GIRLS BASKETBALL: No. 3 Omaha Westside Upsets No. 2 Lincoln Pius X

LINCOLN–(KFOR Feb. 18)–The Lincoln Pius X girls basketball team for about an hour and a half on Tuesday night was the last undefeated team in Class A, hoping to close out the home schedule with a win.

But Omaha Westside had other plans and spoiled the occasion, as the No. 3 Warriors handed the No. 2 Thunderbolts their first loss of the season 37-33 at Bishop Flavin Gym, in a game heard on KFOR.

Earlier in the evening, No. 5 Lincoln East upset No. 1 Millard South 53-46 to give the Patriots their first loss of the season.  For Pius X, there may have been pressure to maintain a record, already at 20-straight wins.

But Westside (20-5) rattled off a 7-0 run to end the first quarter to go ahead 13-7.  Defensively, the Warriors were collapsing in on the post, limiting Pius X’s 6-3 junior and South Dakota State commit Alexis Markowski to 12 points, 11 below her average.

Westside took a 19-13 lead at halftime, but Pius X marched back behind back-to-back three-pointers from Lauren Taubenheim to tie the game at 23 at the end of the third quarter, the first lead for the ‘Bolts since a 6-4 advantage early in the first quarter.

Pius X went up 27-23 early in the fourth quarter, when Matti Reiling hit a 15-foot jump shot and Taubenheim scored off a pass from Miriam Miller.  Westside then got a pair of free-throws and a three-pointer from senior guard Ella Wedergren to pull ahead at 28-27 with six minutes remaining.

Taubenheim scored again and senior guard Jilliam Aschoff added two free throws for the Thunderbolts.  The Warriors sank seven free throws to close out the victory.

Wedergren led Westside with 12 points and leading scorer Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor added 11 for the Warriors.