CLAFLIN — Central Plains High School’s Sydney Rugan scored half of her 16 points over the course of the fourth quarter and overtime period, lifting the Lady Oilers to a 61-57 victory over Medicine Lodge on Monday night.
A furious Medicine Lodge comeback, which included a 30-point scoring explosion, sent the game into OT tied at 53. But Central Plains went on an 8-4 run in the four-minute extra session.
“We played good defense in the first half, but we just quit running defense and offense in the third quarter,” Central Plains head coach Toby Holmes said. “We had to regroup to come back and keep it tied up. Then win it in overtime.”
Rugan missed seven of 13 free throws, but still sank some big ones to keep Medicine Lodge, led by Ali Rogers’ game-high 31 points, at bay.
Rogers scored 21 of her points in the fourth quarter, including a trio of her team’s seven 3-pointers, but was held scoreless in OT, where the Lady Oilers went on their game-deciding run.
“Rogers scored 31 points on us,” Holmes said. “Our plan was to stay in front of her, and we did that in the first half. In the second half, we started running alongside her and fouling her.
“We started defending her well in overtime, but she shot 13 free throws in the fourth quarter.”
There were 77 free throws shot in the foul-fest, and Rogers was 16 for 25 from the line, including 10 for 13 in the fourth. Medicine Lodge was a collective 28 for 44 from the foul line, and Central Plains was 16 for 33.
“Any time you outshoot the other team 22 (field goals) to 11, you should win,” Holmes said. “We had to go into overtime to do that. It comes down to free throws.”
The Lady Oilers survived despite four players fouling out.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Class 2A Sub-State
Basketball Tournament

At Claflin

GIRLS

Central Plains 61,
Medicine Lodge 57, OT
MEDICINE LODGE (6-14)
     Axline 2 10-13 16, Eck 0 0-0 0, Rogers 6 16-25 31, Elliott 2 0-0 6, Shirliver 0 1-2 1, Stimpert 0 1-2 1, Roe 1 0-2 2. Rankin 0 0-0 0, Theis 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 28-44 57.
 CENTRAL PLAINS (16-5)
     Janae Hekele 4 1-2 9, Breanna Holmes 2 0-0 4, Katie Hipp  1 3-4 5, Sydney Rugan 5 6-13 16, Kendra Oberle 0 0-4 0, Amanda Lewis 3 0-0 6, Miranda Burton 1 2-4 4, Jennifer Hitschmann 5 3-4 13, Lindsey Woodmansee 1 1-2 4, Abby Holmes 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 16-33 61.
Medicine Lodge                  8   9    6   30   4  —  57
Central Plains                   14  11  13  15   8  —  61
     Three-point goals — Medicine Lodge 7 (Rogers 3, Axline 2, Elliott 2); Central Plains 1 (Woodmansee). Fouled out — Medicine Lodge (Stimpert, Roe); Central Plains (Hekele, Holmes, Hipp, Hitschmann).

St. John 49, LaCrosse 41
ST. JOHN — The St. John boys led 37-31 after three quarters, and the Tigers were able to hold on down the stretch for a first-round win in a Class 1A Division-I sub-state tournament.
Spencer Nusser led St. John with 20 points, including five 3-pointers.
As a team, the Tigers sank a total of 16 field goals, including nine 3s.

Area Scores
GIRLS
Andale 48, Larned 27
Sterling 66, Ellinwood 46