DODGE CITY— The Otis-Bison girls made the most of their first state tournament game in 27 years on Wednesday afternoon. The duo of senior Taylor Regan and freshman Madeleine Wiltse led the no. 4 seed Cougars (18-4) to a seven-point victory over fifth-seeded Caldwell (15-7) in the first round of the Class 1A Div II State Tournament.
Both Regan and Wiltse finished with double-doubles as the Cougars rolled to a 53-46 opening victory. Regan notched 14 points and 18 rebounds while Wiltse finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Lacey Mitchell was the third Cougar in double digits, adding 12 points of her own.
The Otis-Bison defense was strong all night, holding the Bluejays to just 19% from the field on 13-66 shooting. The Bluejays connected on only three from behind the arc on 22 attempts and struggled from the free throw line, finishing with a 56% clip.
The teams traded baskets throughout the first quarter with Otis-Bison taking a 14-12 lead into the second.
Caldwell dominated the first five minutes of the second quarter, taking a 25-18 lead after an impressive 14-3 run.
Despite being down seven, Otis-Bison never gave up hope.
Four straight free-throws from Regan cut the lead to three with just over two minutes on the clock. Mitchell followed up with a bucket to draw within one. Wiltse made the best of a one-and-one opportunity from the free throw line to give the Cougars their first lead since the start of the quarter. With just 25 seconds remaining in the half, Sheridan Ewy found a bucket to cap off a 10-0 run and give Otis-Bison a 28-25 lead heading into halftime.
The Cougars carried the momentum into the third quarter. After a free throw from Caldwell, six straight points from Wiltse gave Otis-Bison their largest lead of the game at 34-26.
The Bluejays were able to get back within five to end the quarter at 40-35.
The Cougars held onto their lead through the final eight minutes and recorded their first win at the state tournament in 41 years.
Otis-Bison will face top-seeded Waverly (21-1) in the semifinals on Friday.

Otis-Bison 53, Caldwell 46
Otis-Bison 14 14 12 13 - 53
Caldwell 12 13 10 11 - 46
*FGA-FGM 3PA-3PM FTA-FTM PTS (REB)*
Otis-Bison: Regan 2-10 0-0 10-12 14 (18), Schilowsky 2-4 2-4 1-2 7 (1), Mitchell 6-10 0-0 0-0 12 (0), Ewy 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 (0), Wiltse 4-11 0-0 5-7 13 (14), Trapp 1-5 0-0 1-4 3 (0), Anderson 0-0 0-0 2-2 2 (3). Total: 16-41 2-4 19-27 53 (43).
Caldwell: Hager 0-4 0-0 0-0 0 (4), Ward 1-10 1-8 4-8 7 (4), Bruey 3-10 1-2 2-4 9 (10), Mayo 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 (0), Schmidt 2-9 1-6 0-0 5 (4), Strand 1-3 0-1 1-2 3 (2), Stuewe 5-22 0-4 4-5 14 (7), Roop 0-2 0-0 1-3 1 (4), Lebeda 1-5 0-0 5-8 7 (10). Total: 13-66 3-22 17-30 46 (48).