Crusaders deliver in lopsided regional opener

GOOD POST PLAY

When you have the amount of girls we’ve got and the size we’ve got you have to take advantage where you can. All our posts play well together. Presley’s a phenomenal passer in the post. She can see over the defense. If you will get open back door or make a flash Presley will find you.””

Tony Johnson, HTC Head Coach

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No. 15 Lady Crusaders host English Valleys on Tuesday in Region 8 quarterfinals.

FORT MADISON – It took all of 93 seconds for Holy Trinity to get into gear against an outmatched New London squad in the opening round of Class 1A, Region 8 post-season action.
The Class 1A No. 15 Lady Crusaders rolled the Tigers 80-14 at Shottenkirk Gymnasium and advance to host English Valleys (14-8) on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. The Bears knocked off Keota 50-37 Tuesday night.
Other winners in the bracket were WACO, Mormon Trail, and Wayne. Montezuma and CAM (Anita) both had byes in Region 8.
New London’s Mylee Miller opened the scoring with an easy bucket inside, while Holy Trinity missed its first three attempts from the floor.
“We had a little slow start in the first minute or minute and a half, but I expected that,” said Head Coach Tony Johnson.
Then the Mary Kate Bendlage machine went to work as the senior put up 19 points in the first quarter including HTC’s first nine points in a 17-2 run that would set the tone for the rest of the night.
The Lady Crusaders utilized a little mixed half-court pressure, then slipped into a match-up zone that kept the ball pretty much out of the lane and around the perimeter where New London would only convert on just one shot from outside 12 feet, a 3-ball from senior Sophie Malott at the start of the fourth quarter. Those would be the Tigers' only points of the quarter as the running clock was instituted to start the 3^rd period with the Crusaders up by a whopping 58-9.
Junior Teagan Snaadt sat out the second half with nine first-half points. Johnson said he was just trying to work in some rest for the starters.
“We just rested her. We thought about doing that with more, but we didn’t want to get crazy,” Johnson said. “We got them all in and that’s good. The hope is to get everyone in when you can, but it’s tough with the running clock and having 14 girls on the bench.”
Freshman Elizabeth Griffin came in early in the second half to give Snaadt some rest. Griffin would score a couple times inside, including a freethrow, in about 13 minutes of play.
Senior Natalie Randolph also saw limited time in the second half but managed to put up 21 points just one behind Bendlage’s 22 for game-high honors. Seventeen of Randolph’s points were in the first half, including two 3-pointers. Presley Myers had seven and several nice passes from the top of the lane down low for slashing buckets from HTC’s guards. Several of those passes came when the Crusaders were running with three posts, Myers, freshman Adalyn Kruse, and senior Reagan Holvoet.
“When you have the amount of girls we’ve got and the size we’ve got, you have to take advantage where you can,” Johnson said. "All our posts play well together. Presley’s a phenomenal passer in the post. She can see over the defense. If you will get open back door or make a flash, Presley will find you.”
The Crusaders got six points from Kruse, five each from Holvoet and Anna Bendlage, three from Griffin, and two points from Lia Fullenkamp.
Johnson said the lopsided win won’t detract from the Crusaders' focus.
“We’re going to do the same thing, whether it was Monday against Mepo, or tonight or Tuesday. We’re gonna practice the same way and carry the same intensity. These girls are pretty locked in,” he said.