Elle Ruffridge wrote a perfect ending to her record-breaking
high school career.
Ruffridge scored 22 points and her Pocahontas teammates all made major
contributions as the Indians beat Sioux Center 61-38 to win their second
straight Class 3A state championship.
And what
a career it was a Ruffridge, a 5-foot-4 guard who'll
take her dynamic game to Missouri State next season.
She
finished with 2,951 points, 802 assists and 466 3-pointers -- all state
records. Plus, she scored 250 points in nine state tournament games, which also
is a record. Her 157 3-pointers this season are a state record and her 840
points are the second most in a season.
Ruffridge finished her final game 7-for-12 from the field, including
6-for-8 from 3-point range. She also grabbed seven rebounds, handed out four
assists and made two steals and was voted captain of the all-tournament team
for the third straight year.
Pocahontas
finished second at the 2015 state tournament and went 79-3 over the last three
seasons, including a 27-1 mark this season.
Payton Hjerleid added 12 points for Pocahontas, Faith Meyer scored
11 and Ashlyn Weidauer had eight. The second-ranked
Indians made 12 3-pointers in all and held top-ranked Sioux Center scoreless in
the fourth quarter.
Jessica
Harald led Sioux Center with nine points, while Shayla Post and Victoria Rensink scored eight each. Lexi Toering
had eight rebounds and four points for the Warriors, who finished 26-1.
Pocahontas
led 20-19 after the first eight minutes, then broke it open in the second
quarter. The Warriors tried trapping Ruffridge on the
perimeter, but she usually dribbled her way out of it and found a shot for
herself or a teammate. She swished a 3-pointer from the right corner and did
the same from the left corner during a 16-3 run that pulled the Indians into a
38-24 halftime lead.
Post's
3-pointer drew Sioux Center to 40-29 early in the third quarter, but Pocahontas
responded with a 15-7 run to go up 55-36.
Grace
Meyer of Pocahontas, Harald and Toering joined Ruffridge on the all-tournament team, which also had Paityn
Hagberg of Cherokee and Allison Wooldridge of Center
Point-Urbana.