Moniteau bows to powerful Redbank Valley
CLARION — Like it’s been for almost all challengers this go-round, Redbank Valley was too strong for Moniteau to topple in Saturday’s District 9 Class 2A girls hoops championship.
The Bulldogs left Clarion University’s Tippin Gymnasium with a 59-35 victory, having yet to lose a game since the turn of the calendar year.
Alivia Huffman and Mylee Harmon combined to score 10 of their team’s 13 points in the initial frame, taking advantage of nine Warriors giveaways in the first eight minutes.
Meanwhile, Moniteau (19-7) went 4-of-14 from the floor before the halftime break, which it entered down by 13. The Warriors had to contend with a number of different defensive sets on the day.
“We ran a 1-3-1, we did a box-and-one, then we dropped back into our 23 and our 32s,” Bulldogs coach Chris Edmonds said. “We have a group that we call ‘chaos’ that came out and ran for a good 2-3 minutes for full-court pressure.”
The only time the Warriors scored on consecutive possessions in that time was when Catherine Kelly trimmed some of the deficit with five points in the final 1:08. Kelly led her team with 15 points.
“We told them, ‘Get it to the high post, get it to the corner, get it back to the low post,’” Moniteau coach Dee Arblaster said. “We’ve been preaching that ... We just don’t have that dominating (presence down low).”
In Huffman, Redbank Valley (25-1) did. She did her part in her team’s seven third-quarter offensive boards, which created second-chances that stretched the lead to 21 by the time the final quarter got underway.
“Whenever you can limit Moniteau’s shots, it’s a big key,” Edmonds said. “Our rebounding, night in, night out, has been a big thing for this year ... If we can dominate the boards, get a quick transition, and go, it’s big.”
“They’ve got scorers everywhere,” Arblaster said. “You can’t forget about any of them. They’re very good.”
Moniteau will host Lakeview, District 10’s third seed, to open the state playoffs.
MONITEAU 35
Catherine Kelly 4 5-6 15, Davina Pry 2 5-9 9, Kendall Sankey 2 2-5 6, Alexandra Pry 1 0-0 2, Autumn Stewart 1 0-0 2, Sophia Fleeger 0 1-2 1. Totals: 10 13-22 35.
REDBANK VALLEY 59
Alivia Huffman 8 8-10 24, Mylee Harmon 7 5-9 19, Adyson Bond 3 1-2 8, Kira Bonanno 2 0-0 4, Brooklyn Edmonds 0 2-2 2, Isabelle Bond 1 0-0 2, Caylen Rearick 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 16-23 59.
Moniteau 4 11 10 10 — 35
Redbank Valley 13 15 18 13 — 59
3-point goals: Moniteau 2 (Kelly 2); Redbank Valley 1 (Bond)
