Sydney Haas scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the first half Monday night as East Burke eliminated Polk County from the state 2A girls basketball playoffs with a 63-46 win in Icard.
The loss ends Polk County’s season, the Wolverines finishing with a 13-11 record. East Burke improves to 20-4 and advances to a second-round game at North Wilkes.
East Burke hit a trio of 3-pointers in the first few minutes of the game, helping open things up inside for Haas, a Lenoir-Rhyne signee. The Cavaliers built a 35-18 halftime lead.
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“They’re really good shooters. They came out shooting well, and I think we were kind of shellshocked,” said Polk County head coach Craig Culbreth. “We came out a little intimidated. We came back out and beat them in the third quarter and played pretty well in the second half.”
Hayley Kropp and Sarah Phipps each scored 13 points to lead Polk County, which played most of the season with just eight players on its roster. The Wolverines lose Lyric Flood and Janada Carson to graduation, but will return Kropp and Phipps, the team’s leading scorers, as well as four others.
“I’m impressed with how they played this season,” Culbreth said. “We weren’t tall, but we played good defense and we played well together as a team.
“I had a pretty good time. This was a fun year, and I hope the girls enjoyed it and each other.”
Polk County Scoring
Hayley Kropp 13, Sarah Phipps 13, Janada Carson 6, Savannah Ross 6, Ashley Love 3, India Godlock 2, Lyric Flood 2, Ashley Kropp 1
