• Photo Showcase: Papillion-La Vista South vs. Bellevue East

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Playing its third straight game against a ranked foe, Papillion-La Vista South went home with a win Friday night against Bellevue East.

The 10th-ranked Titans pulled away in the second half to post a 51-41 girls basketball victory over the third-ranked Chieftains. Papio South was coming off recent losses against No. 2 Lincoln Southeast and No. 7 Millard West.

“We came close in those other games,” first-year Titans head coach Andy Gerlecz said. “I guess we were just tired of getting beat.”

The Titans (11-6) received a big effort from 6-foot-3 guard Kadie Rolfzen, who scored 14 points and hauled down 18 rebounds. Though she’s only a junior, Rolfzen and her twin sister Amber — Nebraska volleyball recruits — will graduate after the 2012 fall semester and won’t be playing basketball as seniors.

“This is it for us,” Kadie said. “Technically we’re kind of like seniors, so we want to go to state.”

The Rolfzens combined for 21 points and 26 rebounds. They also had three blocks, including one by Amber that ended up in the stands.

A third NU volleyball recruit, Kelly Hunter, chipped in 13 points for Papio South. Also a junior, Hunter hasn’t decided whether she’ll graduate early to get a jump on her career with the Huskers.

The visiting Titans trailed by two points at halftime but pulled away with a strong third quarter. They outscored the Chieftains 24-8 to take a 41-27 lead into the final period.

Titans senior guard Sara Cushing scored nine of her 13 points in that pivotal third quarter. Papio South sank 8 of 13 shots during that stretch — including four 3-pointers — while Bellevue East went 2 of 11 from the field.

The Chieftains (16-3) drew close early in the fourth quarter when 3-pointers by Peyton Hagen and Shelby Quinn and two Allison Pilmaier free throws made the score 41-35. But a pair of baskets by Hunter stretched the lead to 10 and squelched Bellevue East’s comeback hopes.

A leg injury to starting guard Taylor Silva with 4:52 left in the game also hurt the Chieftains. The team already is playing without All-Nebraska guard Jayla Hobza, who is sidelined for the season with a torn ACL.

Gerlecz said the Titans, who reached the state tournament for the first time last season, had a good week of practice. Among the topics addressed was the team’s recent spate of technical fouls.

“We talked about how to play properly, how to treat officials and how to treat opponents,” he said. “I just think we played a little more relaxed tonight.”

Papio South will have a little longer to enjoy the victory. Its game scheduled for Saturday night against Omaha Marian has been postponed because of the expected inclement weather.

Papillion-La Vista South (11-6)......................  9 8 24 10—51
Bellevue East (16-3).......................................12 7    8 14—41

PLVS: Kelly Hunter 4-10 3-6 13, Carina Russell 0-3 2-2 2, Sara Cushing 4-10 5-5 13, Kadie Rolfzen 5-13 1-4 14, Holly Nelson 1-1 0-0 2, Amber Rolfzen 1-1 5-8 7. Totals 15-38 16-25 51.

BE: Allison Pilmaier 2-5 2-2 7, Peyton Hagen 3-8 0-0 8, Haley Ourada 1-4 4-6 6, Taylor Silva 2-9 1-2 6, Jerrica Jackson 1-9 2-2 4, Amaun Frazier 0-4 0-0 0, Sidni Trotter 0-4 2-4 2, Shelby Quinn 3-6 0-0 8. Totals 12-49 11-16 41.

3-point goals: PLVS 5-10 (Hunter 2-5, Russell 0-1, K. Rolfzen 3-4), BE 6-20 (Pilmeier 1-3, Hagen 2-6, Silva 1-3, Frazier 0-1, Trotter 0-3, Quinn 2-4). Rebounds: PLVS 41 (K. Rolfzen 18), BE 35 (Pilmaier 7). Total fouls: PLVS 16, BE 23. Fouled out: Frazier. Technical foul: Bellevue East bench. Turnovers: PLVS 21, BE 14. Field-goal percentage: PLVS .394, BE .244. Free-throw percentage: PLVS .640, BE .687. A: 400 (est.)

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