From the opening tip until the final buzzer, visiting Southern Boone controlled the consolation round final against the California girls basketball team.
Southern Boone, the No. 7 seed, used a potent offensive attack and strong defensive pressure to cruise past the fifth-seeded Lady Pintos, 60-46, at the 21st annual California Basketball Tournament.
"Southern Boone executed. It was an absolute clinic," Lady Pintos head coach Bobby Sangster said. "Tip your hat to Southern Boone. They attacked us, executed and hit shots."
It was the second meeting between California and the Lady Eagles in seven days. The Lady Pintos won at Southern Boone on Friday, Jan. 9, in a Tri-County Conference matchup. The teams could play again at districts.
"They came out and played to their potential," Sangster said. "We hope to see them a third time."
In the consolation final, Southern Boone raced to a 12-6 advantage in the first quarter, pushing its lead to 30-18 by halftime. The Lady Eagles made very few mistakes in the opening two quarters.
"They hit all their shots," said California senior guard Kamryn Koetting. "We were trying to score, but they were scoring at the same time. Once you get in a hole, it's difficult to get out."
The Lady Pintos tried to rally, cutting the deficit to 35-27 after a 3-pointer by freshman guard Elizabeth Lutz with 1:20 left in the third quarter. Southern Boone, however, pushed the lead back to 40-29.
California again got within eight, 42-34, on junior Katie Imhoff's layup early in the fourth, but the Lady Eagles scored the next six points to regain momentum. The Lady Pintos never got closer than 10 down the stretch.
"Southern Boone does a nice job," Sangster said. "You can't run the same thing twice against them. Once you do, they adjust. We made little mistakes, youth mistakes. You never want to lose, especially on your home floor, but we've got bigger fish to fry."
The Lady Pintos (7-6) lost both their games at the California Basketball Tournament. They dropped a 62-56 decision to No. 4 Fulton in the opening round Monday, Jan. 12.
"We have to pick it up in practice and battle harder," Koetting said. "We don't want to have this feeling again."
Against Southern Boone, Lutz and sophomore forward Cameron Meyer each finished with 14 points, while Koetting scored 12.