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South Side pulls away from Lady Vikes in second half at SS sectional

Huntington North guard Karmen Koch floats in the lane against a trio of South Side defenders as she lets go of a layup attempt on Friday night, Feb. 2, in semifinal action at the Fort Wayne South Side Girls' Basketball Sectional. The Lady Vikings season ended with a 76-59 loss.
Huntington North guard Karmen Koch floats in the lane against a trio of South Side defenders as she lets go of a layup attempt on Friday night, Feb. 2, in semifinal action at the Fort Wayne South Side Girls' Basketball Sectional. The Lady Vikings season ended with a 76-59 loss. Photo by Steve Clark.

After a hotly contested first half, South Side pulled away from the Huntington North High School girls’ basketball team in the third quarter and ended the Lady Vikings’ season with a 76-59 defeat in the semifinals of the South Side Sectional on Friday, Feb. 2.

Huntington North, 11-12, came out prepared for the challenge posed by South Side, 21-4, which led the Lady Vikings from the first quarter onward in a 72-57 triumph just nine days earlier. The second meeting saw Coach Heidi Lawson’s squad keep things close in the opening period, 16-14, before taking a 26-22 lead with 2:17 remaining in the second. The visitors went into the break down by just a point, 27-26.

In the third quarter, the Lady Archers’ defense cranked up the pressure on the Lady Vikings. The hosts forced a series of turnovers, which they converted into points. The result was a 28-13 scoring disparity in favor of South Side that saw Coach Juanita Goodwell’s crew surge ahead by the end of the period, 55-39. While Huntington North responded with 20 points in the final frame, South Side countered with 21 of its own to stymie its upset-minded guests.

The Lady Vikings were paced by Rileigh Johnson, who poured in a game-best 27 points. The senior was on fire from beyond the arc, where she buried 7 of 9 attempts to account for the balance of her big point total.

Maddy Robrock recorded a double-double for Huntington North, tallying 19 points while corralling 12 rebounds. The junior’s efforts on the glass helped the visitors log a 28-22 advantage in that department.

Senior Karmen Koch helped facilitate the Lady Vikings’ offensive effort with 11 assists.

Huntington North went 23 of 35 from the field for 65.7 percent. The team added six points in 10 attempts at the free-throw line for 60 percent.

South Side got four double-digit scoring efforts in the win, which put the team in the sectional title game versus Muncie Central on Saturday, Feb. 3. Jaci Jones totaled 22 points for the Lady Archers while Shamari Tyson netted 21. Mikeba Jones tossed in 16 points and Taniece Chapman added 13.

The Lady Archers converted 30 of 48 field goal attempts for 62.5 percent, which included a blistering 19 of 25 effort for 76 percent in the second half. At the charity stripe, the hosts went 9 of 14 for 64.3 percent.