The Lebo Wolves traveled to Eureka on Friday night for a nonleague matchup. The Wolves handed the topranked Eureka Lady Tornadoes their first loss of the season in a tightly contested 31-34 battle.
Lebo came ready from the opening tip. Eureka controlled the jump ball but misfired on a point-blank layup, and the Wolves quickly capitalized, knocking down a three-pointer for the game’s first points. Hannah Perrier answered with a strong finish inside to get the Lady Tornadoes on the board.
The first quarter was a defensive grind, with both teams trading baskets in a physical, low-scoring affair. At the end of one, the score was tied 8-8.
The Wolves once again opened the second quarter with a three-pointer following a Eureka turnvis over. While the Lady Tornadoes’ defense remained aggressive and disruptive, the offense struggled to find rhythm. Known for their perimeter shooting, Eureka simply couldn’t get shots to fall, finishing the night just 1-of-24 from beyond the arc. At halftime, the home team trailed 15-18.
Eureka came out of the locker room determined, scoring the first two points of the second half.
However, Lebo responded immediately with another three-pointer. Points continued to be hard to come by for the Lady Tornadoes, but their defensive intensity never wavered. With four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Eureka strung together a key 7-point run to seize momentum and take a 24-21 lead heading into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, the Wolves flipped the script, connecting on three crucial three-pointers.
The final dagger came with just 13 seconds remaining to give Lebo the lead. Eureka had one last opportunity to force overtime, but Brenna Rucker’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was just off the mark.
Despite forcing 33 Lebo turnovers, the Lady Tornadoes were unable to convert enough of those opportunities into points.
Rucker led Eureka with 16 points, along with 7 rebounds and 6 steals. Perrier added 6 points, Elle Coulter finished with 4, Arabella Shepherd had 3, and Britta Mongeau chipped in 2. Mongeau also contributed 3 assists and 4 steals in the effort.
Eureka plays on Thursday, Feb. 26, hosting Oxford (#15, 5-16) in firstround action. The winner will advance to semifinal action on Tuesday, March 3 and will face the winner of the Chase County (#7, 11-11) and Humboldt (#10, 8-15) game.
