GRAND ISLAND - For the sixth straight year, the Scottsbluff girls golf team finished the Class B state tournament in the top three.

The Bearcats, who entered Tuesday's final round at Riverside Golf Club in Grand Island in third place, shot a second-day score of 350 to end with a two-day total of 712. Despite cutting 12 shots off Monday's opening-round score, Scottsbluff didn't get any help from the two teams in front of it - Elkhorn South or McCook. The Storm shot a tournament-best 326 Tuesday to win the team title with a 673, while McCook fired a final-round 331 to finish runner-up with a 681.

Scottsbluff coach Mike Klein couldn't have been any prouder of the third-place finish by his young Bearcat squad that features no seniors.

"We've come a long way and it was a great ending to the season," Klein said. "They knocked 12 shots off as a team from Monday and all five of them were in the top 20. That's pretty cool."

Two Bearcats finished in medalist contention. Ashlee Pilkington led the way with an eighth-place finish. Pilkington, the veteran of the squad as a junior, shot matching rounds of 87 to finish with a 174.

Scottsbluff freshman Jordan York finished in a tie for 15th with a 182. She shot rounds of 89 and 93.

Sophomores Megan Pilkington and Kim Moore both finished just one shot out of medaling with scores of 183. Pilkington had rounds of 91 and 92, while Moore opened with a 101 before carding a career-low 82 on Tuesday.

Sophomore Morgan Lease was also just shy of medalist contention after she shot 95 and 89 for a total of 184.

"Ashlee was consistent again. She was steady both days," Klein said. "Jordan, medaling as a freshman, is pretty impressive. Kim and Megan were only one shot behind Jordan and then Morgan was just another shot behind them. I thought that was pretty good."

Klein said his team's third-place finish will give the Bearcats a boost as they all return next year.

"This was a great season," Klein said. "They got a bunch of high school tournaments under their belt, they had a lot of success and they shot scores that I didn't think they would this year. I think it was a pretty positive experience for everybody involved."

Klein believes the work ethic and willingness to improve will keep this group of Bearcats firmly among the state's best in the fu-ture.

"This group likes to golf. They want to get better and they want to work at it," he said. "They'll work all winter at it and just keep improving. We've got good kids. They work hard and they want to make themselves better."

In addition to winning the team title, Elkhorn South also boasted the individual champion. The Storm's Ann Pearson finished first with a 157. Gering's Kaitlyn Krzyzanowski, who held a three-shot lead entering Tuesday's play, placed runner-up with a 158. Krzyzanowski shot 77 and 81.

McCook's Megan Vetrovsky finished third with a 159.

Another local golfer, Sidney's Carson Faessler, also claimed a state medal. The senior shot matching rounds of 90 to place 13th with a 180.

As a team, Sidney earned a fifth-place finish. The Red Raiders ended with a 790 after shooting scores of 399 and 391. In addition to Faessler, Rachel Petik finished with a 190 (95, 95), Karson Langley had a 212 (112, 100), Jessica Campbell totaled a 212 (106, 106) and Katelin Cole shot a 215 (108, 107).

Team Scoring

Elkhorn South 673, McCook 681, Scottsbluff 712, Beatrice 765, Sidney 790, Omaha Duchesne Academy 794, Blair 814, York 822, Norris 830, Elkhorn 834, Holdrege 841, Adams Central 865

Individual Medalists

1, Ann Pearson, Elkhorn South, 157. 2, Kaitlyn Krzyzanowski, Gering, 158. 3, Megan Vetrovsky, McCook, 159. 4, Abbie Hunke, West Point-Beemer/Scribner-Snyder, 161. 4, Kimberly Barmettler, Elkhorn South, 161. 6, Kaylee Samway, McCook, 165. 7, Ashlyn Hoegh, Norris, 172. 8, Ashlee Pilkington, Scottsbluff, 174. 8, Megan Rokusek, McCook, 174. 10, Brittany Holen, Elkhorn South, 176. 11, Alexa Ruwe, Elkhorn South, 179. 11, Lindsey Placke, Seward, 179. 13, Carson Faessler, Sidney, 180. 14, Jacy Hawk, Gretna, 181. 15, Jordan York, Scottsbluff, 182. 15, Danielle Havekost, Beatrice, 182.

Local Individual Scoring

Scottsbluff - Ashlee Pilkington, 174; Jordan York, 182; Megan Pilkington, 183; Kim Moore, 183; Morgan Lease, 184. Sidney - Carson Faessler, 180; Rachel Petik, 190; Karson Langley, 212; Jessica Campbell, 212; Katelin Cole, 215. Gering - Kaitlyn Krzyzanowski, 158.