By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

But Deubrook Area, which was playing in its first-ever state girls basketball tournament, caused fits for the Tornadoes (24-0). Centerville missed its first 15 3-point attempts, and finished 6-of-30 from the 3-point line. 

“It was very tough,” said Centerville freshman Izzie Eide, who scored a game-high 22 points. “They came out ready to go and we weren’t ready for it and didn't play our best in the first half. But we improved in the second half.”

The Dolphins (18-6) threw different zone looks at Centerville, which averages 26 3-point attempts per game. 

Tornberg anticipated Deubrook Area would play a combination of zone defense looks at the Tornadoes. 

“That’s what we thought they would do,” Tornberg said. “They ran a little more 1-3-1 look and we thought maybe it would be more of a 2-3 style. But we knew they would extend it, get out and pressure, try to keep us from hitting threes, and kudos to them. They did a nice job with it.” 

Eide finished 8-of-24 from the field and 4-of-12 from the 3-point line. Emma Marshall added 15 points, while Althea Gust scored 11 points. 

Deubrook Area’s Mataya Gouws scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. Kylee Johnson added 12 points and nine rebounds. 

The Dolphins held a 10-7 first-quarter lead and the Tornadoes took a 17-14 halftime advantage. In the first half, Centerville went 0-of-10 from the 3-point line and Eide finally connected on a trey at the 3:55 mark of the third quarter. 

Tornberg stressed to his team to keep shooting and focus on what got it to the state tournament during the shooting woes. 

“The worst thing you can do once you get to the state tournament is go through an identity change, what got you here is what you’ve got to stick to,” Tornberg said.  

But the Tornadoes couldn’t put away the Dolphins, who shot 2-of-8 from the 3-point line, until late in the second half. Gouws, who played only 20 minutes due to foul trouble, finished 7-of-9 from the field. 

“She’s tough,” Tornberg said. “A very physical player on both ends. She does a nice job. She can get downhill going left. It’s tough to stop her. I think our kids did a good job of reading that at times and making it tough on her, but very good player and a very good team in Deubrook.” 

Gust hit a pair of fourth-quarter 3-pointers, extending Centerville’s lead to 47-40 with 1:34 left. The Tornadoes closed out the game at the free-throw line and advanced to the championship semifinals. 

“It was a tail of two halves,” Tornberg said. “In the first half we didn't have a ton of balance. We didn’t shoot how we normally do. But they have to stay confident and I was proud of that group for coming back in the second half, not losing their offensive confidence and ultimately getting back to our style of basketball.”