By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Big second quarter helps Strafford run away from Clever in possible district preview
Strafford, Mo. — Another upset-minded challenger, another triple-double for Hayley Frank and another victory for the Strafford.
And the streak rolls on.
The Lady Indians broke open Monday’s widely-anticipated Class 3 showdown with Clever in the second quarter en route to a 68-42 victory.
Juniors Hayley Frank and Madison Chittenden led the way during Strafford’s big run, combining for 16 of the 20 Lady Indian points in the quarter.
The 6-foot-2 Frank finished the game with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists.
Clever had hoped to find openings in Strafford’s defense through a balanced, possession-oriented attack that limited the Lady Indians’ transition opportunities.
The Lady Jays were able to find success and remain within striking distance. Early in the second quarter, Clever junior Tessa Newman’s 3-pointer brought her team back within a single basket at 20-18.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
At that point, just as it has all season, Strafford answered by finding another gear.
Strafford upped its pressure on the defensive perimeter and knocked Clever’s motion attack out of rhythm.
The disruption led to a host of turnovers, quick shots and no second-chance opportunities, all factors that played directly into Strafford head coach Steve Frank’s game plan.
“Defense and rebounding were big keys for us tonight,” Coach Frank said. “We were able to give them a one-and-done, get out in transition and kind of speed the game up a little bit, and we hit some shots.”
The biggest shot of the quarter certainly belonged to Chittenden.
After a Strafford steal, the 5-foot-7 guard knocked down a 30-foot bomb to end the first half.
“I just threw it up and prayed to God that it would go in,” Chittenden said. “I never make them in practice but — in a game when it really counts — it went in.”
Strafford led 38-24 at the break, much to the dismay of Clever head coach Dan Jones.
“We had a little mental lapse, and once they stretched that out, we weren’t able to stick with our plan of ball control,” Jones said. “The key factor there was our turnovers. We had about four or five in a row, and they scored on all of them.”
In the second half, things didn’t get much better for the Lady Jays. With its game plan completely disrupted, Clever managed to score only 5 points on a pair of baskets from junior Abi Menzies and sophomore Allie Clevenger.
“We knew there, in the third quarter, we couldn’t stick with our game plan,” Jones said. “We were going to have to score some baskets. At that point in time, we felt like we had a few good shots that didn’t go down, so we couldn’t keep it close. They’d come down, they’d capitalize and there’s the game.”
Strafford’s defensive success was largely due to Chittenden’s effort on Harper Little, Clever’s leading scorer.
After a pair of baskets in the opening quarter, the 5-foot-6 junior didn’t score again and would finish well under her average with 4 points.
“I knew, coming in, that she was a really good player and could literally do it all,” Chittenden said. “I knew if I could keep her from touching the ball the whole time, I could keep her under 10 points.”
While Chittenden’s defensive effort definitely stood out, she was quick to credit to success to other help-side defenders moving over to shut down driving lanes.
“I was able to be successful on her because of my teammates,” Chittenden said. “[Little] beat me a lot of times, and they were the ones that stopped her from getting to the rim.”
After the game, Coach Frank talked about Chittenden’s role in the defensive game plan.
“We kind of had a little goal before the game,” Coach Frank said. “I asked her what we were going to try to hold Harper to, and she said four. We said, ‘Ah … let’s do ten,’ but that’s a tribute to Madison. She really got out, guarded hard and did a great job with her.”
In addition to Hayley Frank, three other Lady Indians reached double figures, including Chittenden (14), junior Kayley Frank (11) and senior Zoey Mullings (10).
Clevenger led Clever with 16 points, and Newman added 14 points in the loss.
Up next for Clever (16-6) is a Tuesday, Feb. 6 matchup at Billings. Strafford (24-0) gets a week off from games before hosting Pleasant Hope on Monday, Feb. 12.
Varsity Final: Strafford – 68, Clever – 42
Strafford 18 20 16 15 — 68
Clever 15 09 05 13 — 42
Strafford scoring: Hayley Frank – 23, Madison Chittenden – 14, Kayley Frank – 11, Zoey Mullings – 10, Mica Chadwell – 4, Logan Jones – 4, Kyndall Compton – 2
Clever scoring: Allie Clevenger – 16, Tessa Newman – 14, Abi Menzies – 6, Harper Little – 4, Madison Gladney – 2
JV Final: Strafford – 42, Clever – 11
(Madalynn Ward – 11 points)
