By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
ROGERSVILLE – The streak = 101.
The Strafford Lady Indians won their 101st consecutive game on Friday night with a 53-35 victory over Rogersville to win the Lady Cat Classic, but that wasn’t the only streak that was extended on Friday.
The Lady Cat Classic title was the third straight for Strafford, as well as the third straight against the Lady Wildcats.
And, while the championship was the third consecutive for the Lady Indians, it was the fourth straight for Strafford senior Madison Chittenden. Yes – the fourth straight.
Not only has Chittenden been part of Strafford’s run of Lady Cat Classic titles, she also was a member of the Catholic Lady Irish’s tournament crown her freshman year. A unique streak all its own.
“To get it that many times is really special because this is a tough tournament to play in,” Chittenden said of Strafford’s tournament title streak. “There’s a lot of teams in here who are out to get each and every other team that is in it. I think to come out here and play like we did, was a really big accomplishment for us, and I think that we can just build from here.”
And, the personal streak?
“It feels good,” Chittenden said. “My first year, I think the only reason we (Catholic) won is because the last loss for Strafford was that year (2016 vs. Marshfield). So, that’s the reason we got to excel that year. I think it’s really special to see where they’ve (Strafford) grown as a team, and with me coming onto the team, where they’ve come from that point to now.”
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As it seems to be the case each time Strafford and Rogersville hook up, it was a grind of a game. The Lady Wildcats disrupted Strafford by not allowing many good looks or easy shots. Strafford standout and Mizzou signee Hayley Frank led all scorers with 21 points, but was held scoreless in the second quarter.
“They do a good job; they double-down every time,” Strafford coach Steve Frank said of Rogersville. “There were hardly any uncontested shots until right there at the very end. I think we’ve been held in the 50s twice this year, and both times it’s been with Rogersville.
“He (Denny McHenry) does a great job of game-planning and really taking away things from us, and he slows the game down. Sometimes it’s not real pretty, but you just have to keep playing possession after possession and try to win as many possessions as you can. I felt like we did a good job of that tonight.”
Strafford, which improved to 19-0 this season, closed out the first quarter with a 5-0 run on a traditional three-point play by Hayley Frank and a block that she took coast-to-coast for a layup and a 16-9 Lady Indian lead.
A 10-3 run helped the Lady Indians stretch their lead to 26-12 early in the second quarter, and they were able to overcome Rogersville’s defensive pressure and capitalize on some Lady Wildcat turnovers to pull out the win.
“First of all, shout out to Logan-Rogersville, because they are an amazing team,” Chittenden said. “I think what really helped us succeed was getting in transition, and toward the end of the game, really breaking down on defense, getting the stops, which in return turned into transition.”
With a lineup of just seven players, the Lady Wildcats had success in slowing down the tempo. But Rogersville turnovers turned into baskets for Strafford.
“They’re just that good,” coach McHenry said. “I don’t know how else you put it. I know we had six turnovers in the first half and they scored 11 points and we were down 12 at the half. There is very little room for mistakes. And, when you do (make a mistake), they’re about as good as any team I’ve ever played at capitalizing on your mistakes.”
As good as Strafford is offensively (beating teams by an average of around 32 points, scoring in the 70s and 80s), coach McHenry said the Lady Indians also are sound on defense. And, with a short bench, the combination was too much for Rogersville to overcome.
“You just can’t get anything easy on them,” coach McHenry said. “And, when you have to work that hard on the offensive end, it wears you out trying to play defense. As the game goes on, it’s just a slow burn throughout that whole thing. But, I’m proud of them, nonetheless.”
Among the tournament crowd was someone quite familiar with winning streaks. Melody Howard Elliott, who was helping out with a local television broadcast of the game, was a key member of the Marshfield Lady Jays team that is the current record-holder for consecutive wins in Missouri girls’ high school basketball (1987-1990) at 102.
The Lady Indians will continue to try and make a run at Marshfield’s record when they travel to St. Louis on Monday to take on Cardinal Ritter College Prep.
“There’s going to be a lot of things stacked against us,” coach Frank said. “We’ll buckle down and prepare, and like we’ve been doing everything, we’ll play it one game at a time and we won’t look any further ahead than that game on Monday.
“Just like always, we’re just going to have to go in and take care of everything we’re in control of. We cannot turn the ball over; we have to control the boards. Defensively, we have to do a really good job. They have two, really nice athletic 6-footers, and then they’ve got two really good shooting guards. They are very quick and very athletic and we’re going to have to do all the little things in that game.
“They really get up and put a lot of pressure full-court on people. So, taking care of the basketball, which in turn, sometimes can work to our advantage a little bit, too, also puts us in transition and makes the game fast. If we can take care of the ball, I feel the game will be at our speed.”
And, coach Frank’s players remain focused on the next game.
“Our approach to (the streak) is Coach Frank tells us, ‘don’t think about it; it’s the last thing you want to think about; just take it one game at a time,’” Chittenden said. “It’s not about the streak. It’s about going out and playing with all you have, every single night.”
Lady Cat Classic
Championship
STRAFFORD 53, ROGERSVILLE 35
STRAFFORD 14-14-9-16—53
ROGERSVILLE 9-7-7-12—35
STRAFFORD (19-0) – Kayley Frank 9, Logan Jones 6, Hayley Frank 21, Madison Chittenden 11, Taylor Dorman 2, Emma Compton 4.
ROGERSVILLE (13-6) – Sophia Nixon 7, Jordyn Gault 7, Shelby Ince 4, Maci McHenry 7, Taylor Overstreet 10.
Third place – Willard 50, Central 36
Fifth place – Fordland 57, Marshfield 46
All-Tournament Team – Emily Whiteford, Fordland; Kaitlyn Burson, Willard; Megan Mahan Willard; Dasia Pence, Central; Maci McHenry, Rogersville; Shelby Ince, Rogersville; Taylor Overstreet, Rogersville; Hayley Frank, Strafford; Kayley Frank, Strafford; Madison Chittenden, Strafford.
