1A State Championship: 5 Takeaways
It was a battle until the very end. Loogootee found a way to win the 1A State Title but not before a big comeback and some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch. Loogootee got off to a quick 9-4 lead…
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Continue ReadingIt was a battle until the very end. Loogootee found a way to win the 1A State Title but not before a big comeback and some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch. Loogootee got off to a quick 9-4 lead just over four minutes into the game but a 9-0 run by Pioneer over a 2:50 span saw them take a 13-9 lead before Loogootee nailed a 3-pointer to pull within one point heading into the second quarter. That 9-0 run plus a 7-0 run late in the second quarter gave Pioneer a 26-20 lead heading into the second half.
The game looked to be in Pioneers hands as they extended their lead to 32-24 with 3:41 left in the third quarter but Looogootee went on a quick 8-0 run making back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 32 each with 1:39 left in the third quarter. Pioneer then made two layups followed by a Loogootee 3-pointer to send the game to the third quarter with Pioneer up one point.
There were only three field goals made in the entire quarter, all three were by Loogootee as Pioneer struggled to find offense. Pioneer hit two free throws to open the frame and Loogootee then rattled off a 6-0 run to take a 41-38 lead with 2:07 left in the game. Four free throws in a row by Pioneer gave them the lead by one with 1:14 left in the game before Loogootee nailed three to take a two-point lead with 29 seconds left.
Pioneer had a shot to tie the game at the line but they missed the back end of a trip to the line to trail by one point. Loogootee fumbled the ball out of bounds which gave it right back to Pioneer with a chance to win it down by one. They were unable to get the ball in the basket and were forced to foul sending Loogootee to the line up by one-point. Loogootee missed the second free throw and Pioneer got a shot off from the volleyball line with a couple of seconds left. It hit the side of the rim and gave Loogootee the 45-43 win and a state title.
Loogootee survived to win the state title although they shot just 29 percent from the floor. What helped them was forcing 20 Pioneer turnovers and scoring 17 points off those turnovers. They were able to capitalize on the free-throw line for the most part as they shot 70 percent from the stripe. What hurt Pioneer the most was not the 20 turnovers but the fact that they didn’t hit a field goal after the 51-second mark in the third quarter. They finished the game on an almost nine-minute streak without a basket. It was a great contest with both teams playing hard after some early game jitters. Both will look to be back again next year since they each had just three seniors, none of which started in the game.
Below, I look at five takeaways from the 1A state title game.
Fleming played tough
Kalea Fleming was one of the players for Lootoogee who was hustling the entire game. She stood out the most because there were multiple points in the game where she was the first playing on the floor diving for the loose ball. She was unafraid to fly into the teeth of the defense and try and rip the ball away. Fleming was impressive with her ability to force the action defensively. Along with the defensive effort, Fleming scored seven points and ripped off eight assists. She was a big catalyst for Loogootee throughout the entire game.
Brooklynn Jones had herself a game
Jones scored 17 points in the game and scored 14 points in the second half. She was instrumental in the run that Loogootee made in the second half. She scored 10 points in the third quarter as she shot 4-of-5 from the floor and made two 3-pointers. Along with her 17 points in the game, she grabbed five rebounds none bigger than the rebound after a Pioneer free throw miss with under 10 seconds left. She nailed a free throw at the other end and helped spur Loogootee to the state title win.
Madison Blickenstaff was a force
Blickenstaff was one of the bright spots for Pioneer as she scored 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Blickenstaff was solid defensively as well grabbing three steals and swatting four shots. She was very good defensively early on helping Pioneer get out to a lead as she swatted some early shots. She was clutch in the fourth quarter as she hit all four free throws that she took from the stripe. Those free throws came in a 23-second span and took Pioneer from down three points to up by one.
Pioneer made some runs
Pioneer had a few shots to convert a run into a lot of momentum but just couldn’t do it consistently throughout the game. Pioneer went on a 9-0 run over a 2:43 span in the first quarter, a 7-0 run over a 1:20 span in the second quarter, and a 6-2 run in the third quarter. The tough part was that the last field goal they hit was late in the fourth quarter. Pioneer had the runs to win the game but just couldn’t capitalize to hold down that lead on the defensive end of the ball.
Both teams have a great chance to be back next year
Both of these teams had no seniors start the game and only three on each team. I look for these two teams to have a very good chance to get back to the state title game next season. They are both very well-coached and led by a mix of young players. They look to be in good shape going forward to next year and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them right back in the state title game. If they are, I would expect to see another very close game that is played much like this one.