Volmer earns 100th career coaching win
ALTAMONT — Enduring a hair-raising night at the charity stripe, the Labette County Grizzlies girls outlasted Tonganoxie, 39-34, in the semifinals of the KSHSAA 4A East Girls sub-state on Wednesday evening, putting themselves one win away from the state tournament.
“It was our defense and home-court advantage,” Labette County head coach Brianna Volmer said. “We were gritty and made some adjustments along the way. The girls weren’t stubborn or hard-headed. When it was tied at the end of the third quarter, I told the girls the game would be decided by defense. We came up with the win. We hit enough free throws to squeak by and made some stops. It was a great win.”
Labette County won despite connecting on 9-of-25 free throws, a struggle that kept Tonganoxie in striking distance until the final buzzer.
“Championship teams have to have championship moments and that can’t be a factor on Saturday,” Volmer said. “My kids know that. We’re having conversations about what’s holding us back. We’ll hold them accountable — we’re not making them run, but talking about their mentality in big moments. They’re a veteran team and that means they have to make free throws.”
Landry O’Brien led the Grizzlies with 11 points — Tonganoxie’s plan was to not allow Superman to beat them. O’Brien was routinely face-guarded, forcing others on Labette County’s roster to fill the gaps. Amelia Carnahan spent most of the night running point guard duties while Madison Bevans, a 13% 3-point shooter on the season, connected on three treys.
“We didn’t have a shot clock, so it was OK if we didn’t get the right look. Landry forced some things early, and we had to start facilitating through her teammates,” Volmer said. “We settled in and had kids make big shots in big moments. We figured their defense out down the stretch.” \\ Labette County and Tonganoxie were tied at halftime and the end of the third period before the Grizzlies pulled away late.
Volmer earns 100th career coaching victory Volmer, who’s in her third year as head coach of Labette County, won her 100th career game in the sub-state victory.
Volmer, an alum of Labette County, has 43 wins with the Grizzlies. Her other 57 came when she was the head coach at Erie.
Up next
A third matchup against the SEK League champion Fort Scott Tigers, which defeated Ottawa handily, 49-23, in their first round, awaits the Grizzlies in the sub-state championship on Saturday. The winner will advance to the state tournament.
Fort Scott has handed Labette County two of the Grizzlies’ four losses this season by scores of 53-44 and 5140 — two of the four lowest outputs for Labette County’s offense since Christmas.
“We have to play better basketball. Period,” Volmer said. “We shot horribly from the floor the first time we played them. We got better the second time, but better wasn’t good enough. We’ve got to be OK with changing how we approach the game. We’ve just got to play better basketball across the board.”
Deploying a stingy 2-3 zone, the Tigers’ defense has staggered Labette County’s offense. With the shot clock gone away in the postseason, Volmer is preaching patience going into Saturday’s tilt.
“We’ve got to be OK with a slower-paced game. We’re familiar with them, but we have to do ‘us.’ That means hitting big shots in big moments. We’re really, really hungry. We’ll be ready to play Fort Scott.”
