Crusaders Claim Championship With 19-16 Win over Scorpions!!!
In what was a tight, hard fought, back and forth battle for the entire game, Faith went to LVDS and defeated the previously undefeated Scorpions by a score of 19-16 to win the Red Rock Athletic Conference Sixth Grade Girls Championship!
These were the top two teams in the RRAC standings all season long, and the title tilt was befitting of two very good teams. Congrats to LVDS for a fine season.
These were the top two teams in the RRAC standings all season long, and the title tilt was befitting of two very good teams. Congrats to LVDS for a fine season.
These two teams accounted for a combined total of 22 points in the first meeting, and each got to this Championship Game by allowing less than ten ppg in conference play. Defense is a priority for both, and it showed in the first quarter, as the only scoring came on a trey by Ava Hoesel to put Faith up 3-0 after one. Few Middle School teams, let alone sixth grade teams, have a long range weapon like Ava, and her ability to make threes and thus open up the offense was simply instrumental, not only in this win but in the success of the team this season. Faith had also worked on playing defense with their feet in an effort to draw some charges, and that work paid off in the first quarter when the Scorpion point guard – a player who aggressively drives to the basket a lot – got called for a charge.
For the first time all season, Faith had to deal with some real foul trouble issues, as three starters collected their third foul during the second quarter. That not only limited their minutes but caused a ripple effect for the rest of the roster, as folks were playing in different spots in the rotation and with folks that they did not play a ton of minutes with most of the time. That unfamiliarity showed most on the offensive end, as Faith could not muster and points in the second quarter. Still, the Crusaders stayed very much in the game by playing very sound second stanza defense, holding LVDS to only six points in that stanza despite the foul trouble intensified size mismatch in the paint. Two of those points came on a very well done last second drive to the basket and hoop by Jasmine O. of the Scorpions. Gianna Valladon, Chloe Juan, and Ava played really good defense during this stretch. Gianna got some key effort rebounds, Chloe had two steals when she jumped the passing lane perfectly, and Ava made a couple of nice defensive moves on the perimeter. Yes, Faith trailed by three going into the break, but that was still a very manageable deficit, and that was key.
All season long, the third quarter has been the best quarter for the Crusaders, and like everything else for the team this season, it starts with defense. Faith employed our “Crusader” defense in the third stanza and it did exactly what it is designed to do, putting pressure on the opposition as soon as they cross midcourt. First, have to talk about the two people that make this defense possible, and that is Maryn Ryan and Brooke Pomerantz. To have the confidence to apply half court pressure, we have to know that should the pressure not have the intended effect we have a dependable last line of defense, and Brooke and Maryn provide that perfectly. There is no way we could run this defense without this strong back row, and while neither of these two scored during the third quarter, the rally simply does not happen without their excellent work (each had a steal and a key rebound, with Brooke adding a blocked shot) under the basket, especially considering the size disadvantage in this game. They are to be commended for doing their part to make this a TEAM win.
Jillian Molnar applies most of the pressure on the ball handler in this set and she did her job exceptionally well during this stretch. On the first LVDS possession Faith forced a turnover, Sami Monighetti made a perfect pass to Jillian for a basket, and it was 6-5. Soon afterwards, Jordyn Womack forced another turnover (one of probably 30 that Jordyn forced this season, simply incredible the way she sees the ball and figures out a way that it will be HER ball soon. We got so many points this year off of Jordyn steals, and she is only scratching the surface of her talent in this sport, watch out for this one!), made a great pass to Jillian, and this time it was a pass from Jillian to Sami that led to free throws. Sami hit them both to put Faith up 7-6. LVDS retook the lead 8-7 on a well executed play, but Faith came back again, this time on a jumper by Jillian, to make it 9-8 in favor of the Crusaders. LVDS got three points from the charity stripe to close out the quarter, but Faith eclipsed that with a bucket from Sami and two Jillian free throws. All in all Faith won the third quarter by a 10-5 mark, earning a 13-11 lead heading into the final six minutes.
What a final six minutes it was. We now had three folks saddled with four fouls, meaning one more and they were out for the rest of the game. With that in mind, and with potential overtime looming, we needed to make sure we had fresh, rested folks for the late stages of the game, especially since LVDS had only played six players all game long. Depth is such a key component of TEAM basketball, and it showed in this final frame. The person most affected by the foul trouble issues was Bennet Black, as the mixing and matching of players did not allow for Bennet to get her standard playing time in this one. However, when called upon and the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth, she executed her assignment perfectly, as LVDS did not score during Bennet’s time on the floor, and a lot of that was due to the severe pressure she put on the Scorpion top perimeter player. It was four scoreless possessions, and in a game decided by just one possesion, that was a major contribution that does not appear in a boxscore but still had a major impact. Bennet is an exceptional athlete, and had it gone into overtime or one more foul had been called, she would have been THE primary defender against that girl, and this stretch of excellent play solidified that plan. Thank you for understanding what your team needed today, and doing it so well.
It was still 13-11 when LVDS made a free throw to close the gap to 13-12 and then a Scorpion basket made it 14-13 in favor of the home team. Faith did not panic, and inched back out into the lead when Jillian (who picked a great day to be the leading scorer on the day for the first time all season, as she had eight points) made a jumper, 15-14 Faith. LVDS got two free throws on separate possessions to take a 16-15 lead with 1:26 left, and they had the ball. Against the press, LVDS got the ball to their leading scorer, who got across the midcourt line and drove into the paint, but as she was doing that Brooke got a hand on the ball and knocked it away, causing a loose ball scrum. Maryn dove to the floor to get the ball, wrestled it away from the LVDS player (one of her good friends, by the way) and got it to Jillian, who took four dribbles to get separation and made a perfect pass to a streaking Sami for a layup that put Faith up 17-16, a lead they would not relinquish! The fact that we had two players (Jordyn was also there, just a little wider, so the pass went to Sami) beat the entire LVDS defense down the floor shows the hustle and the grit of this team, even late in a tight game. We preach defense and effort, and both were on full display in that sequence.
On the next possession Brooke picked up her fifth foul, and got banged up on the play. The effort she made on this play epitomizes the reason she was so crucial to our success this year. The Scorpion player had gotten past the first level of the defense and was driving to the hoop when Brooke stepped out on her, in perfect position. That made the player pull up instead of going to the basket for a layup, and even though Brooke did get called for a foul on the play, that defense still proved critical. If not for the effort and hustle it would have been an easy two points for LVDS, and it turned out that no points were scored on that possession for LVDS, as the player missed both free throws. As has been mentioned before, this was a three point game, and that was a two point swing. EVERY play matters, and Brooke made a game saver on this one.
Professional sports teams say it all the time: "Next Person Up" - Gianna was now faced with defending the LVDS post player, and said "So, I am Brooke now?" in the huddle. Gianna knew the assignment as she had paid close attention in practice and in the game even when she was not playing, and that knowledge paid off handsomely in this spot. LVDS did not score any more points! Jillian, Sami, Jordyn and Gianna executed their part of the called play perfectly to free up Ava for what would have been a dagger three pointer to put Faith up by four, but the shot - which Ava took confidently as could be despite the pressure of the moment - rimmed in and out to a chorus of "ohhhs" from the Faith faithful in attendance and cheers from the Scorpion crowd. Ava did not let the miss bother her, as she and the rest of the team played perfect defense on the next possession and LVDS did not score, leaving Faith up by one, with the ball, with less than :30 seconds to go.
Gillian Norton had not played since the second quarter, yet another casualty of the foul trouble that the team was in. However, she was called on to come into the game in this late stage, as Coach V and Coach Keith wanted the best free throw shooters on the court, as LVDS was very likely to foul. LVDS did indeed foul, and in fact fouled Gillian to give her a one and one situation, setting up some real drama...well for everyone except Gillian. Striding to the line like it was another practice session in the Student Center instead of the championship game on the road, Gillian DRAINED two free throws, the second one hitting NOTHING but net. Just. WOW.
Those two shots put Faith up 19-16 with 16:7 seconds left and LVDS hurried up the court and hoisted a long three that missed. Faith corralled the rebound and got the ball to Jillian, who got it to Sami, who proceeded to run and dribble around the entire LVDS defense before being forced out of bounds but not before running out almost the entire clock. Two great moves from our two point guards, to understand the situation enough to not force up a shot and to take the clock down to almost nothing. It was great to see.
LVDS had one last chance, as they had the ball in the corner with less than three seconds left. However, Faith put just enough pressure on to make the inevitable 70 footer an even harder shot that it already was, and when the horn sounded FAITH LUTHERAN WAS YOUR 2018 RED ROCK ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPION!!!
It was a great game, and a great ending to a season that saw all ten members grow as teammates and basketball players. The future is bright for each and every one of them, and it was a pleasure seeing them grow. Every single member of this team made significant contributions all season long, and to see it all come together was amazing.
Think back, this team was down 16-0 at halftime in Pahrump in January. It would have been SO EASY to just give up, but they refused to do that. They just kept working to get better, and outscored foes 229-105 the rest of the way. Proud is not a strong enough word to describe this team, but a parent did find a great word after the title tilt, calling it "special."
It certainly was, so to Ava, Bennet, BrookE, Chloe, Gianna, Gillian, Jillian, Jordyn, Maryn, and Samantha we say thank you for a great ride, one we will not soon forget....CHAMPS!!!!
Go Faith!
