Tandem Friends coach Gordon Fields had pointed to Wednesday’s VISAA quarterfinal matchup with Miller as a measuring stick game for his program as a whole, and after the first quarter, it looked like the Badgers were up to something special. But after a slow start, Miller dominated in the second quarter and after building up a double-digit lead, kept visiting Tandem at an arm’s length to win 57-34.
“We definitely started slow and weren’t expecting that,” said Mavericks coach James Braxton. “But sometimes that the way things go, and it wasn’t because we weren’t getting off our shots. But we just kept going at it and our confidence came back.”
Coming off of a big game the night before, Lizzie Stewart and Kate Moody were able to put the Badgers out to a 12-3 run to start the game as they worked through Miller’s press and managed to out rebound a tall Maverick squad.
But in the second quarter Ashley Bowles, Whitney Martin and Ruta Lizdenyte went on a tear, forcing turnovers with their press and coverting them into fast break points. What once was a 9-point lead for Tandem quickly became a 16-point deficit.
“It was a great start for us but (Miller’s) athleticism caught us in the second quarter and we never could recover after that,” Fields said. “And then they went to (Lizdenyte) and we had no answer for her.”
With the 6-foot-6 Lizdenyte having her way in the paint, shots opened up for Bowles, and the versatile guard made the most of the opportunities. Bowles finished the game as the top scorer, piling up 25 points.
“We knew that we had to step it up,” Bowles said. “Our main goal coming into this year was to win states and we want it bad. We tried to take a deep breath and just say, ‘Okay, we’ve got this.’ And so we came back out and just started to play our game. ”
Miller’s offense stayed hot in both the third and fourth quarter and with Tandem unable to spark a big run, the Mavericks wrapped up the win.
After a tough start offensively, Lizdenyte managed to finish with 15 points. Martin finished with 11 points and led all rebounders with 10 boards, and is averaging a double-double in the playoffs.
“It’s nice to have some people there backing you up and we’ve been playing really well lately,” Bowles said. “We definitely wanted to win this one for Whitney because that’s her old school.”
For Tandem, Stewart finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Moody posted six points. Chrystal Saravia and Emma Perkinson each finished with four points.
And while the Badgers will lose a trio of seniors, including both Perkinson and longtime stalwart Hattie Nguyen, the bulk of Tandem’s roster will return next season.
“I like where we’re headed,” Fields said. “We’re building from the ground up and these young girls got some great experience tonight. They know what the game is about by playing the number one team in the state.”
Miller awaits their opponent for the semifinals which will be held at Benedictine High in Richmond on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
