In 2024, Black Hills won its district quarterfinal before losing two straight games to fall short of a state tournament berth.
In 2025, Black Hills won its district quarterfinal before losing two straight games to fall short of a state tournament berth.
And now, in 2026 … Well, you get the idea.
The Wolves were eliminated from the district tournament on Wednesday, when they fell to Ridgefield 49-46 in a 2A District 4 Tournament Elimination Game in Centralia.
Black Hills had a chance in the game’s waning moments to force overtime with a three, like how it did in its quarterfinal victory, but Tyler Venable’s last-second heave near the Centralia Tiger logo didn’t connect.
“The postseason is just a way different game,” Black Hills coach Herb Guscott said. “It slows down, it’s really low-scoring, and the biggest thing is it's just way more physical … It was physical as hell out there today, and we’re not really built like that. But we’re learning, and I can’t fault their effort.”
Black Hills struggled with the physicality out of the gate, and midway through the second, the Wolves found themselves down 20-10.
The Wolves entered the third down six, but came out of halftime with a surge in intensity. Ellie Johnson scored six points in the frame, Natalie Buchanan and Venable both added four, and Taylor Morrison chipped in a pair to help the Wolves build a lead at 36-31 entering the fourth.
“They fought hard,” Guscott said.
Ridgefield opened the fourth with a 12-2 run to take the lead back, but Venable scored five straight points to tie the game at 43 with 2:11 to play. The Spudders hit a pair of buckets to go up four, and after the two sides exchanged some free throws, Ridgefield led 48-46 with 7.8 seconds to play.
Ridgefield’s Sava Chanda was fouled with 6.7 left, and she hit the first free throw to push the gap to three. She missed the second, but Ridgefield’s Tiana Renee Sanchez was able to grab the rebound.
“It was the killer,” Guscott said. “We have a very short rotation. I think it kind of takes its toll on us … By the fourth quarter, they’re just spent.”
Renee Sanchez actually missed both free throws at 5.5 seconds left, which gave the Wolves their shot to tie in the final seconds. Black Hills finished the night 1 for 12 from three, and shot just 25.5% from the field.
“You have to just value every possession,” Guscott said. “And I’d like to have a couple of them back.”
Venable finished with 17 points, four rebounds, and four steals, while Johnson capped her high school career with a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double.
“That was her best game of the year,” Guscott said.
Johnson is committed to play golf at Lewis University in Romeoville, and before the season, she was debating on sitting out basketball to focus on golf full-time ahead of her freshman year. Instead, she decided to suit up for her senior year.
“Thank God we had her,” Guscott said. “If we didn’t have her, we would not have gone this far … She’s meant a ton to the program. I’ve really enjoyed coaching her immensely.”
Buchanan added six points, nine rebounds, and three steals, and Haley McMahon added four points. Taylor Morrison chipped in three points, Megan Dolby added a pair, and Cassidy O’Reilly scored one.
In addition to Johnson, Barrette McKissick and Ella Jarmin will both graduate this spring. McKissick played her freshman season, but sat out the last two years due to an injury, and Jarmin didn’t play basketball until this year.
Guscott commended them both for their work ethic this season, and he also said that they were both “phenomenal” kids to have around on the team.
The Wolves (14-10) will have several pieces back next season, including Venable and Buchanan, who both earned first-team all-league honors this season. Guscott also added that there is a solid young group coming up from the middle school
“The girls had a really, really good year,” Guscott said. “We’ll regroup … I’m excited for the next few years.”
