By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Marionville, Mo. — The Marionville Girls Tournament hosted an all-Southwest Central League final with Spokane and Crane meeting up for the second time this month.
After dropping a 65-60 contest in Crane on Jan. 2, Spokane turned the tables Saturday. In a defensive showcase, the Lady Owls led wire-to-wire en route to a 48-38 victory.
Spokane jumped out early with an 11-0 run to start the first quarter.
Olivia Doto’s free throw with 1:21 remaining in the opening frame halted the run and got Crane on the board; however, the Lady Pirates didn’t score again until Madison Hicks connected midway through the second.
Thanks to a balanced attack and staunch, interior defense, the Lady Owls headed to the break with a 25-6 lead.
Spokane head coach Dale Patton had his team well prepared for the heavyweight bout.
“We knew we had to get up, chest up, get in their face and play that unbelievable defense,” Patton said. “He had to do the same to us, because he knew we have three people that can hit threes from anywhere — Casey Wallace, especially. It was a defensive battle that first half, and I can’t say enough about my kids; how they helped off, how they communicated and the overall defensive effort.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Wallace, Spokane’s standout guard, entered the contest only seven 3-pointers away from the career state record.
The 5-foot-4 senior finished the game with a game-high 12 points and a single 3-pointer, mostly due to constant pressure from Crane senior Maggie Vaught.
Crane’s defensive ability proved to be yet another challenge Patton and the Lady Owls were prepared to face.
“If they’re going to play me that tight, I have to get my teammates open,” Wallace said. “I also had to change my game. I’m a 3-point shooter, but I had to attack the basket more tonight.”
With her perimeter game highly contested, Wallace was forced into the role of distributor and penetrator, setting up teammates in the process.
“We talked from the day I walked in the gym and took this job in November,” Patton said. “We knew we could not always rely on Casey. We had to make sure we had offenses to run to get the ball to other people and to have them score. To Casey’s credit, she recognizes that she can’t do it by herself. There’s going to be nights like that where she has a great defender, and they’re going to take her away.”
Despite the significant first-half advantage, few were surprised when the Lady Pirates mounted a comeback.
Keyed by junior Macey Hayes, Crane stormed back in the third quarter with a 17-9 run to cut the Spokane lead to 11.
In the fourth, Crane continued its momentum-seizing attempt.
A pair of Hicks free throws with 1:43 remaining cut the lead to just seven at 40-33 and had Crane poised to do even more damage.
Enter Kaylee Armitage.
The Spokane senior converted on an aggressive back-door drive and was fouled in the process.
Armitage then knocked down the free throw to complete the conventional 3-point play and give the Lady Owls some much-needed relief, stretching the lead back to double digits with only 1:00 remaining.
“That was huge,” Patton said. “We ran three or four different offensive sets, and most people think what we were running there is a stall. No — we were trying to dribble-drive and score off of it every time. We knew we could get a mismatch because of what they were doing with it, and we took advantage of it. Kaylee got a great pass and took it to the hole.”
After the game, Armitage talked about the different approaches between the two January games.
“We learned what we needed to do from last game, we adjusted, and I think that helped a lot,” Armitage said. “Last game, we fronted the post, but this game we made the adjustment to just wall up and take it.”
Armitage finished with 10 points to join Wallace in double figures for the Lady Owls. Crane was led by 10 points from Hayes.
Both teams are back in action with conference games Thursday, Jan. 25. Spokane (11-6) travels to Clever, while Crane (11-5) hosts Billings.
Varsity Final: Spokane – 48, Crane – 38
Spokane 11 14 09 14 — 48
Crane 01 03 17 15 — 38
Spokane scoring: Casey Wallace – 12, Kaylee Armitage – 10, Taylor Riott – 7, Zabryna Hodges – 7, Paige Tate – 5, Micalyla McClune – 5, Alexys Hodges – 2
Crane scoring: Macy Hayes – 10, Olivia Doto – 9, Maggie Vaught – 8, Madison Hicks – 6, Sadie McMenamy – 2, Makayla Inmon – 2, MacKenzie Funcannon – 1
