Kelly no match for high-octane Saxony Lutheran

BENTON, Mo. — Saxony Lutheran flexed its defensive muscle en route to a dominant 75-45 win at Kelly on Thursday, Jan. 4.

The Lady Hawks (7-5) struggle to overcome the Crusaders (9-4), allowing Abigail Haley to explode for a game-high 25 points, while Rebecca Johnson added 23.

“We executed well, played hard defensively and that led to easy transition baskets for us,” said Saxony Lutheran coach Christopher Crawford. “When we do that we’re a hard team to beat. Our defensive rotations were really good, we boxed out well and I liked our energy from the start. Sometimes it takes us a little bit of time to get going, but we didn’t do that tonight.”

Saxony Lutheran wasted no time dictating the tempo, constructing a commanding 24-8 lead by the first quarter’s end and solidifying its control with a 45-15 halftime advantage, effectively putting the game out of reach early.

“[Haley and Johnson] are good for us every night,” Crawford said. “But we have multiple girls who can go for 20 or 30 points on any given night. It makes my job pretty easy when they can do that, being efficient with the basketball and getting high-quality shots.

“Much of their scoring came from the defensive end,” he continued. “When those two are locked in defensively, they’re going to get a ton of easy baskets. [Haley] is so fast, has active hands, and is just an overall great defensive player. [Johnson] runs the floor well and gets a ton of assists. When those two are running, it’s hard to beat them.”

Saxony Lutheran hosts Park Hills Central (8-2) on Monday, Jan. 8.

Kelly was led in scoring by Jada Griggs with 24 and will play Cape Central (6-4) at home on Monday, Jan. 8.

“We played a little soft and were quiet on the defensive end,” said Kelly coach Matthew Blissett. “We need to be stronger both mentally and physically. Instead of being intimidated, I want us to be more intimidating. But we’re still improving and there is a long way to go before the season is over. We always struggle with pressure. That’s something that we have to get better at. It starts at practice, pressuring each other so we can get used to it.”

__SAXONY LUTHERAN 75, KELLY 45__

Saxony 24 21 19 11 — 75

Kelly 8 7 16 14 — 45

Saxony Lutheran (75) — Abigail Haley 25, Rebecca Johnson 23m Evie Caruso 11, Maci Hollis 6, Camille Richey 6, Maddie Reusser 2, Ellie Meyr 2. FG: 32. FT: 7-12. F: 13. (3-pointers: Haley 3, Johnson 1. Fouled out: None).

Kelly (45) — Jada Griggs 24, Kristin Grogan 6, Lola Pattengill 4, Kayleigh Holman 4, Paige Klipfel 2, Macy Burger 3, Ava LeGrand 2. FG: 17. FT: 10-12. F: 7. (3-pointers: Burger 1. Fouled out: None).