Roseville bringing its lunch pails to the big dance for the first time since 2007

Prep Girls Hoops Kansas Scouting Report

Grant McGinnis March 10, 2018 @ 03:45 PM

Polish up those hard hats, shine the steel-toed boots and wash the faded Carhartts because the girls with the lunch pails are going to the big dance and they are dressing for success. In a year when not a lot was expected of them, the hard-working, tough-as-nails Roseville Raiders will represent section 5AAAA at the state tournament thanks to a 61-45 victory Thursday night over the perennial champions from Park Center. They did it by following the same blueprint they have used all season. "These kids worked their butts off," said Roseville coach Jeff Crosby. "I told them if we win the rebounding battle, if we win the loose ball battle, we will win the game and we did that. The rest of it took care of itself. We just played tough and it was great." The toughest Raider of all was 6'1 sophomore Jayda Johnston. The slippery power forward, who is rated #11 in the class of 2020, banged and crashed her way to a game-high 16 points and was a force at both ends of the floor. "She was a beast!" Crosby said of Johnston. "She grabbed every rebound, made every put-back, made all those free throws. She is a hard-nosed kid. She's got mental toughness, emotional toughness and physical toughness. She was awesome!" Johnston said it was Roseville's game plan that made the difference, not her individual performance. "We grind off preparation. We know exactly what they are going to do when we get into the game, what plays they run, what defenses they use. We come really prepared," she said. "For us as individuals it's not about scoring, it's about stopping the person you are defending. Honestly, I don't care how many points I score. I care about how how many points I keep the person I am guarding from scoring." It was a game of runs In the opening half, Roseville played a methodical game, patiently waiting for good shots and trying to force Park Center into bad ones. When junior Jada Hood made a three-pointer with about four minutes remaining, it gave the Raiders a 23-13 lead. Roseville spread the scoring around as usual, with Johnston, Hood and 6'3 freshman Tamia Ugass doing most of the damage. Then Park Center pounced. The Pirates have been an offensive juggernaut for a very long time, a reputation they have earned with a procession of highly skilled players who led them to state year after year. When sophomore Lauren Frost made a triple for the Pirates, it launched a 10-0 run that saw Adalia McKenzie score three points on an and-one, and follow that with a mid-court steal and score. Then senior Meghan DuBois made a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds left in the half and the game was tied at 23. Roseville was reeling. "Sometimes when we get a lead we get too comfortable," Hood admitted. "With a team like Park Center, you can't get comfortable. We knew we had to keep playing, we knew we had to keep pushing and extend the lead." The second half was a defensive clinic. Roseville returned to form and made a big run of their own, outscoring Park Center by a margin of 20-3 in a five-minute stretch to build an 18-point lead they never relinquished. Senior guard Kaylee Nelson hit a pair of big three-pointers in the second half, and Ugass, who did not play like a 9th-grader on this night, added four second-half baskets for a 14-point performance. Hood made five free throws in the last 75 seconds as she and Nelson finished with 13 points apiece. Park Center (19-10) was led by McKenzie with 11 and DuBois with 10. "We wanted to win it so badly" On a team full of low-key grinders, Hood is the flashy one. Although she can defend with the rest of them, Jada is known more for her offensive flair. This may have been her best game of the season. She made big plays when she needed to, moved the ball with authority and did some nice work one-on-one. Against an opponent known for its highly-skilled offensive talent, it was Hood who stood out in that department. "We all played our game and we really brought it tonight," she said. "That was the main thing. We had no doubt that we were going to bring our game regardless of what they brought." The 22-7 Raiders return to the state tournament for the first time since 2007, and the first time ever under Crosby. Despite having some very nice teams over the years, led by marquee players like Monica Burich and Kaia Porter, Roseville simply couldn't get it done. For Johnston and Nelson, who have been varsity regulars since the 8th grade, it is a very big deal. "It means a lot to me personally," Johnston said. "Last year we had nine seniors. We wanted to win it so badly for them and we didn't. This was a so-called rebuilding year. It just means a lot to do this for Crosby and for Sarah (Hvidhyld), our only senior." Nelson agreed. "Oh my gosh!" she said. "Crosby deserves this. Everything we did on the court was for him. I mean, we have worked really hard this season so I guess we deserve it, too, but we just really wanted to do this for him. It feels awesome."