Hot start (17-0) helps send Springville past East Buchanan, 61-54

SPRINGVILLE — It wasn’t just a heave and a prayer.

“Actually, I made (a half-court shot) in the first quarter last Thursday,” Rowan Jacobi said.

Same situation Tuesday. Same result.

Jacobi highlighted a 25-point, 17-rebound masterpiece with a bomb from behind the half-court stripe at the end of the first quarter, and Class 1A eighth-ranked Springville topped No. 9 East Buchanan, 61-54, in a Tri-Rivers Conference West Division girls’ basketball game Tuesday night at Machovec Gymnasium.

The Orioles (11-3 overall, 5-3 division) scored the first 17 points, and answered every challenge that the Buccaneers (10-5, 4-5) could muster.

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“We walked in how we wanted to walk in,” said Jacobi, a 6-foot-2 junior who is projected to play power forward at the University of South Dakota, where she has committed.

“We knew (East Buchanan) was going to get hot at some point, so we figured, ‘Lets get things going right away and see what we can do.”

Jacobi, of course, can score inside. She also has range, as her 4-for-6 3-point performance attests.

And that range apparently extends beyond half-court.

Springville built that 17-0 lead in the first 5:37. East Buchanan scored the next seven points before Jacobi struck from long, long range at the end of the quarter for a 20-7 advantage.

It was 22-9 when Jacobi picked up her second foul at the 6:48 mark of the second quarter. The Buccaneers bolted back and were within 32-25 at intermission, then within four points twice in the third quarter.

The Orioles swept the season series (it was 57-48 at Winthrop on Dec. 10), but who knows? With the schools in reasonably close proximity, and with the 8-and-9 state rankings, this absolutely could have been a regional-final prequel.

Addison Merritt added 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and seven steals for the winners.

Laynee Hogan paced East Buchanan with 20 points. Grace Long posted 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The teams combined for 58 3-point attempts.

Springville 61, East Buchanan 54

At Springville

EAST BUCHANAN (54): Peyton Bose 3-15 0-0 7, Kreighton Peck 3-9 1-1 9, Laynee Hogan 5-16 7-10 20, Grace Long 5-9 1-4 11, Elsie Flexsenhar 0-1 0-0 0, Whitney Brady 2-5 1-2 7. Totals 18-55 10-17 54.

SPRINGVILLE (61): Renee Brecht 2-2 0-0 4, Addison Merritt 5-14 4-6 18, Lexi Dietiker 2-14 2-2 6, Abbi Hoyt 0-3 0-0 0, Rowan Jacobi 9-19 3-5 25, Kalleigh Greene 3-7 0-2 8, Ella Hoge 0-0 0-0 0, Reese Tritle 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-61 9-15 61.

East Buchanan 7 18 13 16 — 54

Springville 20 12 14 15 — 61

3-point goals: East Buchanan 8-32 (Bose 1-11, Peck 2-8, Hogan 3-10, Brady 2-3), Springville 10-26 (Merritt 4-8, Dietiker 0-5, Hoyt 0-1, Jacobi 4-6, Greene 2-4, Tritle 0-2). Team fouls: East Buchanan 12, Springville 16. Fouled out: Flexsenhar, Brecht. Rebounds: East Buchanan 36 (Long 11), Springville 47 (Jacobi 17). Assists: East Buchanan 7 (Bose, Peck 2), Springville 11 (Merritt 7). Steals: East Buchanan 7 (Hogan 4), Springville 11. Turnovers: East Buchanan 11, Springville 11.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com