Nazareth outlasts Silverton in Class 1A regional quarterfinals

Nazareth was able to handle everything a valiant Silverton team threw at them but in the end the Swiftettes size and depth were the foundation for a 55-39 victory in the Class 1A regional quarterfinals Monday night at an electric Caprock Activity Center.

Tradition-rich Nazareth (24-10 overall) wasn’t going to be denied advancing to the program’s 11th straight Region I-1A Tournament where they will now take on the Klondike-Whiteface winner on Friday at the Texan Dome in Levelland.

“To make 11 straight regional tournaments says a lot,” Nazareth head coach Eric Schilling said. “These ladies put in a ton of work and time. They make it look easy and it’s not. They handle pressure really well and they understand expectations. They know what it takes and I’m proud of them.”

Silverton (23-6) took multiple jabs in the first half but stood tall overcoming adversity. The Lady Owls saw the Swiftettes go on an 11-2 run early in the first quarter to trail 13-7 going into the second but didn’t bat an eye. Silverton also had to figure out a way to stay in the game before the half with star player Brenna Francis getting her third foul of the six-minute mark of the first half and her very dangerous fourth foul with just under a minute to go until the break.

With all that going against the Lady Owls, Brenna, and her sister Maddie, had Silverton in the contest trailing 23-20 at halftime.

Nazareth took control late in the third quarter. Clementine Myrick hit a big 3-pointer giving the Swiftettes a 35-29 lead with 55 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, point guard Harlee Gerber got a steal that resulted in hoop and harm layup for a 3-point play that put Nazareth up by double-digits for the first time in the game, 38-27, with 43 seconds to go in the third frame.

In the fourth quarter, Silverton had one final gasp. Brenna hit a long 3-ball that cut the deficit 39-33 with 4:45 to play. However, that was immediately answered on the next trip down for Nazareth when Brooklyn Birkenfield was fouled while scoring a bucket in the paint putting the Swiftettes right back up 42-33. That was Maddie Francis’ fifth foul, and moments later Brenna fouled out and the Swiftettes pulled away for the victory.

“Our defense played really well,” Schilling said. “Silverton has two great scorers and they showed it the entire game. We were able to get them in foul trouble, but I think we had a lot of balance and we knocked down some big shots. We also have a lot of depth. We play everyone and that’s something we talk about a lot. We had enough fresh legs to finish it off.”

Gerber led Nazareth with 14 points. Birkenfield followed scoring 12 with 10 of those coming in the second half. Brenna Francis, a senior who played her final game in a Lady Owl uniform, poured in a game-high 18 points. Maddie chipped in with eight points for Silverton.

Silverton    7  20  29  39
Nazareth  13  23  38  55
S- Brenna Francis 17, Maddie Francis 8. N- Harlee Gerber 14, Brooklyn Birkenfield 12. Records: Silverton 23-6; Nazareth 24-10.