The Frankfort girls capped off their season with an emphatic 49-23 win over Norwich in the third-place game of the Class IA-I State Championship on Saturday at United Wireless Arena in Dodge City.
The win marks the school’s first in a third-place game and the second-highest finish in school history. The Wildcat girls were state runners-up in 1981.
The win caps a 22-4 season.
The Wildcats girls led 22-10 at the half after a 14-4 second quarter. Frankfort extended that lead to 41-18 in the third quarter and held Norwich to just five free throws in the fourth quarter.
Hattie Gros led the Wildcats with 22 points and eight rebounds.
FRANKFORT 49, NORWICH 23
Frankfort (22-4) — 8; 14; 19; 8 — 49
Norwich (22-4) — 6; 4; 8; 5 — 23
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Frankfort – Wapp 5-5 10, As. Dalinghaus 0-1 0, Ebert 0-2 2-2 2, Hardwick 3-5 1-3 9, Sowell 0-2 1-3 1, Parthemer 1-5 0-0 2, Gros 9-13 1-1 22, Al. Dalinghaus 1-2 1-2 3. Totals: 19-35 6-12 49.
Norwich – Kelly 2-15 1-2 7, Smith 1-6 0-0 2, Samuelson 0-3 0-0 0, H. Sheetz 2-5 0-0 4, Brewster 0-1 0-0 0, Adams 2-4 1-3 5, B. Sheetz 1-10 3-6 5. Totals 18-44 5-11 23.
State semifinals vs. Quinter
No. 3 seed Frankfort girls’ basketball saw a nine-point halftime lead slip away in the second half as its run to a state title came to an end in a 42-38 loss to No. 2 seed Quinter in the state semifinal game Friday.
A promising season came to an end in a crushing loss.
Frankfort was in a good position at halftime. The Wildcats led 30-21, shooting 38.5 % on 26 field goals, along with 7-of-9 free throws. They had forced the Bulldogs into seven turnovers. From the end of the first quarter to the second quarter, the Wildcats scored nine unanswered points to build a lead.
The Wildcats had two players score in double figures, Sydney Wapp (15) and Hattie Gros (12).
But the Wildcats could not continue their offensive success in the second half, as they struggled to make their shots. They scored just eight points in the second half; four in each quarter.
Quinter (22-3) also struggled to score in the third quarter, as both teams were unable to find much success offensively. Despite scoring only four points in the third quarter, Frankfort still led 34-29 as the third quarter came to an end.
The Bulldogs were able to get some more shots to fall in the fourth quarter, and for the Wildcats, it was a matter of finding a way to score some more points or hope to prevent the Bulldogs from scoring to hold on to the lead to punch their ticket to the state championship game.
Quinter tied the game, 38-38, with 1:37 remaining with a 3-pointer.
Head coach Brian Ebert called a full timeout with 1:25 remaining to draw up a play for a go-ahead basket, but Frankfort was unable to overcome its second-half shooting struggles and missed a layup.
Quinter got the rebound, and Frankfort committed a foul, which resulted in two free throws for the Bulldogs, and they made both. It was the Bulldogs’ first lead since early in the first quarter.
Trailing 40-38, Frankfort was once again unable to convert on the offensive end, and then was forced to commit a foul to extend the game, and Quinter again converted both free throws to extend the lead to two possessions, 42-38.
Frankfort missed a 3-pointer, and Quinter secured the rebound and dribbled the ball for the final six seconds to run out the remainder of the game.
QUINTER 42, FRANKFORT 38
Frankfort (21-4)- 12; 18;4;4- 38
Quinter (22-3)- 5; 16; 8; 13 -42
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Frankfort- Sydney Wapp 15 (4-10)(6-6FT), Emma Hardwick 7(1-7)(4-5FT), Hattie Gros 12 (5-15)(2-2FT), Lexi Dalinghaus 3 (1-2)(1-3FT), Sofie Braune 4 (1-2)(1-1FT), Breleigh Ebert 0 (0-1), Taryn Parthemer 0 (0-1). Total: 12-38 (32%).
Quinter – Kennedy Werth 3 (1-7), Anna Briggs 19(6-14)(4-6FT), Cashlyn Kvasnicka 2(1-2), Kelsey Selensky 5(1-2)(3-5FT), Bryn Gillespie 8 (3-5)(2-2FT), Saige Betz 0(0-1). Total: 12-31 (39%).
