By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Rolla Lady Bulldogs may go through scoring droughts on occasion, but one thing never seems to falter.
Rolla’s commitment to defense.
Rolla shut down Class 3 No.1-ranked Strafford over the final six minutes of Saturday’s Lady Cat Classic championship game at Logan-Rogersville High School.
The Lady Bulldogs rallied from an eight-point deficit to prevail, 36-34.
Business as usual for a Rolla team that has yet to allow 60 or more points in a game this season.
“Our defense tonight was like it’s been all year,” said Rolla coach Charley Parker. “We have a really good defense. The girls have bought in defensively. Credit goes to them tonight. They played their butts off.”
Rolla scored the game’s final six points.
Madison Mace’s 3-pointer pulled Rolla (14-4 overall) within 34-33 with 1:40 left.
After a Strafford turnover, Rolla sophomore Willow Gideon converted a three-point play on a backdoor layup that put the Lady Bulldogs ahead for good.
Gideon finished with a game-high 15 points.
Rolla’s fourth-quarter scoring output (14) topped its first-half scoring output (13).
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Better late than never.
“We usually just rely on our defense, knowing our offense will come around,” said Rolla senior forward Savannah Campbell.
Rolla, leading by two, would miss the front end of a one-and-one with 20 seconds remaining.
Strafford failed to attempt a shot on its ensuing possession before time expired.
Rolla’s victory ends Strafford’s five-year reign as champions of the Logan-Rogersville Lady Cat Classic.
Strafford hadn’t lost in the tournament since falling to Marshfield in the semifinals in 2016.
Overall, the Lady Indians had won 22 straight games on Logan-Rogersvill1e’s court.
Early on, Strafford’s defense had it poised to claim a sixth straight tournament title. The Lady Indians led 18-13 at halftime.
“You’re playing a powerhouse like Strafford, it has to go possession-by-possession,” Parker said. “You have to execute on the possessions you get. Points were hard to come by in the first half.
“I was trying to settle our team down because we were getting rushed out of our offense. We weren’t looking for our stuff. In the second half, we finally got open and hit a couple of 3s and that got us in the flow of the game.”
Rolla’s stagnant offense came to life midway through the fourth quarter. The Lady Bulldogs made back-to-back 3-pointers to pull within 30-28 with five minutes left.
“From there, it was like, ‘Just one play at a time. We got this,’” said Rolla senior guard Madison Mace. “Our offense wasn’t working well at times tonight, but our defense always has our back.”
Rolla, ranked No. 8 in Class 5, made four of its five 3-pointers in the second half.
The win marks No. 150 in Parker’s coaching career.
“It was good to get this one for him,” Campbell said.
Rolla, which has won 11 of its last 12 games, will soon add a key piece to its lineup.
All-conference guard Carli Libhart, who averaged nearly 12 points per game last season, has yet to play this season due to injury.
She received medical clearance this past Thursday.
“We’ll have her back starting next week,” Parker said. “Hopefully this projects us in the right direction and gets us kick-started again.”
Rolla returns to action next Thursday at home against Bolivar.
Strafford faces road tests against Willow Springs on Monday and Republic on Thursday.
Rolla 36, Strafford 34
Rolla 4 9 9 14 — 36
Strafford 10 8 12 4 — 34
Rolla (14-4 overall) – Willow Gideon 15, Savannah Campbell 10, Taniya Corley 3, Madison Mace 3, Jessica Pritchett 3, Faith Coates 2
Strafford (14-2 overall) – Mattie Walker 10, Laney Humble 9, Emma Mullings 8, Lauren Jones 5, Bailey Chrisman 1, Emma Compton 1
