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Concordia Lutheran let Leo have its fun in the first half of Tuesday's Class 3A Bishop Dwenger Sectional opener, allowing the Lions to dictate the pace and work its offense effectively on the way to a five-point lead at halftime.
Then the defending Class 3A champions went to work.
The Cadets pushed the tempo and utilized a press defense to force a dozen turnovers and limit the Lions to 16 points over the final two quarters in a 58-41 win.
The victory moves Concordia into the sectional semifinals, where it will play Bishop Dwenger at 6 p.m. on Friday.
“We were kind of playing Leo ball (early),” Concordia junior Courtney Smith said. “We needed it pick it up and play Concordia ball and that's what we did.”
The No. 11-ranked Cadets (15-6) upped the effort beginning in the third quarter and Leo never really had an answer. After the Lions notched a layup to go up seven just 35 seconds into the second half, Concordia went on a 20-5 run the remainder of the third.
Smith scored 12 of her 18 points during the Cadets' run. The Lions struggled with the press and looked uneasy even on the few possessions in which the stifling Concordia defense was not a problem.
“It was very important (to get the defensive intensity up) because we were losing it in the first half,” Smith said. “We just started on a clean slate in the second half and just got it together.”
Tops on the priority list for the Cadets over the final two quarters was limiting senior Taylor Seiss, who got into the lane with regularity in the first half while connecting on several floaters. She finished with nine points, just three over the final 16 minutes while being defended by Smith.
“(Seiss) is so good left-handed, so we hedged that better and took that away,” Concordia coach David Miller said. “Courtney did a much better job taking away (Seiss's) left hand so that really helped us.”
Concordia's extensive postseason experience over the past several years paid off on Tuesday.
“Defense is very important because defense wins games,” Smith said. “Without defense we would have lost it and we knew that with defense comes offense.”
The Cadets had just four scorers in the game, with Smith finishing with a game-high 18 points.
Leo (17-5) was led by Jenna Beer and Keanna Gary, who each finished with 12 points as the Lions have now been eliminated in the playoffs by Concordia in three of the past four seasons.
CONCORDIA LUTHERAN 58, LEO 41
Leo 12 13 7 9-41
Concordia 11 9 20 18-58
Leo: Beer 12, Lindsey 6, Seibel 2, Seiss 9, Gary 12.
Concordia: Dixie 14, Young 14, Smith 18, Hahn 12.
Girl's Basketball Sectional Pairings
Class 4A
Snider
Tuesday
Northrop 45, DeKalb 43, OT
Today
Carroll (9-11) vs. Columbia City (8-14), 6 p.m.
East Noble (13-7) vs. Snider (17-3), 7:30 p.m.
Friday
North Side (3-16) vs. Northrop (7-13), 6 p.m.
Carroll/Columbia City vs. East Noble/Snider, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Homestead
Tuesday
South Side 61, Wayne 30
Homestead 80, Jay County 36
Friday
New Haven (2-18) vs. South Side (19-3), 6 p.m.
Huntington (5-15) vs. Homestead (20-3), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class 3A
Bishop Dwenger
Tuesday
Concordia Lutheran 58, Leo 41
Garrett 60, Woodlan 45
Friday
Bishop Dwenger (7-12) vs. Concordia Lutheran (15-6), 6 p.m.
Angola (18-3) vs. Garrett (16-6), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7 p.m.
Mississinewa
Tuesday
Norwell 87, Mississinewa 47
Heritage 61, Bellmont 49
Friday
Eastbrook (14-6) vs. Norwell (19-3), 6 p.m.
Whitko (7-13) vs. Heritage (13-8), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class 2A
Bluffton
Tuesday
Bishop Luers 69, Adams Central 41
South Adams 41, Bluffton 37
Friday
Eastside (1-19) vs. Bishop Luers (10-11), 6 p.m.
Churubusco (3-17) vs. South Adams (8-12), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7 p.m.
Class A
Canterbury
Tuesday
Hamilton 48, Lakeland Christian 25
Bethany Christian 74, Howe School 26
Today
Elkhart Christian (4-16) vs. Lakewood Park (15-4), 6 p.m.
Blackhawk Christian (6-14) vs. Canterbury (18-3), 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Hamilton (8-13) vs. Bethany Christian (12-9), 6 p.m.
Elkhart Christian/Lakewood Park vs. Blackhawk Christian/Canterbury, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
