Lady Wildcats earn State berth with pair of Regional victories

The 11th ranked Fleming Lady Wildcats have made their way into the Great 8 round of the 2023 Regional/State Tournament bracket. To earn their State Tournament berth, the Lady Wildcats took down 22nd ranked Arickaree and sixth seeded Kiowa last week.

On the heels of a District Championship loss to Briggsdale, the Lady Wildcats continued in the post season as the 11th ranked team which pitted them against Arickaree in round one at Kiowa High School last Friday. Fleming cruised to a smooth victory over the Lady Bison that day due in part to an opening quarter shut out. The Lady Wildcats went up 11-0 in the first and maintained that 11-point lead at the half, 19-8.

Fleming added another five points to the scoring gap in the third to own a 16-point advantage, 33-17. They'd tack another point on to that lead in the final quarter and move into round two with a 37-20 victory.

Senior Kally Kirkwood led her team in the contest with 18 points. She made good on two three-point shots and six two-pointers. Kirkwood also led her team in steals with seven.

Senior Maddy Harms followed with six points. She shot 100 percent from the free throw line to account for two of her points and earned the remaining four points on two-point buckets.

Harms led the group under the basket in rebounds bringing down 12 total. She grabbed seven offensive and five defensive boards. Senior Laney Schliesser followed with seven rebounds.

The following day, the Lady Wildcats met up with the hosting sixth seeded Kiowa Lady Indians.

Despite the five spot difference in seeding between the two teams, they played an even contest with the score remaining close throughout the game. Fleming led by two after the first, 12-10, and by four at the half, 24-20.

Kiowa played tough in the third quarter, out scoring the local ladies by one, 8-7, to bring the gap down to three points. But Fleming would finish strong, making their best offensive showing in the final quarter with 13 points. The Lady Wildcat defense held the Lady Indians to just eight and took an eight-point, 44-36, victory to advance into the Great 8.

Freshman Ciana Lousberg contributed the team-high 14 points against Kiowa. She went six for eight from the free-throw line and added another eight on two-point shots. She also made a leading effort under the basket bringing down seven boards.

Kirkwood followed on the scoreboard with 10 points. She earned all 10 on two-point shots.

Harms brought down eight rebounds - the team high. She grabbed two offensive and six defensive boards.

Junior MadiKay Serrato led in assists with five and senior Lexi Schaefer matched her at five in the steal category.

The Lady Wildcats begin their State campaign on Thursday, March 9 in the Great 8 round. They are set to face off with third ranked Briggsdale at 8:45 a.m. at the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley.

Fleming and Briggsdale are familiar foes having met twice this season. The Lady Wildcats fell to the Lady Falcons in mid-January by over 30 points, but took them into overtime in the District Championship two weeks ago. Briggsdale came out on top of the second outing by nine.

A win over Briggsdale on Thursday would allow the Lady Wildcats to move into the semifinal round against the winner of second ranked Flatirons Academy, the defending State Champs, and 10th ranked Kit Carson at 4 p.m. on Friday.

A loss to Briggsdale would drop the Lady Wildcats into the consolation bracket where they would face off with the loser of the Flatirons Academy/Kit Carson contest at 8:45 a.m. on Friday.

Rounding out the top side of the bracket are top seeded McClave, ninth ranked Granada, fifth seeded Stratton and fourth ranked Dove Creek. Seeds six, seven and eight were all eliminated in Regionals.

All games of the 1A Girls' State Basketball Tournament are slated to be played in Greeley at the Bank of Colorado Arena except the Championship. The Championship game is scheduled to be held at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland at 4 p.m. on Saturday.