Bias, Central KO Carroll
TOPEKA — Still holding a Save-A-Tooth container with both hands, Andover Central's Tiffany Bias tried to describe how tough of a game she had just endured against Bishop Carroll.
The tooth box was a precaution — she lost a tooth in a game last season. . This time, she had her mouthpiece in when she took an elbow to the mouth in the Class 5A semifinal at the Kansas Expocentre on Friday.
Bias knew what could have been the result of the elbow — worse than some blood and a loose tooth.
"I'm glad I had my mouthpiece, because my teeth would have been gone — again," Bias said.
Unbeaten Andover Central survived it, winning 63-54 to advance to the 5A championship game against St. Thomas Aquinas.
Bias had another terrific game, leading the Jaguars with 34 points, five assists and two steals. After the elbow with 1:50 to play, Bias closed with three points, a steal and an assist.
"You don't get any tougher than a kid like Tiffany," Andover Central coach Stana Jefferson said. "What she does and how she does it, the bumps she takes, the hits she takes, the teeth she knocks out, she gets back up and goes harder. She doesn't complain, doesn't whine, she's just a blessing."
Three seniors are left from the 2008 undefeated season for Andover Central. Bias, Kaitlin Tennyson and Madeline Chapin helped the Jaguars lead for all but about 20 seconds Friday. Even when Carroll closed to three in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars didn't waiver.
Andover Central made 7 of 10 free throws in the final two minutes.
"It means a lot for these three seniors," Jefferson said. "They are incredible kids, incredibly tough, tough kids and they proved just how tough they were tonight with that physical, bigger Bishop Carroll team."
Carroll (21-3) never found an offensive rhythm.
Carroll opened with turnovers on 4 of 5 possessions and the Eagles made 6 of 26 shots (23 percent) in the first half.
In the second half, Carroll shot better, but scored four points in the final two minutes, all at the free-throw line.
"We couldn't make a basket and couldn't stop them," Carroll coach Don Racine said. "We were fouling and they were making free throws. They were fouling us also and we weren't making ours."
Central's post defense didn't falter, either, against Carroll's post players. Carroll's Nicole Walden, Julie Sooter and Catherine Brugman combined for 33 points, but never got control of the game like Bias.
Bias scored 23 of Andover Central's 36 points in the second half and 10 in a row in the third quarter.
Keeping its man-to-man defense that Central used all season, the Jaguars gave up nothing easy.
"Our post players played great, they worked their butt off," Bias said. "I just wanted to get in the middle, give ball fakes, and get them up in the air and kick it out if they are crashing in on you cause I know they are really big inside."
Even after the elbow , the Jaguars didn't lose their composure.
"In big games like that, it's so important to be composed and at halftime that's what we talked about," Jefferson said. "I thought they came out very experienced, very composed, didn't panic and I was very proud of them."