There was nothing she could do a year ago. Not after blowing out her right knee. And so Strafford High School’s Kaylee Larimer decided to do something about it.
That is, she provided senior leadership. A lot of it.
Twenty-four hours before the Lady Indians basketball team played for the Class 3 District 11 championship on Friday night, there Larimer was calming a nervous Hayley Frank, the team’s 6-foot freshman sensation who wanted nothing more than to deliver for the program she has long followed.
And that was at the time Larimer was digesting the advice of Frank’s father-coach, Steve, who reminded Larimer that “in postseason, a team’s 3, 4, 5 or 6” player can make a difference.
“It was definitely a motivator,” said Larimer, who teamed with Frank in the frontcourt – and on the wings – that sent Strafford to a 72-62 victory against a hard-nosed Fair Grove Lady Eagles team at Fair Grove High School.
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Larimer delivered with a season-high 19 points in the shadow of Frank’s double-double of 28 points and 12 rebounds as the duo secured Strafford’s second district championship in three years.
“Since Christmas on, she’s (Larimer) got confidence in her leg again,” said Coach Frank, whose team plays Wednesday at Carthage. “She’s a spot-up shooter and she did a really good job of knocking them down. Everybody keys on Hayley and Abby (Oliver). But I told our kids a week ago, ‘When you get this time of year, it’s that 3, 4, 5 and 6 player that wins these type of ballgames.’”
From the outset Friday, it was clear that Fair Grove was ready to take the fight to Strafford, as guard Casey Baker and forward Kelli Oplotnik became more active in the offense and rallied the Lady Eagles, who took the lead in the second quarter and matched Strafford shot for shot.
Suddenly, Larimer emerged, and her play was all the more magnified, given Strafford had eked out an overtime victory against Fair Grove only a week ago, when it was mostly the Frank-Oliver show.
More so, it was Larimer who took Hayley Frank under her wing Thursday as a way to calm her nerves.
“(Nerves) hit yesterday morning and I had to think about it all day. It’s been my goal to win districts and go from there,” Frank said. “There was a lot of pressure not to fall short.”
Said Larimer, “It’s just another game, I told her. Being a freshman, she hasn’t been in these types of games. But she handled it great.”
This time, Larimer and Frank combined for 20 first-half points, including 11 from Larimer, whose play helped stave off Fair Grove just enough before halftime, at which point Strafford led 33-28. Larimer scored eight points in the second quarter alone.
Frank then went on to a big finish. She was a perfect 13-for-13 at the free-throw line in addition to converting four buckets in the second half.
The difference was that Strafford tightened its defense, often limiting Fair Grove to only one shot per trip. Strafford scored on 12 of its first 17 possessions of the second half as it opened a 15-point advantage.
“I’m just really proud of the girls continuing to fight,” Fair Grove coach Jenny Talbert said. “They just had too many weapons for us. Last time we played them, Hayley Frank and Oliver scored a lot of points. Larimer really stepped up tonight. We knew she was capable of hitting shots. She had a nice game.”
Baker’s 17 points and Lorin Weaver’s 12 points led Fair Grove, which finished the season at 20-8.
Ultimately, Strafford (26-3) celebrated with its student body, which poured onto the court after the team received the district championship plaque. Larimer was right in the thick of it.
“Last year, I was out with an ACL injury, so I wasn’t able to play in the district,” Larimer said. “Two years ago, playing in the district championship, it made me want to win this year even more.”
Strafford 72, Fair Grove 62
Fair Grove 11 17 17 17 – 62
Stafford 12 21 22 17
Fair Grove: Casey Baker 17, Lorin Weaver 12, Makenna Hill 7, Kelli Oplotnik 7, Bailey Weaver 5, Kaitlin Jeter 6, Alana Findley 8.
Strafford: Hayley Frank 28, Kaylee Larimer 19, Abby Oliver 11, Logen Eden 3, Kayley Frank 8, Zoey Mullins 3.
