Three games in 48 hours is definitely a grind.
The grind paid off with a win Friday for the Helias Lady Crusaders.
“It was one of our more physical games and I thought we played tough when it got a little hectic toward the end,” Helias coach Garrett Wiggans said after the Lady Crusaders topped the Battle Spartans 48-42 in the fifth-place game of the Jefferson Bank Holiday Hoops Classic at Capital City High School.
“We kept our cool, I’m proud of the way the girls handled themselves.”
It was a tight game start to finish.
Battle led by as many as five points in the first quarter on its way to a 13-11 advantage after the opening eight minutes. A 3-pointer by Adalyn Koelling gave Helias its first lead since the opening basket at 21-20 with a little less than three minutes to go before halftime.
The Spartans scored the final four points of the second quarter to take a 24-23 lead into intermission.
The Helias offense started to get into rhythm in the third quarter, starting with an 8-3 run to take a 31-27 lead in the opening four minutes. A pair of free throws by Maddy Larkin in the final minute gave Helias a 35-31 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Crusaders were going to need to hit some big shots in the fourth quarter if they were going to get the victory.
They got them from junior point guard Kenadi Harrison.
Harrison nailed a 3-pointer with five minutes left to give Helias a 40-35 lead. Then with Helias up by just two points, Harrison hit another 3 with 1:35 left to push the Lady Crusaders’ lead to 45-40.
“I’ve been saying for three years that you can’t let her get open,” Wiggans said. “When she gets her shot lined up, everybody feels good when the ball leaves her hand.”
Harrison had taken just two shots through the first three quarters Friday.
“I think point guards in general take a lot of the heat, she’s got a lot on her shoulders,” Wiggans said. “It was good to see her shine, she’s a big asset.”
In the final minute, Koelling hit two free throws and Harrison added a third to ice the game for the Lady Crusaders.
“It’s a good boost going into the new year,” Wiggans said. “This was a good tournament for us, it’s going to make us better.”
Jaleah Brookins finished with team-high totals of 12 points and 14 rebounds for Battle (5-6).
Koelling scored 19 points to pace Helias, while Claire Galbraith added 10. Koelling and Ava Morris had 10 rebounds each for the Lady Crusaders.
Koelling and Galbraith were Helias’ representatives on the all-tournament team.
“They strung three good games back to back to back,” Wiggans said. “Not just in scoring, but in passing and on the defensive end.”
Helias (7-3) is back in action Thursday when it opens its Central Missouri Activities Conference schedule at Sedalia Smith-Cotton.