St. Vincent girls basketball team falls to Bismarck in district semis

Two days removed from upsetting third-seeded Valley of Caledonia for its first district tournament win in three years, the sixth-seeded St. Vincent girls basketball team found itself on the brink of another upset bid.

The Indians came up just short in a back-and-forth affair against No. 2 Bismarck in the final minutes, and St. Vincent dropped a 43-38 decision in a semifinal of the Class 2 District 3 tournament in Bismarck, Missouri.

'It was just one of those things where we lost by five, but it was a fight the entire game," first-year St. Vincent coach Chad Unterreiner said.

St. Vincent (8-15) held an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter but was outscored 9-5 in the second period to give Bismarck (17-9) a slim three-point lead at the break.

Bismarck began the final quarter with a 29-25 lead that was never safe. St. Vincent tied the game multiple times during the period, according to Unterreiner. A steal inside the final minute to cut the Indians' margin to one possession, but a missed layup allowed Bismarck to hang on for the victory.

Bismarck's Alyssa Sago entered the game averaging 20.3 points per game but was held to only four points. Unterreiner said he was pleased with his players' defensive effort.

"We had a good game plan, and we came in and executed. We did what we wanted to do," Unterreiner said. "The thing was we had a great run coming into this tournament. ... I think we made some headway."

St. Vincent was led by sophomore Faith Kapp, who finished with 12 points.

"She gets after it," Unterreiner said about Kapp. "She pressures so hard. Most of her points come off offensive rebounds. She was outstanding for us tonight."

Brilee Henson had a game-high 13 points to pace Bismarck, while Savannah Tate added 10 points.

St. Vincent came into the season with five new starters and will graduate five seniors from this year's squad. Unterreiner said he looks forward to finding a way to get his underclassmen involved next season.

"It was so rewarding to see them grow throughout the year," Unterreiner said about his team. "We had a difficult schedule early on. ... We came along as the season went on, and that's all you can ask for."

St. Vincent 11 5 9 13 -- 38

Bismarck 10 9 10 14 -- 43

ST. VINCENT (38) -- Faith Kapp 12, Paige Yamnitz 8, Kylie Baer 8, Courtney Brown 6, Alexana Koishor 2, Emily Welker 1, Kayla Winkler 1. FG 16, FT 6-11, F 13. (3-pointers: None. Fouled out: None.)

BISMARCK (43) -- Brilee Henson 13, Savannah Tate 10, Kaitlyn Loughary 8, Victoria Rodgers 6, Alyssa Sago 4, Madison Dugal 2. FG 17, FT 8-11, F 14. (3-pointers: Tate. Fouled out: None.)