By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
There were several question marks and TBDs for Walnut Grove heading into this season.
But the Lady Tigers have quickly asserted themselves in at least one key category.
Effort.
“I don’t know if I’ve had a team play this hard all the way around,” said Walnut Grove coach Rory Henry. “It just seems like the team buys in and every kid that comes on the floor plays tremendously hard and buys into our concepts.”
Fast, physical and tough as ever, the Lady Tigers defended home court in their annual holiday tournament for the third straight season.
Walnut Grove earned its second win over state-ranked Ash Grove this month, this time 57-53 in the championship game of the Walnut Grove Holiday Classic on Tuesday night.
Aggression was the theme of the night for Walnut Grove. The Lady Tigers shot 36 free throws (making 19) while Ash Grove went 5-for-10 at the line.
“We knew we had to play a certain way to win,” Henry said. “Things had to go our way. Our kids played hard. I’m proud of our effort. Defensively, we’ve really done a good job.”
Four Lady Tigers scored nine or more. Junior Ashtyn Anderson led the way with a team-high 12 points.
Balanced scoring will be a necessity this season for Walnut Grove (No. 5 in Class 1 MBCA state rankings). The Lady Tigers graduated four starters off last season’s final four team, including a pair of all-state players.
“We’re more team-centered now. Everyone does their part and it plays out evenly through everyone,” Anderson said. “I think that works great for us.”
Said Henry: “We’re inexperienced, didn’t bring a lot of players back, but we had a lot of experience on the JV level and we play to our strengths. We hope to wear teams down and I think that’s what we did tonight.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
After Walnut Grove beat Ash Grove 44-40 on Dec. 6 in the finals of the Morrisville Tournament, Tuesday’s rematch came down to the final stages.
Anderson’s basket with 1:40 left put Walnut Grove ahead 49-46. Walnut Grove pushed the lead to 51-46 a few moments later after an Ash Grove turnover.
Anderson later swished two pivotal free throws with 12 seconds remaining to seal the victory after Ash Grove (No. 9-ranked in Class 3 state coaches’ poll) had pulled within 55-53.
Although the stats and scores may not show it yet, the Lady Tigers want to push the pace on offense this season – a notable shift from last season’s methodical, half-court style.
“I’d say practices are a little more difficult than they were last year. They’re much faster,” said Walnut Grove junior Sadie Loehr, who earned tournament MVP honors. “Our conditioning at the beginning of this year is way different than last year.”
The Lady Tigers have the depth to play fast. Seven players scored on Tuesday and two others saw playing time.
“As a group, we might be a little more athletic, but we’re also deeper on the bench,” Anderson said. “If we get up and down and get tired, we can sub in and out.”
Plus, better shooting stretches will certainly come.
Walnut Grove had a forgettable performance in Saturday’s semifinal win over Pierce City. The Lady Tigers made only one 3-pointer and were 1-for-12 at the free throw line.
Walnut Grove netted four 3-pointers in Tuesday’s title game.
“I keep telling them: If we’re just consistent defensively, night in and night out, and we play physical and we rebound, one of these nights we’re going to put it all together on the offensive end and we’re going to look really good,” Henry said. “I was really proud of them tonight. It wasn’t perfect, we missed (shots) that we need to finish, but ultimately I thought they did a great job of hitting timely shots when we had to.”
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE GAME
Maeli Holman, who scored nine points on Tuesday, joined Anderson, Sadie Loehr and Sabrina Loehr on the all-tournament team for Walnut Grove.
Bristol Lathrop led Ash Grove (8-3 overall) with 17 points. She joined teammates Millison Sapp (14 points) and Brooke Nicholson (13 points) on the all-tournament team for the Lady Pirates.
Ash Grove’s next game is Monday, Jan. 5 at defending Class 1 state champion Chadwick. Walnut Grove plays at Skyline on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
Walnut Grove 57, Ash Grove 53
Ash Grove 15 11 14 13 — 53
Walnut Grove 17 11 12 17 — 57
Ash Grove (8-3 overall) – Bristol Lathrop 17, Millison Sapp 14, Brooke Nicholson 13, Alivia Duit 6, Lacey McCullough 3
Walnut Grove (9-2 overall) – Ashtyn Anderson 12, Kyndal Henry 10, Sadie Loehr 10, Maeli Holman 9, Ana Vinson 7, Laramie Zibell 6, Sabrina Loehr 3
