Ford, who finished with nine points, seven assists and five rebounds, got high praise from her coach. “Daniella Ford does all the little things that help this team win games,” Soupios said. “She doesn’t always light up the scoreboard, but she gets the rebounds, assists, and makes big shots when we need them. Daniella has embraced the role of being quarterback of the offense, and she’s the toughest player on the team.”

In the third quarter, Sewanhaka extended its lead to 14 points, but an 11-2 run got Jericho within striking distance at 51-46 with 2:30 to play in the quarter.

A free throw by Ford made the score 69-52 midway through the final quarter, but Jericho wouldn’t quit. The Lady Jayhawks went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to eight points, but they couldn’t get any closer. Freshman forward Casey Hayes added eight points for the Lady Indians.

Soupios is looking forward to the quarterfinals. “Wantagh has size on the inside and a lot of good shooters,” Soupios. “We have two or three days to prepare for them, so we’ll have them ready.”