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Rock Port junior Hanna Vette drives around South Nodaway defender Mackenzie Murphy Tuesday night at the Class 1 sectional game at MWSU Fieldhouse. The Blue Jays defeated the Longhorns.

Rock Port came into Tuesday’s Class 1 sectional 13 years removed from its last playoff appearance.

But against South Nodaway, the Blue Jays consistently put the ball in the hands of their two players with postseason experience. Hanna Vette and Karley Evans — who moved to Rock Port in the offseason — combined for 35 points and hit 6 of 6 free throws in the final 31.4 seconds to beat South Nodaway 40-35 at MWSU Fieldhouse.

Evans played in five playoff games for DeKalb the past two years, including a state title in 2006, while Vette reached the Class 2 quarterfinals last year at Tarkio.

“The Rock Port girls have all improved, and they’ve all worked hard,” said first-year Rock Port coach Regan Crow. “But to have two experienced players that have experienced the playoffs, gives everyone else confidence and provides leadership. (Vette and Evans) know where they’re going; they know what needs to be done, and they’re willing to do it.”

Evans and Vette combined for all 12 of Rock Port’s points in the fourth quarter and the last 14 overall. The Blue Jays also hit 16 of 18 free throws to help overcome a chilly offensive night for both teams.

There were 11 ties and 12 lead changes.

South Nodaway’s Sami Jackson, who played only 22 minutes due to foul trouble, put the Longhorns ahead for the final time, 35-34, with the final two of her six points, all of which came in the fourth quarter.

Jackson hit two free throws with 2 minutes, 41 seconds left, but the Longhorns held possession with 56.9 seconds after Rock Port’s Makayla Vette committed a turnover. On the inbounds play, South Nodaway’s Shelby Freemyer took the ball in the backcourt on the right sideline and took off dribbling into the frontcourt.

With only 6 seconds off the clock, Freemyer — a 5-foot-10 sophomore post — dribbled it off her foot and returned possession the Blue Jays.

“I was wondering what she was doing, but it works,” Hanna Vette said. “That worked for us.”

Evans found the ball on the resulting chance, but the senior guard sat underneath the basket with three South Nodaway players surrounding her. Evans tried a shot and drew a foul on Freemyer and converted both free throws to make it 36-35 Rock Port with 31.4 seconds left, an optimum place to have the ball in Crow’s mind.

“I wasn’t particularly thinking anybody’s hands, just get the ball down the court and don’t commit another turnover,” Evans said. “Just thinking, 'gotta make both free throws.’ We know they’re what wins games.”

South Nodaway (20-6) immediately committed another turnover, as Freemyer tried to pass to Jackson near halfcourt. Jackson collided with Makayla Vette, and no foul was called. Makayla Vette ended up with the ball and passed to Evans, who was fouled and hit two more free throws.

Trailing by three, South Nodaway tried to work it inside to Jackson’s twin sister Lindsi, who caught it on the right block and missed a shot, unable to draw a foul despite contact. Hanna Vette grabbed the rebound and made two free throws with 10.6 seconds left to provide the final margin.

In three possessions, South Nodaway managed just one shot.

“It’s nothing against (Rock Port), I just felt we played our game plan,” South Nodaway coach Shawn Emerson said. “I’m just looking at free throws. We were 4-for-5; they were 18 of 16 ...,” he continued before shrugging his shoulders.

Lindsi Jackson led the Longhorns with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Vette tallied a game-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds. Evans matched Jackson’s 16 points and added six rebounds and three assists.

Rock Port’s “Big 2” want to move past the transfer inquiries that have dogged them after moving and consider the issue dead.

They’re playing for Rock Port (26-3) in Saturday’s Class 1 quarterfinal at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, where the Blue Jays face No. 1-ranked Meadville, which defeated Gilman City 40-35 on Tuesday.

“We’ve let it go,” Hanna Vette said. “There’s just other people that won’t.”

Jefferson boys 69

Mound City 41

The Eagles used a 9-0 run spanning the end of the first quarter and start of the second to provide distance against Mound City, and they pulled away for the sectional win — the ninth straight playoff victory for Jefferson. Jefferson’s Doug Archer, the Eagles 6-foot-7 center, capped the first-half run with a two-handed dunk, which promptly led to a Mound City timeout with the Panthers behind 26-10. Mound City never closed to within single digits the rest of the way.

Jefferson stretched the lead to 21 twice during the first half, including a 38-17 advantage at the half.

“They came out fired up, and we were expecting them to,” said Archer, who led four Eagles in double figures with 19 points to go with eight blocks, five rebounds and three assists.

“We try to come out thinking we’re going to get every team’s best effort. We just had to keep playing defense and getting stops.”

Mound City (20-8) managed to outscore Jefferson by one point in the third quarter, and Gage Rosier brought the Panthers within 40-26 on a 3 from the left wing with 4:23 left before the fourth. The momentum didn’t last, and the Eagles answered with a 17-4 run spanning into the fourth to pull away.

Archer’s short jumper in the lane seconds into the fourth put it to a — at that point — game-high lead of 22. Archer made it 57-30 on a 3-pointer with 6:35 to go.

Jefferson coach Tim Jermain cleared his bench with under a minute to go with the lead at a game-high 28 that matched the final tally. Rosier, Garrett Burge and Patrick Treece all scored 10 points to lead upset-minded Mound City, which committed 21 turnovers.

“It’s hard to maintain that mentality for the full game,” Mound City coach Korey Miles said. “We kept working hard, but it was just too little too late.

“They put so much pressure on you that it puts you out of your game.”

Jefferson (26-2), which has not lost in the playoffs since the 2005 Class 1 state championship game, advances to play Newtown-Harris (29-0) in Saturday’s quarterfinal seeking a fourth straight trip to the Class 1 semifinals. The Eagles have not lost to Class 1 competition since the 2005 loss to North Shelby in the state title matchup.

The matchup with Newtown-Harris provides a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal that sent Jefferson to state. Jermain believes Newtown might be the best Class 1 team the Eagles have seen this year

“I guess how I feel about playing them is I’m just glad we’re playing in that game,” Jermain said.

Sports reporter Ross Martin can be reached at rossmartin@npgco.com