You don't often win basketball games shooting 29 percent from the field, but that's exactly what the St. Elizabeth Lady Hornets did Friday night.
The main reason why? The Lady Hornets held the Calvary Lutheran Lady Lions to just 20 percent.
So even though St. Elizabeth came out on top of a 45-18 decision, it wasn't the type of win to make their coach very happy.
"The shooting was atrocious and we played without any fire at all," St. Elizabeth coach Sheila Heckemeyer said. "There was no focus at all. None."
The Lady Hornets made just 17-of-59 from the field, a total helped - if that's the right word - by 20 missed layups.
"We're shooting 41 percent from the field this season, we're not a poor shooting team," Heckemeyer said. "But this week we've had two games in the 20s (percentage-wise). It's just a lack of focus. ... You can't not focus from here on out. You have a game like this (in districts) and your season's over."
While the Lady Hornets were having a tough time making shots, the Lady Lions were having a tough time getting shots. Calvary turned the ball over on nine of its first 11 possessions and fell behind 12-2 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, St. Elizabeth started to get Calvary in foul trouble and picked up a few extra points that way.
"At least we were getting to the line and putting some in there," Heckemeyer said.
The Lady Hornets outscored the Lady Lions 15-4 in the second quarter to lead 27-6 at intermission.
Calvary had just two field goals in the opening half, both layups, and didn't hit a shot outside the paint until Kara Wehmeyer hit a jumper with 2:32 left in the third quarter.
"We weren't hitting anything," Calvary coach Jonathan Kueck said. "... We just weren't getting anything from outside."
The Lady Hornets led by as many as 27 in the third and took a 35-10 lead into the fourth quarter.
St. Elizabeth took a 29-point lead twice in the fourth quarter before settling for the 27-point victory. The Lady Hornets outscored the Lady Lions 10-8 in the period.
"I was impressed with the girls in the fourth quarter," Kueck said. "They didn't give up, they played hard. That's what I like to see."
Allie Heckemeyer led the Lady Hornets with 16 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Savannah Stiles chipped in with 13 points.
Kimberly Ousley, the lone Calvary senior honored on Senior Night, joined Emily Hager and Wehmeyer with six points apiece to account for all of the Lady Lions' scoring.
St. Elizabeth (18-7) returns to action Tuesday in the Class 1 District 6 Tournament at Bolivar. The Lady Hornets are the second seed and will take on No. 7 Wheatland at 7 p.m.
Calvary (2-13) is the seventh seed in the Class 1 District 9 Tournament at Jamestown. The Lady Lions will play No. 2 Glasgow at 9 p.m. Monday.