COLUMBIA - Emily Johnson paced Father McGivney Catholic with 15-point outburst, but the Griffins fell 43-40 in a tough matchup against Columbia.
Jordan Holten hit a career-high 29 points, and it was the biggest difference in the game in the second semifinal of the Columbia Tip-Off Classic Tournament Wednesday night at the Columbia gym.
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Holten's big effort helped tip the scales in the Eagles' favor in the closely-fought and well-played game, as she also pulled down 10 rebounds as the hosts advanced to the final for the first time in four years.
"We came out strong in the first quarter," Griffins' head coach Jeff Oller said. "(Holten) was very strong inside and we had trouble getting in front of her. I'm proud of the girls' effort. We are still working to reduce turnovers and decision-making on both ends."
Oller was very happy with the team's effort on the night, with different players excelling in their roles and picking up valuable experience along the way.
"We had some girls that did a great job in their roles," Oller said. "it was a good learning experience in a tight game where we need to work on situational basketball more in practice. We are gaining valuable experience and looking ahead to Saturday's third-place game."
The Griffins jumped out to a 12-8 lead after the first quarter, but at halftime, the Eagles took over the lead at 24-20, they held it after three quarters 32-29. The two teams tied in the fourth quarter 11-11 to create the 43-40 final score for Columbia.
Emily Johnson led McGivney with 15 points, while both Devin Ellis and Sami Oller each had eight points, Natalie Beck and Mia Lieberman both scored four points and Jada Zumwalt had a single point.
To go along with Holten's 29 points, Sam Schmuke had six points and both Kinley Jany and Ava Langhans each scored four points apiece.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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