By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Crane, Mo. – The Crane Lady Pirates have long been notorious for a particularly vicious brand of full-court pressure defense; the kind that hits opposing teams as soon as they exit the bus onto the parking lot.
During Friday’s Crane Lady Pirate Invitational Tournament Championship against Pierce City, the host team’s defensive effort managed to find another gear.
Crane ripped off a 19-2 to start the game and then never looked back en route to a 59-33 victory.
Longtime head coach Jeremy Mullins praised his squad’s focus and effort, particularly in a first half that saw Crane outscore Pierce City 35-12.
“I was really pleased,” Mullins said. “I think we held them to 12 (in the first half), but I think our own ball pressure, and our help side of the big girl – they rely on her heavily – and then not letting them get those shots off or those open looks. I give a lot of credit to the girls tonight.”
The Pirates were paced by Tailor Cleveland’s game-high 18 points, 12 of which came in the first half.
The sophomore point guard not only seemed to always be at the right place at the right time, but was notably efficient in the process.
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“I think it’s because I keep my confidence, and I don’t get as jittery as I used to,” Cleveland said. “I think that’s because I see the floor from a coach’s perspective now after helping with the junior high, and that really just changed the game in the viewpoint.”
While Pierce City managed to adjust during the second half, the Eagles were unable to overcome the early deficit.
Head coach Ragan Blinzler attributed the team’s struggles to Crane’s ability to dictate tempo and force teams away from their comfort zone.
“Crane’s very good at controlling the pace – or attempting to – most of the time,” Blinzler said. “And so they like to apply pressure and create chaos and turmoil. They definitely did that to us in the first half. Getting in these tough situations and learning how to battle back and have some grit will only help us down the road.”
Junior Macie Crowther led the Eagles with 11 points.
Varsity Final: Crane – 59, Pierce City – 33
Crane 19 16 14 10 — 59
Pierce City 02 10 13 08 — 33
Crane scoring: Tailor Cleveland – 18, Kailey Vaught – 13, Lily Woodward – 10, Allie Frieze – 9, Gracie Rich – 5, Averie Amos – 4
Pierce City scoring: Macie Crowther – 11, Lilliana Lasker – 6, Faron Lynn – 5, Ayla Renkoski – 5, Addison Avondet – 4, Rylie O’Hara – 2
