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By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It was a special night for the Strafford Lady Indians on Friday – for several reasons.
• The second-seeded Lady Indians captured their second straight Pink Division championship in the Pink and White Lady Classic with a 66-35 victory over No. 4 Mount Vernon.
• Strafford extended its winning streak to 61 games (12-0 this season).
• Hayley Frank became Strafford’s career scoring leader – breaking Abby Oliver’s mark of 1,788 – with 23 points to bring her current career total to 1,791.
And as the team continues to add to its accomplishments, how does coach Steve Frank keep his team focused?
“We never talk about it,” Frank said, “that’s one way. It’s never discussed.
“And, as far as Hayley goes, with any accolades, she’s just such a hard worker and she does not care what she has any night. It’s all about the team and it’s about making her teammates better and picking everybody up. That’s what’s so special about her.
“I know deep down it’s a real accomplishment for her because she really puts the time and the work in, but for her it’s the next game and ‘what do I have to do to get better’ and that’s what I love about her.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
It was a slow start to the game for the University of Missouri commit on Friday night, but teammate Zoey Mullings got Strafford off and running with a baseline 3-pointer to open the game. Mullings hit another 3 and Maddie Chittenden added two free throws as the Lady Indians raced to a 10-0 lead.
“Zoey is a big-game player, always has been and steps up,” Frank said. “She played huge for us down the stretch last year in districts and through the state tournament. When the bright lights come on, Zoey gets it going. She did it all through this tournament and she did a great job today.
“(Thursday) Branson triangle-and-twoed Hayley and Chittenden, so Zoey stepped up and had a big game. Then today, (Mount Vernon) came and ran a junk defense again and it left Zoey to do some work and she did a great job. That’s the thing about this team that I keep saying is, if they’re going to take one thing away, we’ve got so many other kids who can step up and take care of business.”
One of those kids was Chittenden, who also hit a milestone going over 1,000 points for her career.
“Maddie Chittenden did a great job on Cameron Call (Mount Vernon all-stater), held her under 10 (points),” Frank said. “Defensively, if you don’t, she can really step up and get hot and make things happen.
“I just thought we did a really good job all the way around defensively, controlling the boards. We had one little stretch where we gave a couple of offensive boards, but for the most part we gave them one-and-done all night and that leads into transition at that point.”
Once Strafford went up 10-0 at the start, Mount Vernon was never able to recover.
“When you’re playing catchup that early against a team like that, that’s making shots and moving the ball – all of the things you’re supposed to do when you’re a great team – it’s tough to play catchup,” Mount Vernon coach Dusty Killlingsworth said. “We fought, and I’m very proud of them for that.
“We take a lot of pride in the fact that the teams that we played in this tournament all walked away with a trophy (West Plains-7th; Kickapoo-5th and Clever-3rd). I can’t be any prouder of the group than I am. To have to play the teams that we played and to get (to the final) it’s awesome because it’s just going to make the rest of the season turn out in our favor.”
Hayley got warmed up in the second quarter with 10 points, giving her 12 at the half and nine points from securing the record that Oliver, now at College of the Ozarks, set last year.
“A lot of hard work has gone into that over the years, so it’s just really special and a big honor, especially with Abby being the one to hold it before,” Hayley said. “I say she’s the reason for a lot of those points. We had a lot of assists to each other and I looked up to her a lot, too, so it’s just really special.”
For the tournament, Strafford took care of business, averaging 74 points a game and holding its opponents to 33 a game, on its way to the title.
“I think this tournament, just playing four big games in four days, you’ve got to come in almost as mentally prepared as physically and just really lock in and dig deep,” Hayley said. “I felt like all four games our team just stepped up and played really well and I’m really proud of them. It’s a big thing to win this tournament.”
And worth the work it takes to accomplish.
“I told them in the locker room that this is what all the hard work and the grindstone and the long hours and the sweat and toil – this is the payoff when you get to play in games like this,” Frank said. “So, it’s pretty special to let them be able to take a deep breath here for a day or two and then we have to go right back to work again.”
Up next is Skyline – Mid-Lakes Conference foe and the White Division champion – on Jan. 4.
“They’re such a well-coached team and Kevin Cheek is probably one of the best coaches in the state,” Frank said. “Those kids just go out and they play hard and they give him everything every night. They’ve got a great leader in Kaylee (DaMitz) out front at the point and they’re going to come and really take it at you night in and night out, so you’ve got to do everything if you’re going to have an opportunity to beat Skyline.”
Pink and White Lady Classic
Pink Division championship
No. 2 Strafford 66, No. 4 Mount Vernon 35
MOUNT VERNON 8-12-6-9—35
STRAFFORD 17-17-20-12—66
MOUNT VERNON (8-2) – Lacy Stokes 9, Caitlin Hicks 14, Cameron Call 7, Camryn Eldridge 5.
STRAFFORD (12-0) – Kyndall Compton 5, Kayley Frank 10, Zoey Mullings 18, Hayley Frank 23, Maddie Chittenden 6, Mica Chadwell 4.
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