Johnson gets 100th win at HTC advances

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Lady Crusaders move to next round in regionals against Winfield-Mt. Union

BY JOHN BOHNENKAMP
PCC SPORTS

HTC's Teagan Snaadt defends against New London in the Crusaders' 74-47 win in opening-round Class 1A regional basketball action Thursday night. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

FORT MADISON - Getting to 100 career wins was a big deal, Holy Trinity coach Tony Johnson said.
Getting that first win to start the postseason was important as well.
The Crusaders’ 74-47 win over New London on Thursday night in a Class 1A regional first-round game was a milestone for the coach, but it was also a sign of improvement for his team.
“We got back on track offensively,” Johnson said. “We did some good stuff. Of course me, I’ve got to nitpick. There’s stuff to clean up before the next game.”
Holy Trinity (11-11) plays at Winfield-Mount Union (18-4) in next Tuesday’s quarterfinal. New London ended the season at 1-22.
An early 9-0 run gave the Crusaders a 16-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, and then an 8-0 run in the second quarter put them into command with a 26-11 lead.
It was an improvement over Monday’s 57-42 loss to Fort Madison, when Holy Trinity was outscored 22-2 in the third quarter after leading 23-21 at halftime.
“We’ve had games recently where we’ve had that one bad quarter that’s hurt us, and we didn’t have that tonight,” Johnson said. “We’ve been close in so many games. It’s good to get a win for our confidence.”
The key, Johnson said, was getting better ball movement on offense.
“Don’t settle for bad shots or forced shots,” he said. “There were times I preached to keep the ball moving. A lot of the time, it stalls out. Ball stalls out on top or on the wing. Tonight we moved it around a lot better.”
Holy Trinity led by as much as 28 points in the second half.
Mary Kate Bendlage and Natalie Randolph each had 18 points to lead the Crusaders.
Johnson said getting to the 100-win mark was special.
“It means a lot,” he said. “A lot. It’s all about the kids. It’s a big deal, because I love all the girls who played for me. It’s a big deal for me, because all of them meant something.
“Now we have to get ready for whoever we have to play next.”

basketball, girls, Holy Trinity Catholic, htc, Lady Crusaders, New London, Pen City Current, post season, Regionals, Tony Johnson

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