LEOTI – TMP-Marian held Wichita County to a season-low 37 points, and Gracyn Schippers scored a career-high 17 points as the Lady Monarchs knocked off the top-seeded Indians 55-37 on Wednesday to advance to the Sublette sub-state championship game on Saturday.
Wichita County connected on back-to-back three-pointers after an early 2-2 tie and 4-2 TMP lead, building an 8-4 lead with 4:45 to play in the first half.
But the Monarchs’ Claire Schippers answered with a three-pointer of her own less than a minute later, sparking a 23-3 run over the next 9 minutes and 45 seconds. Covering the remainder of the first quarter and all be two minutes of the second quarter.
During the run, TMP’s Gracyn Schippers and Brooke Koenigsman combined to score 16 of the 23 points.
The Monarchs led by 15 points at halftime 30-15.
TMP’s defense continued to clamp down on the Indians' offense in the second half as they extended their lead to as many as 22 in the fourth quarter on their way to the 55-37 victory.
Gracyn Schippers scored a career-high 17 points to lead all scorers. She added five rebounds and four blocked shots. Brooke Koenigsman finished with 13 points and four rebounds.
Claire Schippers led all rebounders with nine, a new season-high.
The Monarchs had been eliminated in the sub-state semifinals in the last three years and advanced to the sub-state championship game for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
They will take on the Hoxie Indians after they defeated Oakley 63-57. The game will be played in Sublette, and the time is still to be determined.