Keys girls basketball reached a big milestone over the weekend.
The No. 8-ranked team in 3A pieced together three wins and walked away as the Warner Cherokee Classic Champions. Playing in two previous tournaments this season, the Lady Cougars got over the hump in their third try.
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They secured the win in a defensive battle that ended 36-30, Saturday, Jan. 10.
“We are excited it is the first time we have pieced together three wins in a row, and that is something to be excited about,” KHS head coach Kruz Lynch said. “The kids played hard; I thought they hung in there and executed when it mattered.”
The name of the game was defense for Keys and Warner, as neither team took a distinct advantage throughout the game. In the first quarter, KHS pulled a 9-8 lead with points from 3-pointers from Kenlee Comer and Adali Welker and free throws from Paizlee Zodrow and Welker.
The second quarter was another defensive slog, with KHS taking a 2-point lead into halftime. In the quarter, the Lady Cougars only hit two shots — a 2-pointer from Payton Zodrow and a 3-pointer from Paizlee — but they still outscored Warner 7-6 in the period. Free throws from Payton made the difference.
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Keys’ Kenlee Comer goes for a steal earlier this season.
Good size from Warner was limiting the Lady Cougars on the defensive end. Even though the offense wasn’t kicking, Lynch never felt out of it, thanks to his defense.
“We were getting stops on the other end,” Lynch said. “We struggled offensively tonight. We missed shots right around the rim. All night around the rim, we didn’t finish; some of that is [because] Warner has good size. We got stops, so I never felt out of it.”
Out of halftime, the Lady Cougars had their best scoring quarters, picking up 10 points in the final two periods. Aliviah Stricker only picked up 3 points for the Lady Cougars, but they came at a key time. The sophomore hit a major shot in the final minutes of the game and added a 3-pointer to push the lead to two possessions.
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“She is a physical kid when she wants to be; sometimes it is a mental thing for her,” Kruz said. “She is such a good athlete; she makes it hard to score on her. She’s been playing well, scoring more than she has. She got 9 points last night, and hit a big shot for us tonight.”
Stricker had a solid weekend, stepping up with 9 points in the semifinal game.
“She does a lot for us; she is really capable of scoring the basketball but just hasn’t had that role yet,” Lynch said. “She plays the top of our zone; she does a lot of other good things when she’s not scoring, like going to get boards. She’s a really good basketball player, even if she thinks she isn’t sometimes. She is starting on a team that is ranked No. 8 in the state.”
Lady Cougars cruise
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in semifinals
The Keys Lady Cougars laid down the ground rules early against Eufaula in the semi-final game of the Warner Eagle Cherokee Tournament, Friday, Jan. 9.
The ground rules were simple. “You try to score as many as you can, but we’re going to outscore you.”
And that’s pretty much what happened. The Lady Cougars outpaced Eufaula 22-6, 16-7, and 15-13 in the first three quarters on their way to a 58-31 victory.
The final period was a JV affair that ended in a 5-5 tie.
Payton Zodrow paced the Lady Cougars with 16 points in only three quarters. Kenlee Comer was the only other Lady Cougar in double figures, rippling the nets for 14 points.
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Aliviah Stricker finished with 9, followed by Adali Welker with 7, Paizlee Zodrow and Bentley Smith each with 5, and Ry’Lee Peterson with 3.
The Lady Cougars combined for nine 2-pointers and nine 3-pointers. Their one Achilles heel was at the line, where they made just 14 of 23 attempts.
“Our girls played really well defensively tonight,” Lynch said. “They were very active and were able to come up with some steals that led to easy buckets on the other end of the floor.”
Lynch said the tough schedule the Lady Cougars played in the first half of the season really helped them get ready for the second half.
