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LINCOLN -- The Yutan Chieftains had never won a state tournament game until this week. Not only did they get their first tournament win in this week, but now they have a state championship.
The Chieftains dominated Crofton from the opening tip to the final buzzer Saturday in the Class C2 championship of the NSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena. They coasted past the Warriors 55-36 to secure the title.
Despite having a large lead, Yutan did not let up at all. The stars for the Chieftains were the Tichota sisters, sophomore Mylee and senior Maura who finished with 19 and 16 points.
Coming out of the gates, Yutan controlled all facets of the game. On offense, the Chieftains had no problems getting the looks they wanted. Yutan had a balanced attack on offense with 4-of-5 starters scoring in the first quarter. The Chieftains also shot an efficient 6-of-12 from the field.
On defense, Yutan also had control of the game. The Chieftains stifled Crofton’s offense and used it to their advantage to grow a commanding lead early. The Warriors shot a rough 2-of-16 in the quarter and it showed as they trailed Yutan 17-6 going into the second.
“Just a slow start,” Crofton coach Maggie Moon said. “Their length really bothered us.”
After the Chieftains hit Crofton hard in the second quarter, the Warriors swung right back. Yutan hit a 3-pointer to open the quarter, but after that Crofton went on a 9-0 run to bring the game closer. The Chieftains’ offense in the second quarter was a far cry from what they did in the first, as they shot 1-of-7 from the field.
The Warriors had a chance to do some real damage with the offensive struggles from Yutan but failed to do so. After the 9-0 run, the Chieftains switched to a 1-3-1 defense, which disrupted Crofton and kept it from scoring in the final four minutes.
“That was a big turning point when they started to make that run and we made that change,” Chieftains coach Clay Carlton said.
The third quarter was very reminiscent of the first. Yutan came out strong, looking to widen its lead. The Chieftains pressured the Warriors on defense and forced them to take low-quality shots. Yutan took full advantage of this, turning defense into offense.
The Chieftains forced six turnovers in the third quarter, which they turned into transition buckets on the other end for easy offense. Yutan used this quarter to regain their dominance, out scoring Crofton 19-7 in the quarter and taking a commanding 42-22 lead heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, all the Chieftains had to do was handle business and they did exactly that. Yutan continued its dominance on both ends and did not give the Warriors a single opening to mount a comeback.
“It’s every girl’s dream to be able to do this, especially with their sister and some of their best friends,” Mylee Tichota said.
