Warriors press past Lady Horns 67-33
By: Tim Chambers
Tomahawk Sports Editor
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Johnson Countys bid to lull Happy Valley to sleep worked for one quarter in Fridays Three Rivers Conference tilt. Unfortunately, they woke up on the warpath over the final three periods and ran roughshod past the Lady Horns.
The Lady Warriors blistered the nets for 28 points in the second quarter and cruised to a 67-33 win inside of Ray Shoun Gymnasium.
The Longhorns hung tough in the early going and trailed by a slim 10-7 margin after one. Kourtney Tolley and Micahla Cretsinger had three points each in the opening frame but the tandem of Kalee Johnson and Jenna Eaton would take over in the second.
Weve got such a young basketball team, said Johnson Countys head coach Todd Whittemore. Im trying to keep them fighting, scrapping and battling, but we cant sustain it for the whole game. If they see me give up then theyll likely do the same. Im trying to lead by example and keep them working hard. Its difficult to do sometimes, but weve got to improve and the only way we can do that is to work hard.
The effort was there over the first ten minutes.
Baskets by Cretsinger and Brittany Brooks early in the second quarter kept them close at 16-12. Happy Valley would turn up the heat from that point.
They proceeded to hit their next five shots with two each coming from Johnson and Eaton. Kaylee Streets trifecta extended their advantage at 34-12 capping off an 18-0 run.
The Warriors closed the half with a pair of baskets by Beth Reece and held a commanding 38-14 lead at the half.
We came out and were rolling pretty good but didnt execute when our bench came in, said Warriors head coach Larry Abel. Defensively we did a great job, but offensively we werent executing. I challenged them to get back to the basics. I thought we did that in the second quarter and put the game away. All our kids played well.
Abel was able to empty his entire bench before the half. And the team didnt miss a beat.
Reece, Emily Whitaker and Bare picked up the slack in addition to Johnson and Eaton. And Street had another three-ball during the third.
The Lady Warriors led by 30 after three and it might have been more had they stayed in their pressure defense.
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