Hammer time: Seniors send Crusaders to final

Taylor Hammer has been fantasizing about a shot at a state basketball title since she was in middle school.

When the moment came Friday to make that vision a reality, she was determined not to let anything get in her way.

The senior had 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots to power Faith Lutheran past Elko 53-42 in a Division I-A state semifinal at Del Sol.

The Crusaders (20-8) face Spring Creek (24-3) in the final at 6 p.m. today at Orleans Arena.

“It feels so good to actually make it to the final game,” Hammer said. “It means the world. This is my last possible chance. I’ve been playing with this same group of girls since seventh grade. This is what we’ve been dreaming about since middle school.”

Getting there wasn’t easy.

The Indians (19-8) started the third quarter on a 9-0 run to grab a 23-20 advantage with 4:05 left in the period. The lead switched hands three times in the quarter before another Faith Lutheran senior stole the show.

Julia Benko scored eight of her 17 points in the final two minutes of the quarter to put the Crusaders up 34-30 heading into the fourth quarter. The guard hit two of her four 3-pointers during the spurt.

“When she wants the ball to go in, somehow it seems to go in,” Faith Lutheran coach Jennifer Karner said. “She steps up in those big moments.”

Dani Tharaldson knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to pad the Crusaders’ lead to 40-33 with 6:11 left. Faith Lutheran hit 9 of 10 free throws in the final two minutes.

“This was a tough game,” Karner said. “They’re a strong opponent. But our girls wanted it. These seniors this year really want to go out with a bang.”

Sam Leonard had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Crusaders. Raelynn Forcella led Elko with 10 points.

■ Spring Creek 51, Boulder City 38 — First-year Eagles coach Kirk Frantz knew it would take time for his new system to take effect.

After Friday, when Boulder City’s game-long shooting slump cost the Eagles a loss to the Spartans in a state semifinal, Frantz just wishes he had more time.

“It’s tough only being with them for three months,” Frantz said. “If we had a summer to prepare, we would have been in a much better position to play with urgency when we were down by 27. We’re still learning each other.”

Boulder City (18-8) dug itself into a deep first-half hole, shooting 14.2 percent (4-for-28) from the field, including misses on all 10 of its 3-point attempts.

“They play man-to-man defense, but they switched it up underneath,” Frantz said. “Our girls weren’t used to that. We had to hit the 8-footer instead of the power shot.”

Spring Creek outrebounded the Eagles 22-13 in the first two quarters and led 28-11 at the break. The Spartans shot 48 percent (12-for-25) from the field in the first half while establishing a strong presence in the paint.

Arrayana Edwards scored all 10 of her points in the first quarter for Spring Creek.

Despite winning the turnover battle 20-15, the Eagles had trouble converting steals into points.

Serima Thompson led the Spartans with 12 points and six rebounds.

Whitney Barlow paced Boulder City with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Contact reporter John W. Scafetta at jscafetta@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430.