By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The historic run is nearing its end. Strafford, once again, is relishing every moment of it.
The Lady Indians made it 113 straight wins with a dominating 73-31 victory over South Callaway in the Class 3 quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.
Lady Indians senior and Mizzou commit Hayley Frank led all players with 32 points and 20 rebounds.
Strafford, the three-time defending state champion in Class 3, faces undefeated and No. 2-ranked Trenton (26-0 overall) in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at JQH Arena in Springfield.
“I think they’re really relaxed and having a lot of fun right now,” Strafford coach Steve Frank said of his players. “A few weeks ago, when we had the streak thing, there were a few weeks where it wasn’t really that fun.
“I don’t think they were enjoying a big part of their season. It’s a shame they couldn’t enjoy it. I think they felt the pressure but once they got that behind them, now they’re starting to have fun again and relishing the moment.”
Kayley Frank, who had 15 points and eight assists against South Callaway, said Strafford cleared a mental hurdle after setting the state record for consecutive wins (103) in late January against Republic. The record had stood for nearly 30 years.
“I remember after our next game, we were like, ‘Man, we had fun out there again,’” Kayley Frank said. “We did have a lot more fun. We’re going to keep doing that.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Against South Callaway, Strafford put the game away early.
The Lady Indians started on a 17-0 run. Hayley Frank capped the quarter with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from NBA range.
“I saw they were sagging off, so I just stepped up with confidence and knocked it down,” Hayley Frank said. “I felt like I was playing really loose today and just having a lot of fun. Our bench was getting excited and our team energy was really good.”
Strafford led 24-5 after the first quarter and 47-9 by halftime.
The Lady Indians had a decisive edge in experience. Strafford starts four seniors and one junior.
South Callaway, which won its district tournament as a No. 4 seed, starts two freshmen, two sophomores and one junior. The Lady Bulldogs only have seven players on their roster.
“Teams that have been in this situation before – Skyline’s a perfect example – they come into this situation and they’re relaxed,” Steve Frank said. “South Callaway, they’re young and have a really talented group of kids. Coming into the game, they’re inexperience and not knowing, it really played a big part for us.”
Strafford, just a few miles east of Springfield, figures to have a home court advantage next weekend.
Only four girls’ basketball programs in Missouri have ever won four straight state champions. Crane (2012-16) was the most recent.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Kayley Frank said of a fourth straight trip to the final four. “It probably won’t sink in until after. Being at JQH makes it even more special because it’s so close and we’re going to have so much of our community there.”
Added Hayley Frank: “We’re not taking this for granted. We’re going to go out there, our last two games, and leave it all on the floor. We’re so blessed to do what we’ve done up to this point.”
Strafford 73, South Callaway 31
Strafford 24 23 20 6 – 73
South Callaway 5 4 8 14 – 31
Strafford (31-0 overall) – Hayley Frank 32, Kayley Frank 15, Maddie Chittenden 11, Mica Chadwell 6, Logan Jones 5, Emma Compton 2, Taylor Dormann 2
South Callaway (22-7 overall) – Nona Clubb 12, Raegan Brown 9, Hailee Potter 6, Raeghan Meyer 4
