2A State Girls Tournament in Manhattan on Wednesday, March 9th 

It was a tale of two halves and the second half 28-17 advantage for Smith Center was too much for Jackson Heights to overcome after the lady Cobras led 20-16 at halftime but ended up falling short 44-37 at the final buzzer. Besides the second half scoring surge, the biggest difference in the game was Smith Center outrebounding Jackson Heights 37-23 including 15 offensive rebounds with a tall lineup that played stronger and more aggressive inside.

Smith Center made up for a 1-9 night behind the three-point line by making 15 of 20 free throws including a 9-9 performance by Dakota Kattenburg who had 17 points. Tallon Tentschler added 10 for the Lady Red who improved to 20-4 on the season and advanced to the semifinals against Garden Plain. Smith Center led just 30-27 entering the fourth quarter but went ahead 40-31 with four minutes to play and made 7 of 9 foul shots down the stretch to protect the lead. 

Jackson Heights got all but five of their points from two players as Kanyon Olberding scored 18 points and Kaylee Thompson scored 14 and both girls grabbed 7 rebounds as well. The Cobras won the first half by breaking a press and getting several transition buckets while also running and effective man offense to get several high percentage shots. But Smith Center shifted to a zone in the second half and JH made just two triples before ending their season with a 22-2 record. 

The three-time defending NEKL champs will carry a 45-game league win streak into next year while losing just three seniors and return their top three scorers.