On Saturday, the Lady Cats lost to Russellville, 47-31, at the Eugene tournament to finish fourth.

“This was an early-season matchup against a conference and district opponent,” said Coach Caleb Thomas. “It was a tough and physical game. We made plenty of mistakes, but any game where they shoot 17 free throws to our two is tough to overcome. It’s a matchup we are looking forward to later in the season.”

Linn trailed 13-12 after the first quarter and 22-17 at the break. The third quarter saw the deficit increase to nine points, and the game slipped away in the fourth.

Heslie Higginbotham led with seven points, followed by Kenzy Hackmann (2 treys) and Carley Brandt (6 each), Ali Russell (trey) and Nicole Grellner (trey), each with five points, and Paige Senevey (2).

Brandt grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, as Higgs and Senevey snagged seven apiece, Grellner had five, Hackmann and Jorja Kempker each posted three, and Russell finished with two.

Brandt also had a block and a steal, and Grellner, Senevey, and Kempker added a steal each.

In the consolation semis, the Lady Cats lost to Osage, 62-43.

“We fell into their pressure very early, and struggled to take care of the basketball in the first half,” said Thomas. “We came out of the second half and played a much better game, but getting sped up in the first half left us a difference we couldn’t make up.”

Linn scored three points in the first quarter and eight more in the second, trailing 29-11 at the half. The gap expanded to 50-23 by the start of the fourth. Linn won the final stanza, 20-12.

Three players reached double figures, led by Brandt, whose 14 points (6-10 FT) were coupled with 13 rebounds.

Grellner (trey) added 13 points and three boards, and Higginbotham posted 10 points, including an impressive 8-8 performance at the stripe, and seven rebounds.

Russell added a three-pointer on her way to four points and two boards, and Hackmann finished with two points.

Higginbotham had the team’s lone block to go with three steals. Senevey and Hackmann added three steals apiece, and Grellner posted two.

“Osage is a good full-court pressure squad, and we get to see them again later in the season,” said Thomas. “We plan on learning from our mistakes.”

In the tournament opener, Linn defeated Eugene, 49-41.

“We were able to really establish ourselves in the paint and on the glass, which are big pieces of our offensive plans,” said Thomas.

Linn scored 24 points in the paint and won the rebounding battle, 39-24, while shooting 36.5% overall.

Brandt scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds while posting six steals and a block. Higginbotham (trey) added seven points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Grellner hit a pair of treys for her six points, and Hackmann (4-6 FT) added six, while Senevey and Kempker (trey) added five apiece.

Also collecting rebounds were Senevey (5), Grellner (4), Hackmann and Kempker (3 apiece), and Russell (2).

Hackmann added two steals, and Senevey had another.