After a fourth-place finish at the Hermann Tournament last week, the California Lady Pintos began their home stretch of the regular season with a road game against the Smith-Cotton Lady Tigers.
California overcame a difficult ending to the first half and used their defense and rebounding to pull away to a 65-36 victory against the Lady Tigers.
In the first half, the Lady Pintos used their advantages in height and quickness to jump out to an early lead. Holding Smith-Cotton to only two baskets in the first quarter, California enjoyed a 24-10 lead with five and a half minutes to play in the first half. Although the Lady Pintos remained in control of the game, they were plagued by unforced turnovers. California had six traveling violations and nine turnovers in the second quarter to give Smith-Cotton some life. Even though California still led 29-21 going into the half, they were down on confidence and hoped to get it back in the second half.
Knowing his team was in need of a boost in morale, California coach Bobby Sangster decided to switch the man-to-man coverage's in the second half. Using a new defensive approach, California took off in the third quarter and never looked back. With nine offensive rebounds and six steals in the third quarter, California frustrated Smith-Cotton with a 16-6 run that was capped off with a half-court steal and breakaway layup by junior guard Penelope Cotten.
Even a last-second three-pointer from Smith-Cotton junior guard couldn't deflate the Lady Pintos, as they had now broken the game open. The fourth quarter turned into a scoring exhibition for the Lady Pintos' bench as every player on California's roster put their name in the score book. With a 20-6 run in the fourth quarter, the Lady Pintos posted the convincing win against the Lady Tigers.
California was 27-of-67 from the field for 40 percent, 3-of-21 on 3-pointers and 8-of-14 from the foul line for 53 percent. Lauren Friedrich was once again California's driving force with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Alayna Butts had 10 points, four assists, and two steals. Ella Bailey added seven points and 10 rebounds. Cotten added six points, three rebounds, and a steal off the bench. The Lady Pintos outrebounded the Lady Tigers 48-23 in the game.
Smith-Cotton shot 12-of-39 from the field for 30 percent, 5-of-16 on 3-pointers for 31 percent, and 5-of-14 from the foul line for 44 percent. Zoey Hieronymus led the Lady Tigers with 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Sangster said the two losses in the Hermann Tournament provided some extra motivation for his team going into the game against Smith-Cotton. Sangster was pleased the Lady Pintos came into a hostile environment like Smith-Cotton and played their style of basketball for most of the game and came away with the win.
"You never wanted to drop a ball game, but at the same time, we were playing some very good teams that pushed us and I think we took the lessons that we learned from those games, applied them to tonight, and managed to play the way that we want to play," Sangster said. "Smith-Cotton plays a much different scheme that most of the teams that we play, which is why we enjoy coming over here and competing with them. They did a nice job of battling with us for as long as they could until our girls pulled it out at the end."
Sangster said one of the biggest challenges California faced in the game was self-doubt after finishing the first half on a poor note. Sangster exclaimed his team had to face that adversity by having a united team spirit that would help the players focus on what they wanted to see, as opposed to what they didn't want to see. That mindset change helped propel California to their second half domination.
"More than anything else, we needed to stay positive. The girls did a good job in the second half of coming out and handling that adversity. We need multiple efforts when things aren't going our way and we got that tonight from everybody. It's not just scoring we need from everybody, it's effort and support too," Sangster said. "I think our rebounding did a very nice job tonight. Our defense was on point, but then we had to finish each possession with either an offensive or a defensive rebound. We were able to shake off missed shots and then go and make the next play. That's really a true mark of championship team. You don't let that adversity bother you. You keep playing and you continue to play every possession to get the result that you want."
The Lady Pintos (16-5) will host the Boonville Lady Pirates on Thursday night.
Senior guard Alayna Butts hits a corner-three for California. Butts had ten points, four assists, and two steals against the Lady Tigers. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Junior center Ella Bailey had seven points and ten rebounds in California's win over Smith-Cotton on Thursday night. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Junior guard Penelope Cotten played a big role in California's win on Thursday night with six points, three rebounds, and a steal off the bench. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Every played for the Lady Pintos scored in California's 65-36 win over Smith-Cotton on Thursday night.(Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Senior forward Lauren Friedrich hits a 12-foot jumpshot in the first quarter for California. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Senior forward Lauren Friedrich knocks down a three-pointer to give California a 24-10 lead in the first half. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Freshman center Addie Carr reaches over the Lady Tigers' defenders for a rebound and score. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Sophomore guard Hailey Rademan finishes off a fast break score for the Lady Pintos in the fourth quarter.(Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Junior center Ella Bailey gets and offensive rebound and a putback layup for the Lady Pintos in the first half. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Senior guard Alayna Butts hit three of four free throws in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 points in the game. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Junior guard Penelope Cotten scores in the final seconds of the third quarter off a steal at half-court. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Lady Pintos head coach Bobby Sangster designs a play for California to open the second quarter against the Lady Tigers. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Senior forward Lauren Friedrich (left) wins the opening tip against Smith-Cotton. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)