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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Hartville Eagles may have an occasional poor shooting performance (it’s rare), but they can always depend on defense.
It’s priority No. 1, no matter who’s on the floor.
That’s what head coach Brett Reed loves most about his group.
“(Our players) always come to play defensively,” Reed said. “I’ve tried to preach that to them – we can control the game defensively. But then, they go out and do it.
“They just don’t take possessions off defensively. If you do that, you always give yourself a chance to win.”
So, it didn’t matter that the Eagles got off to a slow start offensively against Lift for Life Charter Academy on Friday. The Eagles were business-as-usual on the other end.
Eventually, the offense got going and Hartville shredded Lift for Life on both ends of the floor in the Class 3 Show-Me Showdown semifinals at Hammons Student Center in Springfield.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Hartville limited Lift for Life to just nine points in the first half and cruised to a 56-21 victory.
Senior forward Braden Branstetter had a huge night, shooting 5-for-7 from 3-point range (9-for-12 from the field overall) and finishing with a game-high 25 points.
As a team, Hartville shot 18-for-33 from the field and went 16-for-20 at the free throw line.
“Ever since the Steelville game in sectionals, we’ve all been hitting shots,” Branstetter said. “We hadn’t been shooting that well for most of the postseason, but I think we’re all starting to feel it.”
On the other end, the Eagles’ defensive clamped down. Lift for Life made only four of 18 field goal attempts in the first half. The Hawks finished 9-for-33 from the field, including 1-for-14 on 3s.
The Eagles, who improved to 30-0 overall, limited Lift for Life to seven or fewer points in every quarter. Jeremiah Foster led the Hawks with five points.
Hartville’s now one win away from a second straight state championship.
Hartville, the top-ranked team in Class 3, plays Monroe City at 6 p.m. Saturday at JQH Arena in the Class 3 championship game.
“It’s a thing not many people get to do one time, let alone back-to-back,” Branstetter said. “I’m just very thankful we get to play together one more time. I love my teammates.”
The Eagles, who also won a state championship in 2016, can become the first team in school history to go undefeated.
“We like to do things that have never been done at Hartville,” Branstetter said. “There’s never been an undefeated team.”
It took Hartville a few minutes to get going against Lift for Life, but once they did, it was all over.
The Eagles used a spurt at the end of the first quarter to take control for good.
After a Hartville basket, Branstetter forced a turnover on the ensuing in-bounds pass. With 0.6 seconds on the clock, Brady Ward hit a jumper at the buzzer to give Hartville a 14-4 lead.
“We were kind of having a hard first quarter,” Branstetter said. “That (play) helped us go to the bench with an extra boost and get pumped up again. We had a spark coming in to the second quarter.”
The Eagles caught fire in the second quarter, outscoring Lift for Life 21-5. They led 35-12 at halftime.
Branstetter had 17 points in the first half. Hartville shot 12-for-21 from the field as well.
“Lift for Life’s very athletic, quick and they get after you defensively. It took us a while to get going,” Reed said. “After that, we settled down and our defense kind of got our offense going.”
Hartville 58, Lift for Life 21
Hartville 14 21 12 11 — 58
Lift for Life 4 5 7 5 — 21
Hartville (30-0 overall) – Braden Branstetter 25, Brady Ward 10, Eric Wilson 6, Eli Cook 5, Ryce Piper 4, Dalton O’dell 3, Jacob Ballard 3, Cody Mahan 2
Lift for Life Academy Charter (11-12 overall) – Jeremiah Foster 5, Alexander Byas 4, Byron Bond 4, Rico Singleton 3, Torrey Davie 3, Tevon Wiley 2
