By Ernie W. Webb III
DODGE CITY – With the clock running down at the end of the third quarter, Centralia’s Abbie Flentie launched a shot from the right of the key. The ball ricocheted off the front of the rim, bounced off the backboard and settled into the net for a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.
That trey capped a miserable quarter for Burlingame, which trailed by 20 after a period during which they were outscored 19-2, turned the ball over seven times and missed seven of eight shots. That eight-minute stretch may last an eternity for the Bearcats, who fought the Panthers tooth and nail in a 53-45 loss during Friday’s Class 1A Division I semifinals.
“That third quarter was just too much for us,” said Burlingame coach Jeff Slater, whose team plays Hodgeman County at 2 p.m. Saturday for third place. “They got it going, and we couldn’t get anything going. They were hitting everything, and we couldn’t hit anything. They got into transition, and we had a hard time defending them in transition.”
As they’ve done all season, the Bearcats battled back. Kaylin Noonan, who had 24 points and eight rebounds, opened the final frame with a three-point play, and Gracie Simmons followed with a 3-pointer. Burlingame pulled within 47-37 with 4:16 remaining after buckets from Noonan and Alexandra Crook.
The Bearcats (21-3) had a couple of possessions to trim the deficit further but missed open shots.
“You have some games at the state tournament that get out of hand when one team gets a lead like that,” Slater said during a postgame interview on KVOE-FM in Emporia. “I challenged the kids and told them this quarter is all about your pride, and they fought back. We even had some good shots, shots we wanted, to make it more of a game, but they just didn’t fall.”
Playing a Centralia program that has won five state titles, Burlingame was anything but intimidated in its first semifinal appearance. Daelyn Winters hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, and Noonan added a layup to give the Bearcats an 8-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. Winters, who scored all 10 of her points in the opening eight minutes, connected on a long jumper for an 18-11 edge after the first quarter.
The Panthers answered quickly in the second quarter, getting treys from Jayden Wells and Oen Deters and a three-point play from Avery Deters to take their first lead. Centralia pushed the run to 18-4 and had a 28-25 advantage at the half.
“You talk about a game of runs,” Slater said. “We started hot, then they got hot. We just couldn’t overcome their run in the third quarter. I’m kicking myself for not finding a way to get Kaylin Noonan the ball more in that quarter.”
Burlingame trailed 30-27 early in the second half on a Noonan basket, but the Bearcats didn’t score in the final seven minutes of the third period. The Panthers (25-0) scored 17 straight points, forcing seven turnovers and six straight Bearcat misses, to build a 20-point lead.
Noonan went 11 of 13 from the field, but Centralia limited Burlingame to 32-percent shooting (11 of 34) in the final three periods, including 3 of 17 on 3-pointers. Winters had 10 points and five rebounds and Simmons nine points and seven boards.
Oen Deters led the Panthers with 16 points and five rebounds, Flentie added 13 points and Lena Haverkamp 10 points.
CENTRALIA 53, BURLINGAME 45
Burlingame 18 7 2 18 — 45
Centralia 11 17 19 6 — 53
BURLINGAME (21-3): Kaylin Noonan 11-13 2-4 24, Daelyn Winters 4-17 0-0 10, Gracie Simmons 3-12 0-0 9, Alexandra Crook 1-2 0-0 2, Kenna Masters 0-2 0-0 0, Isabella Tyson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 19-47 2-4 45.
CENTRALIA (25-0): Oen Deters 7-10 1-2 16, Abbie Flentie 5-11 0-0 13, Lena Haverkamp 3-8 2-2 10, Avery Deters 3-6 3-4 9, Jayden Wells 1-2 0-0 3, Tatum Kramer 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 20-39 6-9 53.
3-pointers: Burlingame 5-21 (Simmons 3-8, Winters 2-9, Masters 0-2, Noonan 0-1, Tyson 0-1); Centralia 7-17 (Flentie 3-7, Haverkamp 2-5, Wells 1-2, O. Deters 1-1, A. Deters 0-2). Rebounds – Burlingame 25 (Noonan 8, Simmons 7, Winters 5); Centralia 18 (O. Deters 5, A. Deters 4). Turnovers – Burlingame 14, Centralia 10. Fouled out – Simmons.
