What a week it has been for the Eureka Lady Tornadoes. Entering the Class 2A State Tournament as the #4 seed, Eureka faced the #5 seed Oakley Plainsmen in the opening round.
The matchup proved to be a battle from start to finish, but the Lady Tornadoes made history with their performance.
Oakley wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, scoring on a back-cut layup to take an early 2-0 lead. Eureka quickly answered when Brenna Rucker and Arabella Shepherd knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lady Tornadoes a 6-2 advantage. Oakley responded with three straight baskets of their own to briefly reclaim the lead. That’s when Elle Coulter stepped into the game and sparked Eureka. Coulter reeled off seven straight points, igniting a Lady Tornado run that helped them build an 18-8 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Oakley opened the second stanza with a three-pointer to chip away at the lead, but Eureka responded again. Rucker found Lydia Mason and Britta Mongeau open beyond the arc, and both connected on three-pointers to keep the momentum with the Lady Tornadoes. The teams traded baskets throughout the quarter, but Oakley edged Eureka 12-8 in the period as the Tornadoes held the lead at halftime.
The second half began with Rucker attacking the lane for a driving six-foot shot to open the scoring. Oakley answered with a pair of three-pointers to tighten the contest, but Rucker continued to lead the charge. Battling inside, she scored five more points and later found Coulter underneath for another key bucket.
Despite Eureka’s efforts, Oakley continued to fight back and trimmed the lead to just two points heading into the final quarter, 3533.
In the fourth quarter, Mason delivered in big moments for the Lady Tornadoes. Mason knocked down a three-pointer and followed it with a strong driving layup just as Oakley was threatening to take the lead. Down the stretch, Rucker attacked the lane and drew multiple fouls, calmly converting six of eight free throws to help secure the victory.
With the win, the Eureka Lady Tornadoes earned their first state tournament victory in school history and advanced to the next round.
Rucker led Eureka with a dominant performance, finishing with 21 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. Coulter added 11 points, Mason scored 9, Shepherd finished with 5, Mongeau had 4, and Hannah Perrier added 2.
