By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It may not be in the first quarter or second quarter, but the Blue Eye Lady Bulldogs believe their full-court press will catch up to you eventually.
Blue Eye’s relentless press got the best of Spokane by the second quarter in Friday night’s Class 2 District 10 tournament title game. The Lady Bulldogs’ offense took care of the rest.
Blue Eye limited Spokane to just nine first-half points on its way to a 66-36 victory and back-to-back district championships.
“(The press) can get teams to be wild and everything,” said Blue Eye junior Kohnnar Patton, who scored a game-high 24 points. “We have to use it for four quarters of basketball to make (the other team) tired. If we don’t get them in the first quarter, we’ll keep going and eventually wear them down.
“We’re hungry for the basketball.”
Blue Eye has the roster to play such a style. The Lady Bulldogs are deep, athletic and filled with multi-sport athletes.
Freshman twins Riley and Avery Arnold, for example, finished first and second, respectively, in the Class 1 state cross country championship race last fall. They also doubled as varsity volleyball players.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“It helps, and it also helps to have kids who are very competitive,” said Blue Eye coach Ken Elfrink. “And my kids are very competitive.”
Blue Eye (21-6 overall) will face Hartville (25-4 overall) at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday night at Mountain Grove High School in the Class 2 sectional round.
Blue Eye’s defense smothered Spokane in the half-court and full-court throughout the game. Blue Eye led 28-9 at halftime.
“They’re so athletic and quick to the ball, and they have great instincts,” said Spokane coach Garet Nunan. “They can put five great athletes on the floor at one time. You can break (the press) correctly, and they’re still right there. It gets frustrating and their pressure is fantastic. It’s really hard to be successful against it consistently.”
Taylor Arnold scored 15 for Blue Eye and Avery Arnold added 11 points.
Blue Eye is getting healthy at the right time. The Lady Bulldogs have dealt with injuries through the season, including to key players like Patton, Ayshia Bettlach and Maddie Box.
“Beginning of the season, we had a lot of starters coming back and we knew we were expected to have a good year,” Elfrink said. “Pressure’s on. We had a lot of adversity, had a lot of injuries throughout the year.
“I’ve counted on 10 or 11 different players to get through the season. I think we’re starting to click a little bit.”
Junior Paige Tate led Spokane with 23 points, 19 coming in the second half. She also surpassed 1,000 career points.
Spokane finishes 13-14 overall. The Lady Owls pulled a mild upset in Wednesday’s semifinals by knocking off No. 2 seed New Covenant Academy to reach their fourth straight district title game.
Only returning two players with starting experience from their 2017-18 team, Spokane fielded six freshmen on the varsity roster this season.
“We overachieved,” Nunan said. “We were manufacturing varsity basketball players to start the season. The beginning was rough. Moving forward, I think we’re in a good position.”
Spokane won nine of its final 12 games after starting the season 4-11 overall. The Lady Owls bring back all five starters next season and their top two reserves.
“This was a pivotal season where attitudes are created about the program,” Nunan said. “It could go uphill or downhill. We got better every week and we took our knocks in stride. These girls are building the foundation, I think, of a long-term, successful program.”
Blue Eye 66, Spokane 36
Spokane 5 4 17 10 – 36
Blue Eye 10 18 21 17 – 66
Spokane – Tate 23, Wallace 5, Czachowski 2, McClure 2, Bonzer 2, Hodges 2
Blue Eye – Patton 24, T. Arnold 15, A. Arnold 11, R. Arnold 5, Bettlach 5, Larson 2, Box 2, Johnson 2
