Game Recap: Olathe North vs Olathe West (2/27/20)

<span style="font-size: 18pt">Game Recap</span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">In on of the last Sunflower conference games of the 2019-20 season, it would be only fitting it would hold such steaks for Olathe West and a team not playing tonight Olathe East. West is currently 1 game ahead of Olathe East in the Sunflower and with a win they'd when their first-ever win Conference Championship outright, but with a loss would share a portion with Olathe East. Olathe North looks to spoil that this evening in what should be a great match up.</span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">1st period would start quickly with Lele Love getting on the board for 2. North would go from full-court pressure, half-court man and various zones through the period. Owls would start out in man defensively but struggle to get on the board early until Mackenzie Hart would find </span><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/michelle-anderson/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/michelle-anderson/">Michelle Anderson</a></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> for 2. Offensive rebounding was great for North and gave them second chance baskets as they were able to get up 6-2 early. Turnovers haunted Olathe West through the first before </span><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/bailey-collar/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/bailey-collar/">Bailey Collar</a></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> connected for 2 on a layup. North would call timeout at the 4:14 mark as both teams look gassed. Love would stay aggressive and get a couple more shots to fall before the end of the period. Teammates <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/sania-copeland/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/sania-copeland/">Sania Copeland</a></a> and Tyriana Standford would also get on the board in the quarter to help to an early lead of 12-8 for North.</span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">2nd period North would come out in 1-3-1 to try and keep West off guard. Bailey would get free to nail a 3. LeLe would continue to attack for North getting a hoop and a foul early in the period, while Yiibari Nwidadah continued to be relentless on the offensive glass. Collar would get a lefty layup to go and cut North's lead to 16-13. Both teams would trade buckets through the next couple minutes before North's Stanford would get fouled on a drive and get the bucket to go to help end the half on a 7-0 run and create some space with a 30-23 lead.</span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The 3rd would begin kind of sloppy as both teams would would have careless turnovers on their first couple of possessions. West would struggle to score the first half of the period, while North would get some offensive production from Yiibari on a nice dish from Copeland and a steal for a layup for Love. </span><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/saniya-simmons/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/saniya-simmons/">Saniya Simmons</a></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> would get it going also for North, getting a putback and steal and run out for 2 as North began to stretch the lead to 13 more than halfway through it. North would led 41-25 with 1:27 left before Collar would nail a 3 and Ude would pick up a loose ball and race down for 2 at the end of the period to cut the lead to 41-30 to end the 3rd.</span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The 4th would start with great defensive possessions for both teams, shooting passing lanes and coming up with key blocks. The Lady Eagles would be able to get to the free-throw line early in the period but couldn't convert their opportunities. West would get a spark from their bench when freshman Jordan Wilson nailed a 3 to cut the lead to 6, 44-38. Collar would follow that with a 3 of her own to trim the lead even more. Love and Johnson would come up huge on the defensive in by getting steals on back to back trips for layups and to push the lead back to 7. West's, Hart would make a great defensive play of her own to get a steal and 2 with 1:28 left. Stanford would get a pair from the line to go late for North to maintain a lead of 7 points. A few more stops and trips to the line would push the lead to 52-43 as time continues to tick down. Free throws from both teams would be how the game ended as Coach Rhoades called his girls off with North up 56-45, which would be the final.</span> &nbsp;