HUTCHINSON, Kan.—
Foul trouble to Nickerson standout Ava Jones and even bigger woes in taking care of the ball put quite a scare into one-loss Nickerson.
But the Panthers were able to hang on despite committing 27 turnovers and seeing Jones foul out with two minutes left.
When the 6-foot-2 standout left the game – after scoring 14 points and grabbing 15 rebounds – Nickerson seemed firmly in control, leading Frontenac 42-31 with 2:18 left. Instead, the Raiders mounted a quick 5-0 run over the next minute to close the deficit to 42-36.
Another bucket cut Nickerson's lead to five before the Panthers' Alexis Allen hit a pair of free throws. Frontenac scored to make it a five-point game with 18.3 seconds left, but Allen came up big at the line again to seal the win.
Nickerson (23-1) will take on Hugoton (23-1) in a huge semifinal showdown at 8 p.m.
Allen finished with 11 points, going 5 of 6 at the line in the game and Josie McLean scored 12. Destiny Ponds came up big inside as well, scoring seven but grabbing 14 rebounds.
Hattie Pyle led Frontenac (15-6) with 14 points, while Heather Arnett added 11 and Sydney Frankenberry had 10.
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