Southern Valley eliminates Wolfpack
LINCOLN — Held scoreless for over 10 minutes, beginning early in the second quarter, Elgin Public-Pope John fell behind and saw their dreams of a state championship dashed by Southern Valley Thursday night in the opening round of the D1 Girls State Basketball Tournament.
On a night where the Wolfpack got off to a fast start it wouldn’t last as the Eagles fought back to tie the game at halftime, then pull away in the second half.
“We had our shots,” Coach Randy Eisenhauer said outside the lockerroom after the game. “I thought we could have done some things but we just went on a dry spell. We didn’t make as many shots from the outside.”
The game capped the careers of four Wolfpack seniors – Charf, Eisenhauer, Martinsen and Elise Ruterbories, Coach Eisenhauer praised the foursome for helping build the program to where it is today, having reached the state tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in Wolfpack history.
“You always remember the last game, but you don’t remember the whole season. I think that’s something the girls got to be really proud of what they’ve accomplished this year, what my seniors accomplished for four years for me,” Coach Eisenhauer said. “These seniors (Ash, Brenna, Keyera and Elise) built my program.”
The loss dropped EPPJ’s season record to 22-3.