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By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
A large crowd was on hand Wednesday night in Galena to watch the top seeded Crane Lady Pirates battle the second seeded Hurley Tigers for this year’s 2018 Class 1 District 7 Volleyball Championship.
But after dropping last year’s tournament final to Clever, the Lady Pirates weren’t about to let this year’s opportunity slip away from them.
And they didn’t.
The Pirates downed the Tigers 2-0 to grab this year’s C1D7 title.
After a slow start in the opener Crane turned on the jets to upend Hurley 25-19 and then held off a late rally from the Lady Tigers in set two to grab a 25-21 win, and the district title, in the second.
“Hurley always has good athletes and a good team. And you know when you play them that you’re going to be tested. They never quit,” said Pirate head coach Amy Medlin.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
Lady Pirate Madison Hicks, a senior, says that she and her teammates entered Wednesday night’s game with nothing but respect for the Lady Tigers.
“We knew that getting a win over Hurley wasn’t going to be easy,” said Hicks. “We knew we couldn’t take anything for granted and that we’d have to play hard for the entire match to beat them. And we did.”
The Tigers didn’t disappoint them either- especially when they made their late second game run; a run that appeared to have the Tigers on track for a victory.
“They did scare us and make us a little bit nervous,” the Crane senior said. “Sometimes we make mistakes and it gets us in trouble but we’ve learned to shake the bad times off, pick each other up and get back to business.”
“I’m so proud of our kids and the way they fought tonight. They didn’t back off or give up, when Hurley made their late run, to get the win and the district title,” said Pirate coach Medlin.
“I’m was especially proud of the effort we got from our seniors tonight,” Medlin continued. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids to lead us on the floor this year. And tonight, when we needed them the most, they showed up- just like they’ve done all year.”
Although disappointed for her girls Tiger head coach Laken Walden had only praise for her kids.
“Things didn’t end for us the way we hoped they would tonight,” said Walden. “But I’m still proud of my kids. There’s no quit in them, as they showed tonight. They give all they have to give and they all have heart. I love them all and I wouldn’t trade them for anybody.”
Crane will now move on to Lesterville where they’ll take on a tough Billings High School in sectionals on Saturday.
“Billings is always strong, we know because we’ve been playing them for years,” said Hicks. “It’s always a good battle when we play them and the outcome is usually determined by who wants it the most.”
