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Lady Crusaders top Lady Broncs





Photos by James Giago DaviesBelle's Taylor Hanson struggling in paint against Red Clouds Schaevon Brewer (10).

Photos by James Giago DaviesBelle’s Taylor Hanson struggling in paint against Red Clouds Schaevon Brewer (10).

BELLE FOURCHE—Last year the Lady Broncs went down to Pine Ridge and handed the Lady Crusaders a home court loss, and Saturday night Red Cloud returned the favor, coming back from a 9-point halftime deficit, to defeat Belle Fourche, 49-37.

Belle Fourche Coach Bill Burr called a time out with 1:52 remaining in the first half, and his team up, 14-12: “We gotta get back. Take care of it on the offensive end. We gotta box the backside. You guys gotta seal that.”

He wanted his team to keep hustling, because although it seemed they were outplaying Red Cloud on the floor, Burr knew the visitors were a second half team, having lost to them once before when he led by a dozen. His girls responded immediately, 5-11 junior Hannah Rehmeier scored with a short jumper from her favorite spot, just a step inside the charity stripe, and 5-2 senior Tori Anderson drained a long three to put the Lady Broncs up 21-14 at the half.

Red Cloud had missed a lot of shots in the first half; they wouldn’t have that problem in the second. After an errant out of bounds pass by the Belle Fourche, Red Cloud sharpened their passing game. A pass from 5-7 junior Sidney Richards found 5-7 senior Trista Merrival wide open under the basket, and it was 21-16. Belle Fourche responded by again passing the ball out of bounds, and although they came back to take a 25-16 lead, when Rehmeier scored again from her favorite spot, errant passing would prove their second half undoing.

“We kept trying to force the ball inside,” Burr said, but then that is how Belle Fourche plays, pass the ball around the perimeter, find the open man in close to the basket. That’s normally a sound strategy, if your passing is accurate and your people are open. Both stopped happening for Belle Fourche, and they went cold from the floor.

“We couldn’t make any buckets,” Burr said. “I think we only had 14 points in the whole second half.”

The Lady Broncs were tired after a grueling, emotional win over Deadwood two nights before, but beyond “tired” happening to them, Red Cloud happened to them.

Senior forward Brooke Ghost Bear scored on an explosive fast break lay-up, Merrival stole the ball, zipped the length of court, and then 5-9 senior Leannah Vitalis drained a three, and just like that the score was 25-23, Belle.

Rehmeier responded with another short jumper, and then 5-5 senior Emily Monier drove the baseline to make it 29-23. It seemed the Lady Broncs were not going to go away, especially when after a time out, with 19.8 seconds remaining in the third, 5-11 junior Bret Woelber went to the line for Belle Fourche, after being fouled by Red Cloud center, 6-0 senior Schaevon Brewer. But she missed both free throws.

Red Cloud raced the ball back up court and the well-schooled Koty LeBeaux, a 5-5 senior, snuck a tipped pass past the defense which Brewer converted into an acrobatic bucket, and it was 31-28. Rehmeier came back, scoring from the same spot, but Merrival then nailed a three-pointer, and the Lady Crusaders were just a bucket down, 33-31.

“Board! Board! Board!” Burr hollered from the sideline, imploring his charges to clear the defensive glass, but Red Cloud snatched one offensive rebound after another, until Merrival was eventually left wide open for another three. She did not disappoint, and Red Cloud took the lead, 34-33 with 6:10 left to play.

“They hit that three,” Burr said, “and we just didn’t recover from that one.”

Another errant pass gave Red Cloud a chance at another three, and Vitalis drained it to make it 37-33. Burr called a time out. Belle Fourche came back out, patiently trying to set up a shot, and scrappy 5-9 sophomore Raymie Keegan got the ball right under the basket for Belle, no defender to contest the lay up, and the pass went right off her finger tips out of bounds.

The Red Cloud comeback pressure was breaking down the Lady Broncs. They were desperate now. Rehmeier missed her favorite shot, but they crashed the offensive boards: Keegan missed a three, 5-4 sophomore Taylor Hanson missed a three, and nothing would fall. Another fast break pass to Ghost Bear followed, and she deftly slid past Rehmeier’s defense and made it 41-33, Red Cloud, 2:29 left to play, but you could hear all the air suddenly rush out of the Belle Fourche balloon.

From that point on they just played out the clock. Merrival and Vitalis led Red Cloud with 14 and 13 points, respectively. They both hit three clutch threes. Brewer chipped in 7. Red Cloud out-shot Belle Fourche 59% to 55%. Rehemeir had 14 points for the Lady Broncs.

Earlier in the week, Red Cloud had a big win over cross town rival, Pine Ridge, 66-62. Merrival led Red Cloud with 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Vitalis had 10 points and 4 rebounds, in a win that took a total team effort from the Lady Crusaders. Red Cloud travels up to Douglas on Thursday. They defeated the Patriots 53-47 at home last year. 


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