By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Branson coach Kip Bough told his team at halftime Thursday night that no lead is safe against the Camdenton Lady Lakers.
After trailing by double digits for much of the second half, Camdenton fought back to within six points (55-49) with 2:12 left in the game before eventually falling to Branson 59-50 in a first-round White Division game of the Pink & White Lady Classic at Drury University’s O’Reilly Family Event Center.
“They’re used to being down, they’re used to being up – runs are just a part of who they are,” Bough said of Camdenton. “I really was not looking at the score a whole lot up until about that time at the end of the fourth because I knew it was going to come and ebb and flow, ebb and flow. That’s the kind of style they play, and they’re going to play that the whole time. And, if you’re not used to it, you let up.
“I don’t think our kids realized it was a two-possession game there with less than two minutes to go, and we’re doing stupid stuff.”
Branson senior standout and Syracuse signee, Priscilla Williams, picked up her fourth foul with 4:11 to go, and was in and out in both the third and fourth quarters with foul trouble.
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“I thought that little stretch where she picked up her third in the third quarter, we were able to go for a while, which I thought was big, because it allowed her to sit on the bench a little longer,” Bough said. “When she got her fourth, again we tried to get her out a little bit, hoping we could just go for a few more minutes and we didn’t handle it quite as well.”
Camdenton outscored Branson 13-4 during the time Williams was in and out late in the fourth and pulled within 55-49, but that’s as close as the Lady Lakers would get.
“It took them a little bit to adjust (to Branson’s size) and realize, ‘I can’t just turn into a 6-4 girl. I’ve got to make something happen and find the open man,” Camdenton coach Staci Caffey said. “I think when we were a little more patient with the ball and moved it around the horn, we found the open man and took the open shots that we had and that gave us a little bit of fire.
“We were in the game there at points and had the opportunity to make it, but we didn’t take care of the ball. We had too many turnovers and we just did some things that we’ve got to grow at.”
Priscilla Williams led all scorers with 26 points to go with nine blocks, and Chloe Grimm added 14 for the Lady Pirates.
Bough praised Grimm’s grit not only during Thursday night’s game, but for her entire career.
“Her steal, right at the end of the fourth, kind of stemmed the tide a little bit,” Bough said. “It was kind of a back-breaker; that was the killer. I love that kid; she goes so hard. We say, ‘this is a Branson Pirate. Look at her. Play like her.’”
Senior Megan Vest paced Camdenton with 16 points, including the putback that pulled the Lady Lakers with six points at the 2:12 mark in the fourth.
“We’ve got to get better,” Bough said. “That’s the style they play. It’s always good to get a victory over a team like that, but as I tell the kids, we’re never as good as we think we are and we’re never as bad as we think we are. We’re a team progressing each and every day, and we hope to get to the fourth day, so that way you get that extra game and extra practice on Sunday. And, then when you come out of this tournament into January and February, you’re a better team.”
No. 5 Branson 59, Camdenton 50
Pink & White Lady Classic
White Division – First-round game
BRANSON 59, CAMDENTON 50
CAMDENTON 6-10-17-17—50
BRANSON 11-18-10-20—59
CAMDENTON (1-3) – Elle Turner 8, Shelby Kurtz 6, Payton Kincaid 6, Biance Stocks 7, Megan Vest 16, Mya Hulett 3, Charlotte Kurtz 4.
BRANSON (4-2) – Chloe Grimm 14, Priscilla Williams 26, Maddie Pardeck 6, Hailey Lashley 2, Tabitha Williams 2, Sidney Davis 6, Rachel Rivera 3.
Up next: Camdenton vs. Buffalo, 9 p.m., Friday at Weiser Gym; Branson vs. Melbourne, 9 p.m., Friday at O’Reilly Family Event Center
