Minnehaha Academy's active defense and a commitment to cranking up the heat on offense lifted the Redhawks to a 50-28 victory over New London-Spicer in the Class 2A quarterfinals of the girls basketball state tournament Wednesday at Williams Arena.
Sophomore Addi Mack scored 21 points for Minnehaha Academy, and junior Angel Hill added 15 points along with seven steals and six rebounds.
Minnehaha Academy outscored New London-Spicer 31-8 after halftime. That run turned a one-point deficit into a rout.
New London-Spicer coach Mike Dreier, who has more victories than any high school basketball coach in state history, lamented missed opportunities to build a bigger lead in the first half.
"We had a chance to get up a ways early and didn't do it," he said. "We let them back in it and they were rejuvenated and confident and turned up the pressure."
Minnehaha Academy coach Matt Pryor said he expected his team to play better after halftime.
"We were just a young team getting used to the environment," he said. "We kept preaching, 'Let's make it happen on the defensive end of the floor,' and these girls made it happen."
The victory sends Minnehaha Academy into a semifinal matchup against rival Providence Academy on Friday. They have met two times this season, with Providence winning both, 71-60 and 126-94.
"The last time we played them, the final score wasn't indicative of who we are," Pryor said. "We wanted to put ourselves into position for Round 3, and we got it. These girls will be ready."
