Strafford.
Kickapoo.
Republic.
Being undefeated while playing Crane hasn’t gone well for opponents this season. On Saturday night Class 2 No. 2 Gainesville found that out the hard way as Crane ended the Lady Bulldogs’ perfect 19-0 start with a 57-53 win in the CMH Shootout hosted by SBU.
“Offensively we struggled a little bit; they just make it so tough,” said Gainesville coach Jack Harris. “Last year we couldn’t even run sets against them, this year we got some good looks out of it. Down the stretch we missed a few shots but other than that I am pretty happy. Our girls have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Gainesville led 16-12 after the first quarter and extended it out to a 22-15 advantage early in the second before Drury signee Lexie Vaught scored 10 of her game-high 26 points in the frame to pull Crane within three going into the half, 29-26.
Vaught’s 26 points included four 3-pointers and a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line.
“I think she lives for games like this; it’s in her DNA,” said Crane coach Jeremy Mullins. “She wants the ball when things are tough. She’s comfortable in that position and she always comes through for us.”
Neither team led by more than three points in the third quarter, but Crane outscored Gainesville 16-10 to take a 42-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Pirates scored 12 of the first 18 points in the fourth quarter, grabbing a 54-45 lead, and while late Michia Jenkins canned a pair of late 3s to bring Gainesville within a single possession, Crane went 10-for-13 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.
“I’m proud of our character; that was a character-building win,” said Mullins. “Having a first half like we did and then bumping it up to nine points in the second half, the way we finished, I was very proud of that.”
Madison Strong finished with a team-high 20 points for Gainesville. Scout Jeckstadt and Michia Jenkins added 11 points each.
In addition to Vaught’s 26, Kylee Moore scored 13 points for Crane and junior Madison Fulp added 12. As a team the Lady Pirates shot 17-for-21 from the foul line.
Crane hiked its winning streak to 10 games with the win. The Lady Pirates have not dropped a game against a Class 2 opponent since Dec. 30 of 2014.
Fulp has continued to step up in place of Emma Lander, and her scoring output was even more necessary with senior Justeen Mahan, who came in averaging 11.2 PPG, battling injury.
As Crane prepares for a fourth consecutive Class 2 state championship run, games like this are not only necessary, but exactly what Mullins wants for his team.
“We look forward to these games, they get you ready for March when it’s win or go home,” said Mullins. “Hopefully this is another step towards that goal and we can keep moving forward.”
For Gainesville, not all was lost in the defeat.
This is the second consecutive season that the Lady Bulldogs had a perfect start snapped after last year’s 14-0 beginning met an end in the form of a 52-48 loss to Skyline.
But, after losing to Crane by 15 and 33 last year, Harris admits that his team is in a much better place than they were a year ago following this loss.
“We are definitely in a much better mental state than we were after this game last year,” said Harris. “I think the girls understand that we just need a few small adjustments, work on those things, we’ll have a shot at them if we can get to them again.”
