.
“Coming into the second quarter, we kind of picked up our pace and kept going,” said Taryn Petersen. “I think when we play our game, it’s pretty decent and we play to our best. We were trailing by seven and we had to keep going.”
Sophomore Ram Irelynne McNamara made the first shot of the third quarter on a layup, but Taryn and Jaelynn made back-to-back layups to cut the lead back to five points, forcing a timeout from the Rams.
When play resumed, Taryn made a mid-range jump shot, which was followed by a 7-0 Rams run, but Taryn put a stop to their run with a layup. Approaching the end of the quarter, Sporrer sank a 3-pointer, along with Taryn making a basket while getting fouled as the Spartans trailed 39-33 heading into the final quarter.
Ohlmeier got the Rams on the board first to open the quarter, but the Spartans offense continued to make plays going on a 9-3 run with the biggest shot of the quarter coming from Fahn who drained a wide open 3-point shot lighting up the Spartans crowd.
“They left me open all night, but you just can’t do that,” Fahn said. “You can’t underestimate players and I took that to my advantage and finally made a 3.”
The Spartans continued to claw at the Rams and were finally able to get their first lead of the game when Taryn made two free throws, followed by a mid-range jump shot sending the Spartans to the Regional Final Game.
“It feels pretty amazing,” said Taryn Petersen. “We’re ready to keep going and get one, and take it down to Wells Fargo Arena and keep it going.”
The Spartans will play the 20-3 Treynor Cardinals Wednesday at Underwood High School. The Cardinals are led by Junior Nora Konz averaging 14.3 points, Junior Ella Thornton averaging 5.7 rebounds, and Junior Claire Schrage averaging 3.3 assists.
“It’s all about preparation,” said Tom Petersen. “You’ve got to have the right mindset and everybody’s got to buy in. You can’t watch just a little bit of film. You’ve got to be willing to put in the hours and that’s what I need my girls to do. It’s regional time, and we’ll just have to see what happens.”