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Lauren Bruns takes an entry pass close to the basket Thursday during
third quarter action with Miami East.
Versailles won another sectional
title downing the Vikings, 65-31. Bruns scored 21 for the Lady
Tigers
to lead all scorers. CNO Photos by George Starks
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Miami East no
match for Versailles in sectional title
Lady Tigers cruise into district final
By George Starks
TIPP CITY- It didn’t take long for Versailles to show its superiority
over Miami East in sectional final action Thursday.
Holding a 17-7 lead after one, the Lady Tigers shredded the Vikings
sails and clawed out a 65-31 victory.
The early lead brought some confidence to Versailles.
“We hit some shots early and our press really frustrated then,” said
Tigers coach Jackie Stonebreaker. “We weren’t doing anything special.
We were trying to make them make the mistakes and the ball was falling
right into our hands.”
Not only did the defense cause the Vikings some turmoil, Miami East
turned into Miami Easy for the Tigers.
The Versailles press caused 21 first half turnovers that led to 14
points in transition for the Tigers.
“We played with a lot of energy tonight,” said Stonebreaker of her
defense. “We put the pressure on them and sometimes we’d tag team them
out front.”
Holding the Vikings to only 31 points proved to be huge for the Tigers
and the way they attack the game not only physically but mentally.
“Anytime we can hold a team to about 30 to 40 points, that’s probably
going to be a win for us,” Stonebraker said. “Miami East is a decent
team. They got better all year. Their shooting’s gotten better and
their leaders have shown up. They’re going to been good competitors the
next couple of years.”
It all boiled down to two things for the Tigers and it started on
defense and points in transition.
“I feel our press really frustrated them,” Stonebreaker said. “Points
in transition in the second quarter was huge for us. We were attacking
them with our two fast guards out front and sometimes, it’s hard to
coach that. It’s hard to coach were to be on the floor. Those two girls
know what to do at all times and sometimes they get out of position but
for the most part, they work really well together (Kami McEldowney and
Shelby Hyre.)
On the offensive glass, the Tigers pulled down 12 rebounds getting 10
second chance points.
Another huge aspect for the Tigers in their victory.
“We use our height to our advantage,” Stonebreaker pointed out. “We
don’t just go over people on the boards but we actually box out on the
offensive end to in order to get those basketballs. That is another
art, just to rebound the basketball.”
Lauren Bruns led the Tigers with 21 points, a season-high in the
victory. Christa Puthoff scored 12 points in support of the victory.
For the Vikings, Kyndall Hellyer netted nine to lead the way.
Now, for Versailles, it’s off to the district next Saturday at
Springfield against the winner of the Bethel-Tate/Georgetown game to be
contested today in the Wilmington sectional.
“We are pretty excited about being to the district once again,”
Stonebreaker stated. “Tipp City has been generous to us the last couple
of years and we’re glad to keep it rolling.”
That game will be played March 7 at 2:30 pm.
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Versailles freshman Kami McEldowney looks to bring the ball up the
floor against a Miami East defender Thursday.
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