EudoraNews.com

You didn't need to be Nostradamus to pick this one.

Tonganoxie entered Saturday's sub-state final with a 20-1 record and an ironclad grip on Class 4A's top ranking.

Eudora junior Elaina Kouri sees few options as she tries to keep the basketball away from Tonganoxie's Ali Pistora in Saturday's sub-state final. Tonganoxie won the game 46-34 to earn a trip to this week's state tournament in Salina. Eudora trailed by just three points at the end of the third quarter, but scoring just one basket in the fourth quarter allowed the gap to widen.

Eudora entered the game praying to improve its record to better than .500.

Though it was the Cardinals that moped off the court and their cheeks that were slick with tears, they gave everyone that had the Chieftains penciled in as the sub-state champions some unexpected sweat on the brow and four quarters worth of fast heartbeats.

Eudora lost in the sub-state final, 46-34, but pushed Tonganoxie to the brink through three quarters before finally faltering in the fourth.

"We knew we had a hard road ahead, but we were willing to fight it all the way through," senior Allison Braden said. "(Tonganoxie) played hard, they deserve it and I hope they do well."

How close did the Cardinals actually come to knocking the Chieftains off?

Not so close in the end considering all who just checked the box score saw Tonganoxie win its third sub-state game via a double-digit margin. Luke spoke afterward about stretches in the second and third quarter where he saw his Cardinals pushing for a knockout blow, however.

After avoiding a haymaker itself -- Eudora trailed 18-8 after one quarter -- the Cardinals could indeed have grabbed a lead in the second. Kendal Abel scored to tie the game at 23 and highlight Eudora's 15-point period. Tonganoxie responded with just seven points in the quarter and though it took a 26-23 lead into halftime, the Cards had all the momentum.

"We went on a little run where we were aggressive and where we really wanted to go after them and put their kill shot on them," Luke said.

The opportunity to take the lead again appeared in the third quarter. Haley Epperson, who led Eudora with seven points, scored in the lane and Emily Ballock hit a long jumper to pull within one, 28-27.

Eudora followed that surge with four turnovers in the next five possessions, the mistakes all coming on errant passes or mishandled dribbles on fast breaks. All amounted to opportunities to take and perhaps build a lead.

"We looked at the scoreboard a little bit and realized 'hey, we're within a point,'" Luke said. "Then we had five possessions in a row where we got rattled. That's part of the learning experience for our young kids."

Tonganoxie finally awoke from its slump and took the momentum back. Liz Baske rattled in a 3-pointer later in the third quarter, then scored four more points to open the fourth.

Eudora's Elaina Kouri finally answered with one basket, but Ali Pistora scored working beneath the hoop and the Chieftains made five of their six free throws in the waning moments to make the prognosticators look like geniuses.

"At the end, we got a few turnovers and that really took our momentum down," Braden said. "They're a good, state-worthy team and they definitely deserve it."