Cody defense stymies East girls in 4A semis

Mar. 10—CASPER — Cody likes to use a variety of defenses to keep opposing teams off balance.

On Friday night, it was a high 2-3 zone that helped the Fillies break open a close game and dash Cheyenne East's hopes for a third consecutive Class 4A state championship with a 63-45 semifinal victory at the Wyoming Center in Casper.

"We started out too tight, but did a good job of keeping our composure until we could start doing the things we wanted to do," Cody coach Chris Wagner said. "We try to mix and match our defense, but we run a ton of zone. When you get to the state tournament, teams handle the pressure better and don't commit as many turnovers.

"East was taking it to us right from the get-go with drives, so we had to switch to the zone to shut them down for a bit."

The teams had met for the past two state titles, with East winning both of those matchups. Round 3 was shaping up to be every bit the battle, with the lead changing hands six times and the score being tied twice over the game's first 11 minutes, 17 seconds.

Then the Fillies (24-0) switched up their defense.

That change sparked an 18-2 run that put Cody ahead 33-20 late in the second quarter. East had six consecutive empty possessions during that stretch, including four turnovers.

"When they switched into the zone, we were slow to adjust to it, and we started making stupid little errors we shouldn't have made," said East senior guard Boden Liljedahl, who finished with 17 points while playing all 32 minutes. "I don't think we expected to see a zone.

"We love getting to the rim, and we were doing a good job of that. They switched on us and took away our attack."

Junior guard Molly Hays — who was named Wyoming's player of the year by Gatorade earlier this week — gave Cody a 21-20 lead when she blocked a shot by East senior forward Elysiana Fonseca near the free-throw line, corralled the ball and took it to the other end for a layup.

"We didn't adjust to that zone soon enough. That was a good move by (Wagner), and it's my fault for not switching soon enough," East coach Eric Westling said. "We were trying to figure out that zone instead of attacking it. It's on me for us not having an attacking mindset.

"I'm going to have to live with this one. I'm proud of my girls because they played really hard."

Cody took a 33-23 lead into halftime. It led by as much as 21 points in the second half. The Fillies scored nine second-chance points, while East had none. They also held a 16-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

Hays finished with a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds and three steals. Victory Buck and Ally Boysen both netted 12 points. Boysen also grabbed nine boards. Jessa Lynn and Reece Niemann both added eight points.

"They're a great group that's been together for a long time, and they play that way," Westling said. "They're one of the best teams in the state for a reason."

Junior guard Bradie Schlabs paced East with 12 points and five rebounds.

CODY 63, EAST 45

Cody 13 20 13 17 — 63

Cheyenne East 16 7 10 12 — 45

Cody: Talich 0-1 0-0 0, G. Buck 0-0 0-0 0, Hays 7-17 8-10 23, Lynn 2-6 2-4 8, V. Buck 5-7 0-1 12, Shelton 0-0 0-0 0, K. Niemann 0-6 0-1 0, R. Niemann 1-2 6-6 8, Boysen 5-6 2-3 12. Total: 20-45 18-25.

Cheyenne East: DeLong 0-3 0-1 0, Booth 0-0 0-0 0, B. Schlabs 8-18 5-5 22, Haws 2-3 0-0 4, Cassat 0-1 0-0 0, E. Fonseca 0-1 0-0 0, Liljedahl 6-13 2-4 17, Brown 0-1 1-2 1, Hall 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 16-42 8-13.

3-pointers: Cody 5-18 (Hays 1-4, Lynn 2-4, Black 2-4, K. Riemann 0-5, R. Riemann 0-1); East 4-15 (DeLong 0-1, Schlabs 1-5, Liljedahl 3-9). Rebounds: Cody 30 (R. Riemann 5, Boysen 5); East 25 (Schlabs 5). Assists: Cody 9 (K. Riemann 3); East 5 (Five with 1). Turnovers: Cody 11 (Hays 3), East 18 (Schlabs 6). Blocked shots: Cody 2 (Hays, Boysen); East 1 (DeLong). Steals: Cody 7 (Hays 2), East 4 (E. Fonseca 2). Team fouls: Cody 11, East 23.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.