Anthony Mori Feb 14, 2025
Elko Daily Free Press
ELKO — In the only quarterfinal of the 1A East regional tournament, the Wells girls basketball team did what it needed for a chance of an upset in the semifinal.
On Thursday, at Centennial Gymnasium, the No. 4 Lady Leopards dominated No. 5 Lund for the third time.
Wells swept the season series — regular and post — and advanced with a commanding 59-32 victory.
The Lady Leopards grabbed the lead on an offensive follow by sophomore Aryanna Rodriguez, but the Lady Mustangs tied the score on an elbow jumper by freshman Kaylee Griffin.
Senior Lillian Harney lifted Wells to the front on a finish from a dish by senior Callie Brodsho, but Lund knotted the tally for the second time with a deuce for freshman Kaycee Kesler.
Sophomore Khloe DelRio put the Lady Leopards on for good with a turnaround jumper after grabbing a loose ball — starting an 11-0 run and a 6-0 personal burst — scoring off a steal and an assist from sophomore Marli Dahl and a takeaway and dime by Rodriguez.
Dahl canned a three from the left wing from a pass by Rodriguez, and Harney dropped a lefty layup with a move to her strong side on a find from senior Liz Rivera for a 15-4 lead.
Lund beat the first-quarter buzzer with a weak-side rebound and finish by junior Hayden Hendrix, but the Lady Mustangs trailed 15-6.
Early in the second quarter, Wells created several opportunities on the offensive glass — which was cleaned up by senior Michelle Sorensen.
Dahl was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws.
Junior Braidelynn Kesler nailed a turnaround jumper for Lund, but Harney scored off a dish from DelRio — who converted an old-fashioned three at the line after finishing through a foul.
DelRio went 1-for-2 at the stripe, and Brodsho drilled a runner across the paint from the high post.
Wells went up 21 at 29-8 as Brodsho made a swing pass for a three by Harney — the Lady Mustangs stopping an 11-0 run with a free throw by freshman Jayden Evanoff — and Harney closed out the first half with a layup ahead of the pack on a long outlet pass by Flores.
At the break, the Lady Leopards led by 22 with the score at 31-9.
Kaycee Kesler made a free throw to start the third quarter for Lund, but DelRio ran the floor and was rewarded with an outlet from Brodsho for a contested finish on the right block.
Harney scored on the right block with an inbound dish from Rodriguez, and the Lady Mustangs answered with an offensive board and floater by senior Eliza Bennet.
DelRio railed a three in front of the Wells bench on a kick from Flores, but Lund went back to work on the glass and gained a put-back by sophomore Tessa Hooley.
Braidelynn Kesler dropped a long two, but DelRio scored after a Lund turnover, added a foul shot and stuck a jumper from the short corner on the left baseline for a 43-16 lead.
Hendrix tacked on another offensive follow for the Lady Mustangs, but Wells senior Evelyn Walz drained a shot from the short corner and a draw-and-kick by Rodriguez.
Bennett buried an elbow jumper off a pass from Hendrix, who closed the third with an offensive put-back.
Going to the fourth, Wells was on top by 23 with the score at 45-22.
The Lady Leopards moved the ball beautifully with a pass to the left block from Rodriguez to Rivera, who then crossed the key with a dime to Sorensen for a bunny on the right side.
Kaycee Kesler scored on a loose ball for Lund, but Rodriguez went coast-to-coast after a defensive rebound and made a layup for the Lady Leopards.
Lund freshman Bailey Carter found the scorebook with a deuce, and freshman Genevieve Carter put down two free throws.
Dahl connected on 3-of-4 from the stripe and made an offensive rebound on the weak side from a missed three and scored on the right block for a 5-0 personal run.
Griffin posted a put-back for the Lady Mustangs on the left block, but Flores set up Sorensen for a gimme on the left block with a nice look across the lane.
Dahl made a great catch in transition on a look-ahead by Flores and scored on the right side, Bailey Carter cashed her second field goal on the other end and the final point of the contest was scored at the line by Sorensen.
In the end, Wells made it 3-for-3 over Lund — two in the regular season — and rolled to a 59-32 victory in the 1A East regional semifinal.
DelRio dropped a game-high 20 points and did not play in the fourth quarter.
She was joined in double digits with 13 points from Harney — who notched 11 before the break — and Dahl gave Wells its third double-figure scorer with 11 points and seven in the fourth quarter.
Sorensen tallied seven points, Rodriguez posted four — routinely setting up others to score — and the Lady Leopards’ offense was capped with a deuce apiece for Brodsho and Walz.
In total, nine girls scored for Lund — led by six points for Hendrix and five by Kaycee Kesler.
The Lady Mustangs gained four points each from Bailey Carter, Braidelynn Kesler, Griffin and Bennet.
Genevieve Carter and Hooley tacked on two apiece, and Evanoff capped the scoring for Lund with a foul shot.
Division 1A East Semifinal
Wells’ bid for a trip to state was scheduled to be a tough ask against No. 1 Eureka at 3 p.m. Friday, at Centennial Gymnasium.
The Lady Vandals swept the season series, winning each contest by more than 20 points with scores of 43-21 on Jan. 17, in Eureka, and 44-19 on Feb. 7, in Wells.