The REPORTER
Sheridan powered past Covenant Christian 47-28 last Saturday to win the Class 2A Sectional 43 championship at Park Tudor.
It’s the second sectional championship for the Blackhawks, who won their first one in 2015. Sheridan took care of the host Panthers in the first semifinal last Friday, and was ready to go against the Warriors, who beat University in the second semifinal.
“The girls did a really nice job of coming out strong from the get-go,” said ‘Hawks coach Jaidlin Delph. The coach said Covenant “is a team that plays hard for 32 minutes and you don’t want to mess around with teams that do that.”
Instead, Sheridan jumped out to a 17-9 lead after the first quarter. Kenzie Garner scored nine points in that period, with Nova Cross and Brielle Garner hit making one 3-pointer. Kenzie Garner then threw in two 3s during the second quarter, and the Blackhawks increased their lead to 28-16 by halftime.
Sheridan maintained a double-digit lead after the third quarter, which finished with the Blackhawks ahead 34-21. The ‘Hawks added another 13 points in the fourth, going 7 of 9 from the free-throw line to clinch the game.
Kenzie Garner totaled 25 points and reached double-double status with 15 rebounds. She also had five assists and two blocked shots.
“She’s just a beast on the boards,” said Bradshaw. “She played through a lot of contact. They let us play on both ends of the floor. She did a nice job of keeping her composure and putting the ball in the basket. That’s not something you can coach. You either have it or you don’t, and she has it.”
Sadie Timme collected six rebounds, with Cecilia Timme adding nine points and five rebounds. Cross dished out four assists.
Sheridan is now 19-5 and hosts Northeastern for the Regional 22 championship on Saturday. The time and place of the game was announced after the Reporter went to press, see our website, readthereporter.com, for an update.