Crane may have bigger fish to fry yet, but for now, its six star seniors will forever remember they contributed to winning four district titles in a row.
After beating Spokane in a January conference game, the Lady Pirates were able to prove their talent again as the Class 2 – District 11 team cruised to an 82-58 victory Thursday night at home.
Right from the opening tip, Crane was red-hot and kept it going.
The Lady Pirates were quick to jump out in front on a 12-0 run and never looked back.
Spokane head coach Doug Hepler said, “Against a good team like that, you just can’t start off slow. That’s a great team we just faced and there’s a reason why they’ve won three state titles. They know how to take care of business.”
Senior Justeen Mahan led the way with a total of 19 points. Also joining her in double numbers was Shelby Roder with 15; and Lexie Vaught, Madison Fulp and Kylee Moore with 11 each.
“All my girls tonight really stepped up,” Crane head coach Jeremy Mullins said.
The Lady Pirates (28-1) begin Class 2 state tournament play 6 p.m. Wednesday against the District 12 champion, which will be either Purdy or Miller. Those teams will face off tonight for a ticket to state.
As for Crane’s ticket, Mullins said, “It’s hard work and it paid off. They’ve stayed together and they’ve been together so long. I’m just real glad for them.”
Spokane finished the season with a record of 23-7.
Despite the loss, Hepler sees Thursday’s game as a benefit to next year’s team, which will consist of most of the same athletes as this year’s.
“It’s a learning experience for us,” Hepler said. “Our girls are still pretty young. We’ll get a large group of these girls back. I think it’s a good experience for us going forward.”
He added, “You play good teams to expose what you’re not good at, and they did a good job of showing us what we need to work at over the summer.”
BOX SCORE
Crane: Justeen Mahan 19, Shelby Roder 15, Lexie Vaught 11, Madison Fulp 11, Kylee Moore 11, Keren Belin 4, Olivia Doto 4, Madison Hicks 2
Spokane: Casey Wallace 16, Kaylee Amritage 12, Rachelle McMurray 10, Meghan Robertson 9, Shasta Turnbough 7, Taylor Riott 2
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F | |
| Crane | 23 | 24 | 19 | 16 | 82 |
| Spokane | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 58 |
