Players from Eudora girls basketball pose with coaches, family and friends and the sub-state championship trophy on Friday, March 6. Eudora defeated Paola 33-28 to clinch a spot in the Class 4A state tournament.

Eudora — As a desperation three from Paola bounced off the rim and the final buzzer sounded, a rush of euphoria erupted in the Eudora gym.

The sudden celebration was a byproduct of the No. 1 Eudora girls defeating No. 8 Paola 33-28 in the Class 4A sub-state championship Friday night, sending the Cardinals back to the state tournament.

“We wanted this so bad for our kids,” Eudora interim head coach Brandon Parker said. “They’re amazing, and they give us everything they’ve got. A grind-it-out victory makes it that much sweeter because it wasn’t always pretty, but we’re accustomed to that.”

While it may not have been a “pretty” win — the Cardinals were outscored 14-10 in the second half and both sides each turned the ball over 18 times — that’s to be expected in a rematch and what Parker calls a “weird matchup for us.”

Back on Feb. 14, Eudora (20-2) narrowly defeated the Panthers 41-36 in a game where the Cardinals struggled offensively.

“They’re long and they can get their hands on a lot of balls, (cause) a lot of deflections,” Parker said. “So it kind of changes your passing a little bit.”

On Friday, the Cardinals’ defense was again the driving force. Sophomore guard Harper Schreiner — who led Eudora with a team-high 13 points — started cold from deep (0-for-5), but made up for that with a pair of steals and 10 points in the first half.

While Eudora fell behind for the first quarter, an 11-0 run late in the first half gave the Cardinals a much-needed spark. The Cardinals grabbed three steals on three straight possessions, which turned into some transition offense.

Senior guard Reagan Hiebert hit a pair of 3-pointers, her twin sister Riley got a jumper to go, and junior forward Jayla Pierce and Schreiner scored on layups inside. The quick turnaround gave Eudora a 23-14 halftime lead.

However, Paola (12-10) made an 11-0 run of its own in the third quarter, returning the lead to the Panthers. Schreiner answered again, this time with her first 3-pointer of the night.

With the lead back in hand, Eudora decided to simply hold out to the end when the Cardinals set up in a 4-corners offense for the majority of the fourth quarter.

“At that point, they had been giving us some fits,” Parker said. “We had just committed a few turnovers and until there becomes a shot clock in high school basketball (we’ll run that offense). We have a 3-point lead with a trip to state on the line.

“They’re going to have to adjust to us.”

While the keep away strategy did eat some clock, Paola was forced to foul.

This worked out for the Panthers, as the Cardinals shot 2-for-12 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Still, Eudora stuck to its strategy.

“We had some periods there where our decision-making wasn’t the best, so we decided to hold onto the ball and make sure that clock was in our favor,” Parker said.

It didn’t matter, though, as Eudora once again relied on its defense. The Cardinals only allowed 3 points in the fourth quarter on just five shots.

Regardless of the game’s aesthetics, Eudora is headed back to the Class 4A state tournament. That’s what matters most to Parker and the Cardinals.

“Right now we’re excited for the kids and the parents and the moment,” Parker said. “That’s the good stuff about high school sports.”

Eudora will next head to the Class 4A state tournament. Play begins on Wednesday in Salina.

Eudora (33)

Harper Schreiner 6-13 0-4 13, Reagan Hiebert 4-6 0-1 11, Riley Hiebert 1-3 2-4 4, Jayla Pierce 1-7 0-2 2, Emma Durr 1-1 0-3 2, Sophia Ewy 0-1 1-2 1, Melia Martin 0-3 0-0 0, Sawyer Schreiner 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 13-35 3-16 33.

Paola (28)

Kate Ediger 1-4 6-8 8, Brayden Hanf 2-6 2-3 7, Trinity McDow 2-6 1-1 6, Dakiah Yates 1-4 1-2 3, Madison Bryant 1-9 0-0 2, Macaela Garrett 1-1 0-0 2, Ava Kehl 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 8-31 10-14 28.

Eudora 8 15 3 7 — 33

Paola 9 5 11 3 — 28

3-point goals: Eudora 4-14 (Harper Schreiner, Reagan Hiebert); Paola 2-13 (Hanf, McDow). Turnovers: Eudora 18, Paola 18.