Wauneta-Palisade girls upset in subdistrict final

The Wauneta-Palisade girls’ basketball season came to an end last week when the top seeded Broncos fell to second seeded Medicine Valley.
WP reached the subdistrict final with a 55-43 win over Wallace Feb. 14.
Peyton Cox scored the Broncos’ first six points of the game, followed by a two pointer from Chloe Stehno and three pointer by Cali Cox. After two free throws by P. Cox, Izzy Stehno found C. Stehno open for a late basket to put WP up 15-9.
The Broncos increased their lead in the second quarter. WP hit its biggest advantage of the first half, 27-15, with back-to-back field goals by C. Cox and GraCee Goings.
Wallace made the game interesting in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats scored 10 points in a two-minute span and suddenly WP lead was down to 32-29. The Broncos responded with a 10-4 run to increase their lead to 42-33.
With the game back under control, C. Cox scored four points to open the fourth quarter and Wauneta-Palisade was able to trade points with Wallace to wrap up the game.
Goings scored a team high 15 points. P. Cox had 14 points and 11 rebounds. C. Cox scored 13 points. C. Stehno had 11 rebounds.
WP Head Coach Matt Cox said WP was good in stretches, but still had a lot of unforced turnovers.
“Wallace had a great defensive game plan, but I was very pleased that we had four players in double figures. That’s a good thing to see this time of year,” Cox said.
Any time you’re in the postseason, anyway you can get a win, you take it, he added.
WP hosted the Raiders Thursday.
The game was a battle right from the start.
Goings and C. Cox hit three pointers in the first quarter to go with two pointers by C. Stehno and I Stehno.
Trailing 16-17, WP took the lead in the second quarter. Despite only making 5-11 free throws, baskets by C. Stehno, Goings and Halle Bardsley pushed the Broncos to a 31-30 halftime lead.
The game swung back to Medicine Valley’s favor in the third quarter. Goings and P. Cox made all of the Broncos field goals in the third quarter. Their four were no match to seven by the Raiders and WP entered the final quarter of the game with a three point deficit, 41-44.
C. Cox made a two and three pointer around a C. Stehno basket for WP first seven points of the fourth quarter. P. Cox made a bucket and hit one of two free throws to round out WP scoring.
Stella Heapy paced the Raiders’ offense throughout the game and scored six of her 24 points in the fourth quarter to give Wauneta-Palisade a 51-56 loss.
The difference came at the free throw line where WP only made 9-23. Medicine Valley made five of its eight attempts.
Goings scored 16 points for the Broncos.
C. Stehno had 13 points and 13 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end.
P. Cox scored nine points and had 11 rebounds. C. Cox had nine points and six assists.