Pressure breaks down Lady Crusaders early

FORT MADISON - Shawn Hopper doesn’t like moral victories, so the Holy Trinity girls basketball coach wasn’t happy with Friday’s 67-48 Homecoming loss to Mediapolis at Shottenkirk Gym.
But what Hopper does take away was how the Crusaders fought in the second half in a game that could have easily gotten away from them.
“I’m proud of their effort in the second half,” Hopper said. “I really didn’t have to coach them much in the second half. They were ready to go during halftime, and I thought we showed a lot of good things in the second half.”
The Crusaders (13-6 overall, 9-5 Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division), who came into the game on a four-game winning streak, were staggered early by the full-court pressure defense of the Bullettes (18-1, 14-0). Mediapolis led 12-0 three minutes into the game, then added a 15-2 run late in the second quarter to lead 40-16 at halftime.
“I was really disappointed with how we started the game,” Hopper said. “I thought we were better equipped to deal with it, and I was disappointed with how many turnovers we had.”

What Hopper appreciated was how the Crusaders attacked Mediapolis in the second half on offense. The Bullettes led 48-18 with 5:12 left in the third quarter, then Holy Trinity outscored them 30-19 the rest of the way.
“At halftime, we don’t do butt-chewings,” Hopper said. “We sit down and talk through the things we need to talk about. We had been playing zone, like everyone does against them, but we decided to throw in a little man-to-man defense. We tried to do it in the first half and it didn’t work, but I think in the second half they struggled a little bit with it when we tried it.
“We just decided in the second half we didn’t have anything to lose, and I thought you could see that in how the girls played.”
Teagan Snaadt led Holy Trinity with 20 points. Elizabeth Griffin added 12.
Amelia Grier led Mediapolis with 31 points. Ellah Wagenbach had 18.