East Buchanan battles past Ed-Co, 60-53, in a 1A regional quarterfinal

WINTHROP — History is the mission.

And as Laynee Hogan said, “Losing is not an option. This team is too driven.”

No. 10 East Buchanan answered every threat that Edgewood-Colesburg could muster, and earned a 60-53 victory in Tuesday’s Class 1A girls’ basketball regional quarterfinal at East Buchanan High School.

“It’s a Tri-Rivers (Conference) West (Division) game,” Bucs Coach Kris Gruber said. “I didn’t expect anything less.”

Hogan scored 20 points, Grace Long added a double-double, and Peyton Bose hit a pair of killer 3-pointers late to enable the Buccaneers (16-6) to breathe easier.

They’ll host Dunkerton (15-7) in a regional semifinal Friday night. Win that one, then one more, and they’ll reach that elusive first state tournament.

“That’s the goal, absolutely,” Long said. “We want to be aggressive, because that’s how we need to be if we want to make it to Des Moines.”

The Buccaneers sidestepped a 24-point, 17-rebound performance by Ed-Co junior Lilee Boriskey.

“We tried to go straight up, then we tried to shade her,” Gruber said. “If you give her an inch, she’s going to take a mile.”

Hogan hit two 3-pointers and Bose added another, and East Buchanan scored the first nine points of the game.

Ed-Co (12-11) regrouped and led a couple of times in the second quarter before the Bucs closed the half with eight consecutive points and a 29-22 advantage at intermission.

The margin grew to double digits on four occasions, the last at 52-42 with 3:36 to go.

Ellie Kirby’s bucket brought the Vikings within 52-48 with 2:00 remaining, but Bose struck twice from long range to end the drama.

Bose’s five 3-pointers accounted for all of her scoring.

“So proud of that kid,” Gruber said. “She has a pitcher’s mentality, never too high, never too low.”

Long added 11 points and 13 boards, and the Buccaneers prevailed despite 27-percent shooting (17 of 62).

“As the game went on, the shots weren’t falling,” Hogan said. “But Peyton’s two 3-pointers were huge.”

The game featured 33 fouls and 43 free throws shot. Boriskey shot 14 of them, converting 10.

East Buchanan 60, Edgewood-Colesburg 53

Class 1A Regional Quarterfinal, at Winthrop

EDGEWOOD-COLESBURG (53): Ava Hoefer 0-3 0-0 0, Ellie Kirby 5-10 2-6 12, Rachel Eglseder 1-7 0-0 2, McKenna Hoefer 3-12 2-2 11, Kendall Wittman 1-2 0-0 2, Lilee Boriskey 7-20 10-14 24, Addi Schmelzer 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 18-56 14-22 53.

EAST BUCHANAN (60): Peyton Bose 5-18 0-0 15, Kreighton Peck 1-6 0-0 3, Laynee Hogan 5-18 7-10 20, Grace Long 3-8 5-7 11, Elsie Flexsenhar 1-5 2-2 4, Whitney Brady 2-6 1-2 7, Kate Dolan 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-62 15-21 60.

Edgewood-Colesburg 11 11 13 18 — 53

East Buchanan 13 16 12 19 — 60

3-point goals: Ed-Co 3-17 (A. Hoefer 0-1, Eglseder 0-4, M. Hoefer 3-12), East Buchanan 11-32 (Bose 5-13, Peck 1-5, Hogan 3-8, Flexsenhar 0-2, Brady 2-4). Team fouls: Ed-Co 16, East Buchanan 17. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Ed-Co 46 (Boriskey 17), East Buchanan 46 (Long 13). Assists: Ed-Co 9 (Boriskey 3), East Buchanan 11 (Hogan 4). Steals: Ed-Co 4 (M. Hoefer 2), East Buchanan 6 (Flexsenhar 3). Turnovers: Ed-Co 10, East Buchanan 9.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com