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Strafford met a familiar foe on in the Pink Division semifinals in Rogersville on Thursday. The Lady Wildcats gave undefeated Strafford its closes game of the season in an eight-point decision on Dec. 19.
Rogersville would scrap with the defending Class 3 state champions again and hold them to a season-low 50 points, but would come up short in a 50-38 loss.
“They really do a good job defensively. They get out and work hard.” Strafford head coach Steve Frank said. “We kind of grinded it out. That is just the way Rogersville makes you play. It is going to be a grind-it-out game and that is exactly what is was.”
Sophomore Hayley Frank scored Strafford’s first seven points of the game. Rogersville worked to take her away only for Abby Oliver, Kayley Frank and Logan Jones to combine for nine points to finish out the first quarter with a 16-10 lead.
“They really have two dynamic players and a bunch of really good players around them. I think people sometimes think they are role players and their cast around Abby Oliver and Hayley Frank are really good players. They can make shots, put it on the floor and get it to the basket and they are such a good passing team,” Rogersville head coach Denny McHenry said.
Strafford took a 10-point lead into halftime, but saw the lead dwindle to seven points heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Indians responded out of the third quarter break with a Hayley Frank 3-pointer and an Abby Oliver two-pointer to extend the lead to 12 points.
“It (the two baskets) really gave us that breathing room we needed. We didn’t want to go down the stretch in a nip and tuck game with them therefore extending the game,” Frank said. “We tried to run a little time on the clock there towards the end and we were able to do that. If the game were to have been a three or four-point game we would have had to do a little different on our offensive end. It made a big difference in the game having that big lead to start off with.”
Strafford would outscore Rogersville 13-8 in the final frame to put the game away.
“I told our girls that the mental part of our game wasn’t quite where it needed to be today. We could use the excuse that it is the third game in three days, but everybody that you are playing is (going through the same thing). We aren’t going to use that excuse. Today the bottom line is they made more shots than we did and made more plays than we did,” McHenry said.
Hayley Frank led the scoring with 22 points. Abby Oliver also scored in double figures with 10 points. Strafford went 10-for-11 from the free throw line. Jordan Gault led Rogersville with 12 points while Hailey Brown was just behind her with 11.
Now Strafford will face Kentucky power Mercer County which knocked down 16 3-point shots to beat No. 1 Argyle (Tex.) 62-42. Mercer County hit just four two-point field goals in its win over Argyle.
“We just have to come out and play. Tomorrow we will get a check on defense to see how well we can contain,” Frank said. “I hope the ball is not falling for them as well tomorrow as it was today. I am hoping tomorrow is our day and maybe they will have a little off day tomorrow.”
A win would help propel Strafford into the second half of the season as the Lady Indians chase another state title.
“It would be a big boost for us,” Frank said. “We have to turn around and play Skyline next week in the regular season. So the road doesn’t get any easier. All these games are going to do is make us better and prepare us for the stretch run. Win or lose it is going to make us better and get us ready for the stretch here in about a month.”
Strafford faces Mercer County at 12:30 p.m. on Friday in the Pink Division title game.
