Lady Pintos fall against Hallsville in tournament opener

Democrat photo/Evan HolmesSenior guard Bailey Lage faces off against Hallsville guard Avery Oetting.
Democrat photo/Evan HolmesSenior guard Bailey Lage faces off against Hallsville guard Avery Oetting.

On Monday night, the Lady Pintos traveled to Boonville to take part in the 2021 Tri-County Conference Tournament.

California entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed and its first-round opponents were the Hallsville Lady Indians. Hallsville's pressure defense caused problems for California throughout the second half until they pulled away in the game's final minutes, and the Lady Pintos ultimately fell 52-45.

California expected the game to be a hard and physical one. Hallsville had a height advantage at the forward and center positions, as well as one of the best point guards in the Tri-County Conference, senior guard Avery Oetting. The Lady Indians also used a full-court defense after they scored, which had proven difficult for opposing teams to break and get across half-court without issue.

The Lady Pintos quickly found out just how strong Hallsville's lockdown defense was in the first quarter. Head coach Bobby Sangster decided that the best way for his team to counter this defense was to run to the ball and help the guards. On offense, the Lady Pintos followed the same mantra as they ran a motion offense and looked to spread out the Hallsville defense. In doing so, California would be able to create driving and passing lanes.

The game began with both teams relying on their stubborn defensive play to create opportunities. It didn't take long for Lady Pintos guard Lauren Friedrich to be an impact player as she hit two threes in the first quarter. After the first eight minutes had been played and the first quarter ended, California found themselves with a 14-10 lead.

In the second quarter, California raised their intensity on both ends of the floor and scored two fast-break field goals in a minute, forcing Hallsville into a timeout. The Lady Pintos had gotten a jolt from their own defense, which played its best stretch of the night. With Lauren Friedrich and Alayna Butts leading the way, California led 26-18 at the half.

In the second half, California looked to get out to a quick start, Instead, Hallsville raised the level of their pressure and made the Lady Pintos hurt themselves with turnovers and fouls. Clamping down on California's transition game and taking away their driving lanes, Hallsville triggered their fast-break game and clawed their way back into the contest. Oetting took over the game and hit a clutch three-pointer from the right corner to break California's backs.

The Lady Pintos tried to counter with the three-ball, but only shot 1-for-9 from three in the second half. Unable to score or get consistent stops, the Lady Pintos could only watch as Hallsville pulled off a 15-point turnaround and won the game by seven.

Lauren Friedrich led California with 10 points, including two three-pointers and six rebounds. Avery Oetting, of Hallsville, scored a game-high 19 points.

Sangster said the loss was a hard one for his team, but he did give credit to both teams. His first nod was to his own team for the run they went on in the second quarter.

"We were aggressive, we executed, we played unselfishly. We did all the little things we talk about at practice. It was a nice run for us," Sangster said.

Then, he tipped his hat to Hallsville's defense for making things difficult for his team. Sangster said he believes that when his team ran their motion offense, they became hesitant to attack the rim because of Hallsville's rim protection. California tried to use their three-point shot to punch back at Hallsville, but couldn't knock it down. Unable to break the Lady Indians' pressure, California struggled for points and lost valuable possessions, which Sangster said is how the tide turned in Hallsville's favor.

"When you trace the three-point line, you don't have a lot of dribble penetration. You allow the defense to sit back on their heels and accept you. If we're not getting in the lane with our attacks, we're going to struggle really, really hard," Sangster said. "Give Hallsville credit, they did a nice job being very physical. They did a nice job of attacking us on the defensive end and they played a nice ball game defensively against us."

Sangster said in the second half, his team became too comfortable with their lead and came out of the locker room flat-footed as a result.

"We didn't value the basketball enough and we didn't have enough urgency. The second game of the year, traditionally, is very, very sloppy. We didn't have a great practice yesterday," Sangster said Monday. " But this is a great opportunity for us to learn and a great opportunity for us to get better if the girls want to. And that's going to be telling of this team. If we want to come out and get better that we'll come out, we'll have a good day at practice tomorrow, and give our best effort with good focus. If not, we're going to have to get used to this feeling."

The loss to Hallsville was a bitter pill for the Lady Pintos to swallow. They will look to get the bad taste of the loss out of their mouths when they take on Versailles at 5:30 p.m. today. They will then play their final game of the Tri-County Tournament on Friday. Their opponent and game time for Friday have yet to be determined.