EudoraNews.com

Eudora High's girls basketball team hung tough for a while on Monday, but in the end, the Cardinals fell and a season where improvement was gauged not by wins and losses, but effort and execution, came to an end.

Eudora's 61-39 Class 4A sub-state quarterfinal loss to top-seeded Kansas City-Piper, 15-6, didn't come easily to the Pirates. The Cardinals battled but fell to a better team.

But for a while, Eudora fans dared to dream.

Brandi Abel (21) blocks out a Piper defender while Melanie Smith (32) goes up with a shot in Monday's sub-state loss to the top-seeded Pirates.

"If we had made a few shots here and there, who knows how the game would have turned out," Eudora coach Don Grosdidier said, "I'm very proud of the level of improvement this team has made over the year. The girls worked hard and never quit. We're much better than our record shows."

The Cards, 2-19, did not play like an eighth seed. For three quarters, they gave the Pirates everything they wanted and more. The scrappy Eudora squad refused to give up and kept the game close until the final quarter when Piper pulled away.

Eudora closed the gap to six points early in the fourth period on Melanie Smith's put-back basket. But that was as close as it would get as Piper responded with a 12-2 run that put the game out of reach.

Piper's press, which Eudora had been breaking with ease, began causing trouble for the Cardinals. Clutch foul shooting by the Pirates in the closing minutes iced the game for Piper, which advanced to the semifinals against Basehor-Linwood.

"Eudora was well-prepared, well-coached and played us just great," said Piper coach Jim Baker. "I can't say enough about Eudora. They have some real warriors over there and played outstanding. I'm very proud of our kids. They overcame early game jitters and responded to the challenge."

The talent-laden Pirates built a 15-5 lead on Jennifer Kiblinger's 3-point play. After a defensive stop, Eudora came roaring back behind senior Kelly Neis' hot shooting to close the gap to a single point.

The teams battled back and forth through the next two quarters. Every time seemed on the verge of breaking the game open, Eudora would close the gap.

"It was kind of hard being the last seed in the tournament and Piper the first," Neis said. "We came out looking for a win and accomplished some goals. I didn't think it would turn out this way."

Neis led the Lady Cardinals with 13 points and a seven-for-seven performance from the free-throw line. At one point, Eudora was 11-for-11 from the charity stripe. Brandi Abel and Meta Woodward scored six points each.

"The game and the year went better than I expected," Woodward said. "It was a good bunch to work with this year."

Jessica Shepler's 14 points led Piper and broke a school record. Shepler, the school's all-time leading scorer, went over the 1,000-point plateau for her high school career. The senior also contributed defensively with three blocked shots.

As for Eudora, the future of this young team is definitely bright, the coach said.

"We have lots of people coming back next year," Grosdidier said. "We only graduate two players (Neis and Woodward) from this year."