By TYLER PARKS

sports@dailynews.net

HOISINGTON -- After a back-and-forth first half, a 26-point third quarter for the Hoisington Cardinals proved to be too much for the Thomas More Prep-Marian girls' basketball team on Tuesday.

Hoisington (8-10, 3-2 MCAA) finished a season sweep of the Monarchs (5-12, 3-3 MCAA) with a 57-38 victory at the Hoisington Activities Center.

After their last meeting the Cardinals came in with the same game plan: run the box-and-1 on senior guard Heather Ruder.

"Our key defensively was to limit Heather's touches," Hoisington head coach Mandy Mason said.

Ruder finished with five points, well below her season average.

"We felt like the last time we played them with our box-and-1 they struggled offensively getting into any rhythm," Mason said. "Heather Ruder is a really good shooter, so we tried to keep the ball from her as much as possible."

The defense did just that, limiting Ruder to six shots.

With a defender shadowing Ruder's every move, the lane wasn't as crowded and things opened up inside.

The Monarchs tried to work the ball inside to counter the pressure on Ruder.

"Going inside was definitely the key," said senior Jenna Schuckman, who led the Monarchs with 12 points. "Our coach really stressed the posts staying inside and the guards trying to get the ball inside because they don't have much height."

After a scoreless first two minutes by both teams, TMP scored the first points of the game just after the six-minute mark on a Schuckman basket in the paint.

"Be able to get inside and post up was the game plan and when we were able to do it, it worked out nicely," she said.

Schuckman scored the first four points of the game on inside shots.

"Out of the box-and-1, Jenna was attacking the middle and we weren't putting any bodies on her. She really hurt us in the first half," Mason said.

She scored six of her 12 points in the first quarter. She was the only Monarch in double figures and added a team-high eight rebounds.

"With Jenna Schuckman we had to go to a triangle -and-2 defense late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter to stop her," Mason said. "After we started rebounding better we went back to the box-and-1, and I ran two different girls at Heather to keep a fresh body on her at all times."

The Monarch defense held the Cardinals scoreless until halfway through the first quarter, but after missing its first six shots , Hoisington finished the quarter with three straight 3-pointers.

The Monarchs struggled from behind the 3-point line all night, hitting just 1 of 17. The Cardinals connected on 7 of 8.

"Tonight our shots from the outside weren't falling, maybe it was mental, I don't know," Schuckman said.

Junior Jordin Greer led the Cardinals with 23 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the 3-point line.

"It would have been nice if they would have missed a shot for us," Schuckman said.

A 10-5 Monarch run early in the second tied the game at 16. TMP scored 12 of its 38 points in the second quarter.

Then it was Hoisington's turn. The Cardinals finished the first half on an 8-2 run that gave them a six-point advantage at intermission.

The Cardinals stretched their lead even further in the third quarter, outscoring the Monarchs 26-8.

Hoisington senior Mykela Riedl scored 10 of her 13 points in the third quarter on 4-of-6 shooting.

A 24-point deficit was too much for the Monarchs to overcome heading into the fourth.

Junior Samantha Younie did score seven of her nine points in the fourth for TMP.

Hoisington freshman Rylie Koester also finished in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

TMP will host Plainville (9-8) on Friday in a 6 p.m. contest at Al Billinger Fieldhouse.