By Tyler F. Thompson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
For Fair Grove seniors, Brooke Daniels, Ashton Bell, Emma Padgett, Abbey Green and Camdyn Hart — Monday’s home tilt against Strafford was the last of their careers to face the Indians.
Saying the Lady Eagles wanted a lasting memory would be an understatement; it would not do the team justice.
The Eagles — after a slow opening quarter — responded in the final three quarters of play as they defeated Strafford 65-40 Monday night at home.
Fair Grove authored a 17-5 run in the second, as they led the opposition 32-15 at halftime.
For the Eagles, who improve to 17-4, it was all about spacing.
“I just thought we got really good spacing, offensively. We were able to go back to the basket,” Fair Grove head coach Gary Greene said. “We have been having issues with spacing.”
From the near wing to the far side, the offensive cluster was evident, as lane cuts weren’t possible for the traffic down low.
Daniels’s game was high-octane, and once she began to penetrate the interior and whip the ball around the perimeter, the Eagles were off and running.
In short, they found their spacing.
“We were just trying to get wide and let our kids do what they do. We have worked on that lately, to try and get better spacing,” added Greene. “Offensively, that was the key.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Defensive rebounding and key transition points enabled the Eagles to create the necessary separation they so coveted, as Green and Hart were all over the glass throughout the tilt.
Green’s presence down low prevented many second-chance points for Strafford.
Something in which her head coach was elated to see.
“For me, defensively all night, I thought we played as well as we have played all year,” said Greene.
The Eagles were shorthanded, with illness and injury, so to be able to step up against a powerhouse like Strafford tells Greene all he needs to know as the team enters the stretch run of the regular season.
Added Greene: “We defended really well. Cam Hart was just unbelievable on varsity. She is just worn out. She played her butt off.”
While the Eagles owned the lopsided score at half, Strafford, in Strafford fashion, began to find their touch from the outside during the final 16 minutes of action.
Ellie Heil and Zoe Allison both knocked down shots from the perimeter, one of which due to a defensive miscommunication by the Eagles, as they cut the lead to 43-24.
Strafford hit three more from downtown as Kinley Larsen (2) and Evelyn Kraus found the net.
But the Eagles clamped up and prevented any more damage from the outside.
“Our kids love to win and compete,” said Greene. “They showed that tonight. There was a high level of anticipation.”
For Daniels, who finished with 22 points, hitting the cylinder this time of year is what separates the really good teams from the upper echelon.
“I think we had our slump,” she said. “We had a little bit of a rocky road. We didn’t play Branson very well. We came out with the win but didn’t play very well. We [now] are on a really good route to the postseason.”
The Eagles narrowly defeated the Pirates, 54-51, on Jan. 16.
Since then, the team is 5-1 and the defense is more fluid, more consistent.
“Our defense, it wasn’t there. Our offense wasn’t there, so we just had to hit the reset,” said Daniels.
The Eagles are at Springfield-Catholic on Thursday, followed by a trip to Skyline two days later.
Scoring for the Eagles: Daniels – 22; Bell – 23; Hart – 8; Green – 8; E. Padgett – 2; K. Padgett – 2.
Scoring for the Indians: Larsen – 15; Adney – 8; Goodwin – 4; Kraus – 3; Allison – 4; Heil – 3; Bough – 1; and VanHorn – 2.
