Holding a championship plaque always feels good.
The California girls dominated their competition at last week's Russellville Basketball Tournament, winning three games by a combined score of 210-81 to claim another tournament championship. The Lady Pintos won the Mexico Tournament in December.
California, the No. 1 seed at Russellville, began with an 82-26 victory over Warsaw on Monday, Jan. 26. The Lady Pintos beat Versailles, 68-31, in the semifinals Friday night, and cruised past Prairie Home, 60-24, in Saturday's championship final.
"Coming into this tournament, we didn't downgrade these teams," said California senior forward Kelsey Roush. "We practiced hard and got prepared for each and every team. Being the No. 1 seed, that gave us confidence to win it."
The Lady Pintos, who improved to 10-8 after Saturday, showed positive signs of improvement at the tournament. California, a young team, has played all season without injured juniors Ashtyn Goans and Mara Caudel. Roush, one of two varsity seniors, missed three games with an ankle injury before returning last week.
"Piece by piece, we're starting to see how this fits together," Lady Pintos head coach Bobby Sangster said. "We're starting to see a groove and starting to gain confidence. With a young group like this, confidence is a big thing."
Despite playing mediocre competition in Warsaw and Versailles, and a Class 1 school in Prairie Home, it was still an enjoyable experience for the Lady Pintos.
"Even though we won by a lot, it helps us play better as a team," Roush said. "People are starting to see their roles and playing together at a consistent level. Blowout games can help us more."
In the semifinal against Versailles, California used a big third quarter to take control. The Lady Pintos outscored Versailles 28-11 to open a commanding 54-24 advantage. Senior Kamryn Koetting finished with 15 points, while freshman Elizabeth Lutz, junior Renee Roberts and Roush each scored nine.
"The girls did a great job," Sangster said after the Versailles game. "We made good basketball decisions, all night long. We caught fire and it was lights out."
California's third quarter against Versailles was key to the win.
"At first, it was a little rough and we weren't hitting our shots," Roush said. "Coach Sangster gave us a confidence-booster at halftime and we started hitting shots and making them play defense. Once we got on a roll, it never stopped."
In Saturday's final against Prairie Home, Koetting finished with 25 points and Lutz scored 23. The Lady Panthers entered with a 13-3 record.