Elisabeth Gadient led second-seeded Goodhue past Crosby-Ironton 67-59 in the quarterfinal round of the Class 2A girls basketball state tournament Wednesday night at Maturi Pavilion.
Gadient had 16 points, eight rebounds, six steals and four assists. The junior also forced a turnover with 1:27 left to preserve a six-point lead.
A moment to be daring was available because of the care Gadient took ahead of it.
"[She] was in a position with fouls that she could be aggressive," Wildcats coach Josh Wieme said. "That's so important late in the game. If she has one foul, that means she can amp up the pressure a little bit."
Said Gadient: "I realized late in the game that the refs weren't calling as many fouls so I got higher up on defense and put pressure [on the ball]. They couldn't handle that."
The Wildcats (28-3) forced six turnovers over the last 6:47 of the game and finished on a 15-8 run.
Rangers freshman Tori Oehrlein finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Margaret Silgen added 16 points on 6-for-13 shooting, including 4-for-8 on three-pointers.
The Rangers (23-8) led by as many as eight late in the first half.
Kendyl Lodermeier had 19 points and nine rebounds and Tori Miller 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats.
