By Matt Turer — @MattTurer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Springfield, Mo. – Class 3 No. 1 Strafford hadn’t seen much in the way of a challenge through its first six wins of the season.
After a seventh win Thursday, the Indians are still waiting.
Hayley Frank scored 21 points and pulled in nine rebounds and Strafford routed the Springfield Catholic 68-23 for its 56th straight victory.
Zoey Mullings added 17 points, and Madison Chittenden added 10.
Ella Lippelman had 11 points to lead Catholic (4-2).
The Indians and Irish hit four 3s apiece in the game’s first four minutes, but Strafford (7-0) used a 17-2 run to end the first quarter, jumping out to a 25-8 lead.
By the end of the half, Strafford led 39-17.
“We hit some shots in the first half,” Strafford coach Steve Frank said. “It was good.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Mullings had 10 points on 4-4 shooting in the opening quarter and made 6 of her 7 shots on the night, including all three of her free throws.
Strafford finished 28-49 from the floor as a team and 9-14 from 3.
“Every game we’re just trying to build,” Hayley Frank said. “We’re focused on balance, and so far we’ve had that with several people in double figures. That’s huge for us to have several threats every night.”
As good as Strafford was offensively, the effort showed up on the other side of the floor as well. Chittenden and Kayley Frank pressured Catholic throughout the first half and third quarter.
The Irish shot 8 for 36 in the game with seven of those makes coming from 3. Even with the struggles, the young Irish roster didn’t show much hesitation on the offensive end.
“With us being so young, we just have to go out and relax and play,” Catholic coach Jacob Morlan said. “Especially for these young ones, they’ve got to get confidence that they’re not really freshman. They’ve got to get out there and play with the big dogs.”
THE BIG PICTURE
Strafford continues to build momentum heading into the team’s first big challenge since last year’s state tournament with the Pink and White Tournament approaching after Christmas and a matchup with Logan-Rogersville before that. That increasingly difficult schedule makes it easy for the Indians to ignore the win streak, which is five games from being the fifth-longest in state history.
“I try not to even think or talk about [the streak],” Frank said. “We’ve got Rogersville on Monday and then we go into the Pink and White, so all that can come to an end right away. We’re just going to keep looking one game at a time, and when that game’s over we’ll go to the next one.”
CATHOLIC: The Irish continue to grow with a roster of just a single senior. The team’s youth impact was seen Thursday with freshmen or sophomores accounting for 27 of 36 attempted shots.
Lippelman, Catholic’s sixth man and one of those freshmen, finished 3 of 4 from deep.
“They’re such a good team, but even if they have that record that shouldn’t stop you from playing your game,” Lippelman said.
“She’s our spark off the bench,” Morlan said. “She’s good at getting to the hole and getting stuff at the dribble, which helps everyone else on the floor.”
UP NEXT
Strafford: The Indians travel to Rogersville on Monday before Christmas break. The Pink and White Tournament opens on Dec. 26.
Catholic: The Irish visit Parkview on Monday in what is their final game of 2017. A trip to Carthage on Jan. 3 begins the 2018 portion of the schedule.
FINAL
SHS 25-14-22-7 — 68
SCHS 8-9-3-6 — 23
SCORING LEADERS
Strafford: H. Frank 21, Mullings 17, Chittenden 10, Jones 7, K. Frank 6, Compton 5, Chadwell 2
Catholic: Lippelman 11, Demster 3, Edwards 3, Franklin 3, Murphy 3
