Fillmore Central Holds Off Southland To Advance In Section 1A Tournament
It was two really good basketball teams battling it out at Rochester Lourdes High School Monday night as the #2 seeded Fillmore Central Falcons took on #7 seeded Southland. The Falcons were able to make plays down the stretch to secure the 58-50 win over the Rebels in the Section 1A Quarterfinals.
It was a close battle late and the Southland Rebels held a 46-45 lead with just over four minutes to go, but the Falcons then found their stride. Kammry Broadwater, Kandace Sikkink, Kassidy Broadwater, and Emma Breitsprecher all made big plays down the stretch to help the Falcons take a 51-48 lead down the stretch.
It was a big push for the Falcons as they held Southland to just four points in the final four minutes, while Fillmore Central as able to score 13. The 13-4 run to finish the game was built on a defense that rebounded well and pushed the ball in transition.
Southland led for a majority of the game and even took a 23-22 lead into the half. Lexi Smith was great for the Rebels, as we Larissa Goslee. Smith finished with 16 points and did a great job of facilitating the offense for Southland.
The Rebels relied on some stingy defense in the first half and did a great job of collapsing their defense every time Fillmore Central tried to get the ball in the post to their leading scorer, Sikkink.
The Falcons were able to adjust in the second half, and road the hot-hand of Kammry Broadwater. The 8th grader scored nine points in the second half to lead the team with 18 points, and also made a huge 3 late in the game that pushed the Falcons up to a six-point lead with less than 2 minutes to go.
Southland struggled to hit shots late in the game, but as a whole, they played really well. They moved the basketball, had a balanced scoring attack with Smith's 16, Goslee added 11, Bily Johnson had 8 and Kelsey Mensink and Hattie Wiste added 6 apiece.
The Falcons strong defense was the difference-maker down the stretch, as they forced turnovers, rebounded well, and got to the free-throw line late to secure the win.
Kammry Broadwater led the way with 18 points, while Sikkink had 13 and Breitsprecher added 10.
With the win, Fillmore Central advances to the Section Semifinals and will take on #6 seeded Grand Meadow at 1:30 pm Saturday at the Mayo Civic Auditorium. You will be able to hear the game on 103.1 KFIL.
Kingsley Mercantile Game Ball - Kammry Broadwater (Fillmore Central)