Newman forces 32 turnovers in rout of Steamers

The Newman senior guard's eyes zeroed in on her prey, a Fulton player coming upcourt with the ball 30 seconds before halftime of the Class 2A Newman Regional semifinal. 

Then she attacked, taking the ball in one swift motion before speeding downcourt for the layup that returned the lead to the Comets. 

The play wounded the Steamers' momentum, and, moments later, the Comets went in for the kill in what turned into a 49-29 win. 

Newman will play top seed Riverdale at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the championship game.

"We were sitting in our zone," Erickson said, "and I just saw the ball as it was being passed and went for it. After that, I just ran as fast as I could and threw it up for a shot." 

The turnover was the 14th of the first half for Fulton (10-20), and the points gave Newman a 20-19 lead moments after the Steamers had grabbed their first and only lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Morgan Sanquist. Fulton finished with 32 turnovers, 21 of them coming on Newman steals. 

On the next possession, Rachel Hageman slapped a pass out of the air. The ball bounced to Newman forward Elexia Sanders, who got the ball in the hands of Aubree Schmitt. 

Schmitt brought the ball quickly up court and passed it to Hageman, who finished around the basket to give Newman a 22-19 lead with 4.6 seconds left in the half. The assist was one of eight for Schmitt. 

"Those were the two plays that seemed to turn the game around," Newman coach Jay Howell said. "I liked the pace of the game that we set. We were able to create turnovers and get shots on the other end. We didn't shoot real well from the field [21-58] or from the line [5-13], but the pace took them out of what they wanted to do."

Fulton closed within a point twice in the third quarter at 22-21 and 24-23, but could not overtake the Comets.