SPRINGFIELD - It's no secret 3-point shooting has been a major theme this season for the California Lady Pintos. But on Friday, they let their defense do most of the talking.
California held Clark County to 28 percent shooting in Friday afternoon's 60-39 win in the Class 3 semifinals at Hammons Student Center. The victory advances the Lady Pintos to their first state championship game appearance in program history.
"Clark County said they haven't seen a defense like that all year long," California coach Bobby Sangster said after Friday's win. "I think there was so much hype being put on the 3-pointer, that they forgot we play some pretty good defense too."
California (26-4) will face the top-ranked Strafford Lady Indians (32-0) for the Class 3 state title at 6:20 p.m. today at JQH Arena.
"For us, it's our last game, so we're all going to give it our all," said Brittney Ellington, one of California's three seniors.
The Lady Pintos surpassed a milestone with Friday's win for most made 3-point field goals by a team in a season. The previous record of 287 makes was set by Class 1 Mercer in 2016, and Ellington's 3-pointer from the right wing with 2:07 left in the first quarter gave the Lady Pintos the record, as well as extending their early lead to 12-4.
After the game, Sangster spoke of a deal he has with his players in regard to 3-point shooting.
"I have a standing deal with them, and it's been this way for a couple of years now," he said. "As long as we play defense and we rebound, they can shoot any shot they want."
In addition to holding Clark County to 15-of-53 shooting, the Lady Pintos outrebounded the Lady Indians 36-28.
California senior Elizabeth Lutz grabbed 14 of those rebounds and scored her team's first seven points, finishing with a game-high of 20.
"Something that we've all talked about this entire postseason is just to play free and play loose," Lutz said. " Our best is all that we can give, and whatever happens, happens."
Clark County's Abby Brown scored a basket on the game's opening possession. The 2-0 advantage was the Lady Indians' only lead of the game.
California led 14-6 after one quarter, then scored nine straight points to open the second quarter.
While the 3-point shooting would be there later in the game for the Lady Pintos, they had no problems scoring inside in the first half against the Lady Indians, shooting 8-of-10 from 2-point range in the opening 16 minutes.
"We're more than just 3-point shooters," Sangster said. "Yes, we've hit more 3s than any school in state history, but we're more than that. It opens up driving lanes, it opens up our big girls inside and it plays right into our defense."
Quinn Albertson and Ellington made back-to-back 3s to give the Lady Pintos a 29-10 lead with 2:17 left in the first half.
Clark County closed the first half on a 6-0 run to make the halftime score 29-16. When the second half began, California really let it fly from 3-point range.
The Lady Pintos made five 3s in the third quarter, getting a pair from Ellington and one each from Tristan Porter, Lutz and Gracie George. California finished the game 11-of-28 beyond the arc.
"I've seen these girls do this a lot," Sangster said. "In the quarterfinal game, Brittney came down and hit five 3s on six possessions. We've proven all year long that we can get hot, we've proven all year long that we can be a threat."
Ellington's 3 with 2:25 left in the third quarter gave California a 48-24 lead.
Clark County trailed 50-29 entering the fourth quarter and fell behind by as many as 25 points with 3:41 to play.
"It wasn't our night, obviously," Clark County coach John Weaver said. " We didn't shoot the ball well and our leading scorer (Carissa Bevans) didn't have a field goal. (California) came to play and had a really good game plan."
Friday's loss snapped a 14-game win streak for Clark County (28-2), which will play Whitfield (22-7) for third place at 11 a.m. today. Brown led the Lady Indians with 11 points and Maggie Schutte added 10 points.
Ellington finished with 12 points, all coming from 3-point field goals, and Paige Lamm chipped in 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Lutz shot 8-of-15 from the field - including 5-of-6 from 2-point range - to get her 20 points.
"Drenda Hess is one of the best defenders in our area, and she struggled with (Lutz) today," Weaver said. "She's just a little bit quicker, a little bit more athletic. When a guard like that is able to get into the lane, then that's what happens. Somebody's got to help, and they're going to kick it out for 3s."
To get their first state title, the Lady Pintos will have to knock off the two-time defending state champion, and possibly the best girls basketball team in Missouri.
Strafford is ranked No. 25 in the nation by USA Today and extended its win streak to 81 games Friday with a 67-50 victory against fourth-ranked Whitfield in the semifinals. The Lady Indians are led by junior Hayley Frank, who has already committed to play at Missouri and finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds Friday.
"People have tried 81 times in a row to figure out what's going to work against them, and 81 times in a row, Strafford has had an answer," Sangster said.
"It's going to take a Herculean effort, but they've won 81 in a row. The pressure's on them."