Hudson had five players
score in double figures and needed all of those points to get past Woodbury
Central in an entertaining, well-played Class 2A game.
Casey Miles came within
two rebounds of a triple-double as the fourth-ranked Pirates beat No. 14
Woodbury Central 84-75 to earn a berth in the state semifinals.
Miles scored 16 points,
handed out 10 assists and grabbed eight rebounds to help Hudson improve to 24-1
on the season. Abby Hillmer led the Pirates with 23 points on 10-of-16
shooting, Lindsey Koch scored 20, Amanda Cartney had
15 and Corey Miles 10.
Woodbury Central,
playing in the state tournament for the first time, also had great balance.
Kristin Hubert knocked down six 3-pointers in leading the Wildcats with 20
points. Ellen Gallagher added 18 points, Makenzie
Melby scored 13 and Jacey Stratton 10.
Neither team showed any
tournament jitters in the back-and-forth game. Woodbury Central shot 50 percent
for the game and Hudson, in the tournament for the first time since 2003, shot
49 percent. The Pirates also hit 22 of 25 free throws, including 12 of 13 in
the final 2 minutes to secure the victory.
The lead changed hands
five times in the first half, and while Hudson led throughout the final two
quarters, Woodbury Central kept nipping at the Pirates' heels.
It was 46-44 midway through the third quarter when Hudson finally began to
get some breathing room. Cartney scored six points and Koch drained a
3-pointer behind Cartney's screen at the third quarter buzzer for a 58-50 lead.
Hillmer scored inside
before driving for a bucket to increase the lead 64-52 early in the fourth
quarter and that was enough for the Pirates to hold on. Woodbury Central got
the lead down to five before Hudson started its free throw parade.
Hudson will play
second-ranked Cascade at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, with the winner advancing to the
championship game. Woodbury Central finishes 21-4 after upsetting No. 3 Hinton
and No. 9 Treynor to reach the state tournament.