GIRLS: DONIPHAN WEST 60, BLUE VALLEY-RANDOLPH 37

It was a close contest for most of the first quarter with the score tied 7-7. The Mustangs would force some turnovers in their press and score off said turnovers. Malaina Whetstine scored six points in the opening quarter for D-West and Ava Gladhart had four.

In the second quarter, the Mustangs had seven different scorers. Meanwhile, only two players were able to make a field goal in the first half for the Rams. D-West had a halftime lead of 30-17.

To start the third quarter, Doniphan West didn’t allow the Rams to get back in the game as Lena Leatherman scored five quick points to start the period. This led to D-West pouring it on with a 22-point period with Andi Foster leading the way with seven points in the frame. They would lead 52-25 going into the fourth quarter and pull away in the final eight minutes with no problems.

Whetstine led Doniphan West in scoring with 11 points, which makes her our Player of the Game brought to you by Farmers State Bank. Foster also finished the game with ten points. In total, Doniphan West had ten players that found the bottom of the net. For Blue Valley, Brynlyn Brockman led all scorers with 15 points.

Doniphan West will face Centralia in the quarterfinals at 5:30 on Thursday evening.

BOYS: DONIPHAN WEST 46, WASHINGTON COUNTY 33

The first quarter was an offensive struggle for both teams. Washington County had four of their 10 first-quarter points come from free throws, and Doniphan West needed a three-pointer at the buzzer to pull within two going into the second quarter.

To start the period, Doniphan West got their first lead of the game, but the Tigers quickly got it right back. They held it for most of the period, but D-West pulled back ahead with 3:23 to go in the half with a score of 14-13 thanks to Kolter Peterson making a layup after maneuvering around defenders. The final points of the quarter would come on three free throws from Monte Huckett to give the Tigers a 16-14 lead into the break.

The offense picked up in the third quarter with Hudson Penny draining a couple of threes to give them the lead back. The Mustangs would hold onto the lead going into the fourth quarter with the score at 26-21.

To start the fourth quarter, D-West put a chokehold on the game scoring the first five points of the period going up 31-21. Their defense didn’t allow the Tigers to score until there was 2:46 left in the game. Washington County would make it interesting for a split second as they cut their deficit back down to nine, but Dustin Veach drained a three-pointer that head coach Derek Shelton didn’t approve of until it went through the net. Their 20-point fourth quarter was the deciding factor in this one

Peterson was clutch from the free throw line going 6-for-6 in the fourth quarter and 8-for-8 on the ballgame. He finished with 13 points and is the Farmers State Bank Player of the Game. Cooper Eberly and Hudson Penny also scored 13 points. Penny was also clutch from the charity stripe going 4-for-4 in the fourth. Monte Huckett led Washington County in scoring with eight points.

Doniphan West will face Centralia in the quarterfinals at 7:00 on Thursday night.

GIRLS: HANOVER 46, FRANKFORT 39

Frankfort started the game off hot going up quickly 8-2 early on. However, Hanover would go on a lengthy run from the end of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter. Anna Jueneman and Katelyn Klipp led the charge with an inside-outside combination that was difficult for Frankfort to defend. They would hold on to a 24-18 lead at halftime as they outscored Frankfort 13-4 in the second quarter.

Hattie Gros helped Frankfort get back in the game in to start the third quarter as she scored six third-quarter points. Sydney Wapp drained a three at the buzzer to give them a 32-31 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Hanover made just one field goal in the final frame, but it was enough to get the win because the Wildcats would make 13 free throws in the quarter. Their defense buckled down and made it difficult for Frankfort to get open looks as well. On the game, Hanover went 25-for-32 on the freebies, including 17-for-21 in the second half. They advance despite shooting just 36% from the floor.

Klipp finished with 17 points despite making just two field goals. She went 13-for-16 from the free-throw line. Jueneman finished with 14 points as well. Klipp is your Player of the Game brought to you by Farmers State Bank.

Hattie Gros ended up with 16 points to lead Frankfort in scoring.

They will take on Clifton-Clyde in the semifinals at 1:30 on Friday afternoon.

BOYS: AXTELL 60, TROY 51

Axtell got off to the game’s first run with a 7-0 run. Troy then responded quickly with an 11-2 run to take the lead. Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the opening period with six total lead changes. Colin Shaughnessy made three three-pointers in the opening quarter for Axtell, and Henry Geiger scored five for the Trojans. After a wild opening eight minutes, Axtell led 16-15.

Troy kept the iron hot scoring the first five points in the second quarter. However, both defenses ramped up their intensity to produce a much lower-scoring second quarter. Eli Broxterman scored four points in the frame to keep the Eagles in it, as Troy led Axtell 24-21 at the break.

Troy held on to the lead for the first five minutes of the third quarter, but the Trojans started being careless with the ball and Axtell quickly scored a slew of transition baskets to take the lead back. Geiger scored six points for Troy in the third, and Shaughnessy scored nine more points and Eli Broxterman scored six to put Axtell up 40-32 heading into the last quarter.

The Eagles wouldn’t bat an eye in the final eight minutes as they had no issues securing the win. They got some help from Grady Buessing, who had six points in the fourth quarter.

Shaughnessy finished the game with 20 points, making him the Farmers State Bank Player of the Game. Eli Broxterman had 12 points with eight coming in the second half.

Geiger led Troy with 18 points and Gannon Bowe ended his night with ten points.

Axtell will face Clifton-Clyde on Friday at 3:00 in the semifinals.

Coverage of the Twin Valley League tournament has been made possible by M&R Auto Parts, Farmers State Bank of Onaga, Highland Community College, Bendena State Bank, SBS Insurance, Wanklyn Oil Company, First National Bank of Frankfort, B&D Buildings, Blue Valley Technologies, BB Brothers Contractor, Koch And Co., Hilltop Creations, Helena Agri-Enterprises, Onaga Pharmacy, and Elmer’s Repair.