Lady Crusaders headed to Finals
By JOHN CATE JCATE@SANFORDHERALD.COM 8
Pretty much everyone knew what to expect when the field for the NCISAA 1A state women’s basketball tournament was announced.
And what was expected is what will happen Saturday afternoon.
Grace Christian punched its ticket to the state championship game Tuesday night, routing Pungo Christian Academy 103-39 in a game that was just as one-sided as that final score suggests. The Lady Crusaders unleashed a 67-point blitz on the Raiders in the first half and the teams played the entire second half with a running clock.
Grace, now 28-1 on the season, moves on to the state championship game, which will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. at the University of Mount Olive. The Lady Crusaders will face the state’s second-ranked team in the classification, Victory Christian Center (21-10), which made it to the finals with a 78-30 victory over Greenfield Tuesday night.
The teams met here on Feb. 3, in a game added to the schedule due to both teams having other opponents forfeit games. The Lady Crusaders trailed for most of the game to the two-time defending state 1A champions, but scored the final eight points of the night to win 48-47 and keep their top ranking.
No one was under any illusion that Pungo, although a good team by 1A standards, was going to fluster Grace like Victory did three weeks ago. However, head coach Chad Revelle was taking no chances and refused to look past the Raiders, who came in with an 18-6 record.
Coach Revelle started four guards along with post player Sarah Strong and went for the quick knockout, expecting that Grace’s vastly superior speed and quickness would result in easy transition baskets. Sure enough, the Lady Crusaders led 7-0 after less than a minute, as Pungo struggled to break Grace’s full-court pressure defense.
Raider coach Kelly Rouse actually did find some ways to help her team get past the pressure, but Grace was still dictating the tempo and there was no way Pungo could keep up. Even after the Lady Crusaders backed off the press later in the period, they kept running up and down the floor, and it was 34-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The second saw Grace continuing to play basketball at a heavy metal tempo, and they romped to a 67-21 lead at intermission.
Things slowed down a bit after the half, and the clock ran continuously. There were really only two more things the Lady Crusaders wanted to do in their final game of the season at Torgerson—fully light up the scoreboard again, and help Strong hit a personal milestone.
The sophomore standout stayed on the floor with the reserves well into the fourth quarter, with her teammates determined to get Strong her 1,000th career point and 500th career rebound milestones at home. She scored with 4:35 remaining, giving her 40 points for the game and topping 1,000 overall, at which point Coach Revelle took her out of the game.
After hitting 98 and 99 points in their last two games, the Lady Crusaders wanted 100. They got it on 3-pointers from Cidney Revelle and then Lara Lieckfield, the latter with 3:19 remaining for a 100-36 lead. They got their season high for points a minute later, when Anna Strickland notched an and-one layup.
Grace had previously reached 100 points back on Nov. 29, in a 100-29 rout of Fayetteville Christian.
Even with Strong getting her 40, there were plenty of points to be had. Danauje Brooks followed her season-high 24 last game with her second-highest total of the season, 19. Halisi Whitley added 12, while Lieckfield and Miyah Campbell added 11 each. Ameya Brown scored four, while Cidney Revelle and Strickland each had three.
No one for Pungo had more than eight. Ashley Williford and Reagen Stoop did that, with Ginny Pugh getting seven.
By JOHN CATE JCATE@SANFORDHERALD.COM 8
Pretty much everyone knew what to expect when the field for the NCISAA 1A state women’s basketball tournament was announced.
And what was expected is what will happen Saturday afternoon.
Grace Christian punched its ticket to the state championship game Tuesday night, routing Pungo Christian Academy 103-39 in a game that was just as one-sided as that final score suggests. The Lady Crusaders unleashed a 67-point blitz on the Raiders in the first half and the teams played the entire second half with a running clock.
Grace, now 28-1 on the season, moves on to the state championship game, which will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. at the University of Mount Olive. The Lady Crusaders will face the state’s second-ranked team in the classification, Victory Christian Center (21-10), which made it to the finals with a 78-30 victory over Greenfield Tuesday night.
The teams met here on Feb. 3, in a game added to the schedule due to both teams having other opponents forfeit games. The Lady Crusaders trailed for most of the game to the two-time defending state 1A champions, but scored the final eight points of the night to win 48-47 and keep their top ranking.
No one was under any illusion that Pungo, although a good team by 1A standards, was going to fluster Grace like Victory did three weeks ago. However, head coach Chad Revelle was taking no chances and refused to look past the Raiders, who came in with an 18-6 record.
Coach Revelle started four guards along with post player Sarah Strong and went for the quick knockout, expecting that Grace’s vastly superior speed and quickness would result in easy transition baskets. Sure enough, the Lady Crusaders led 7-0 after less than a minute, as Pungo struggled to break Grace’s full-court pressure defense.
Raider coach Kelly Rouse actually did find some ways to help her team get past the pressure, but Grace was still dictating the tempo and there was no way Pungo could keep up. Even after the Lady Crusaders backed off the press later in the period, they kept running up and down the floor, and it was 34-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The second saw Grace continuing to play basketball at a heavy metal tempo, and they romped to a 67-21 lead at intermission.
Things slowed down a bit after the half, and the clock ran continuously. There were really only two more things the Lady Crusaders wanted to do in their final game of the season at Torgerson—fully light up the scoreboard again, and help Strong hit a personal milestone.
The sophomore standout stayed on the floor with the reserves well into the fourth quarter, with her teammates determined to get Strong her 1,000th career point and 500th career rebound milestones at home. She scored with 4:35 remaining, giving her 40 points for the game and topping 1,000 overall, at which point Coach Revelle took her out of the game.
After hitting 98 and 99 points in their last two games, the Lady Crusaders wanted 100. They got it on 3-pointers from Cidney Revelle and then Lara Lieckfield, the latter with 3:19 remaining for a 100-36 lead. They got their season high for points a minute later, when Anna Strickland notched an and-one layup.
Grace had previously reached 100 points back on Nov. 29, in a 100-29 rout of Fayetteville Christian.
Even with Strong getting her 40, there were plenty of points to be had. Danauje Brooks followed her season-high 24 last game with her second-highest total of the season, 19. Halisi Whitley added 12, while Lieckfield and Miyah Campbell added 11 each. Ameya Brown scored four, while Cidney Revelle and Strickland each had three.
No one for Pungo had more than eight. Ashley Williford and Reagen Stoop did that, with Ginny Pugh getting seven.
