VERONA, Mo. — College Heights Christian girls basketball coach John Blankenship focused on the positives in the moments following a season-ending setback.
Top-seeded Miller defeated second-seeded College Heights Christian 57-28 on Saturday afternoon in the championship game of the Class 2 District 12 tournament at Verona High School.
Despite the loss, Blankenship remained optimistic, noting there’s no shame in ending the season in a district title game against one of the state’s best squads. Ranked third by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Miller captured a district title for the fourth straight season.
“Miller’s an incredible team,” Blankenship said. “I watched hours of game film on them and we knew what to expect. They’re quick and they rotate so well on defense. They’re smart. As a team, they probably have one of the highest basketball IQs I’ve seen in all of my years of coaching. They’re just a very solid team.”
The Cougars have another reason to feel good. College Heights will return its entire roster next winter, as the team has no seniors.
“I hope this will motivate us,” Blankenship said. “Seven of our 13 kids are freshmen. We have no seniors. I’m hoping this will create a drive in them to work really hard in the offseason. Hopefully we’ll be back in this spot next year.”
The Cardinals used an active zone defense to force the Cougars into numerous turnovers. When they weren’t converting steals into layups, Miller showed the ability to attack the basket or knock down perimeter jumpers.
The result was a 21-point lead by halftime.
“I was very proud of my kids,” Blankenship said. “We came out and executed fairly well on the offensive end to start with. We didn’t turn the ball over against their traps early in the game. But we struggled defensively. They’re a hard team to match up with.”
College Heights ends the season with a record of 15-11.
“I’ve been incredibly impressed and pleased with my team this season,” Blankenship said. “We’re so young. For them to play for a conference championship and to play for a district championship was great. I’m really excited about our future.”
Junior guard Jayli Johnson led College Heights with nine points, while classmate Addison Lawrence added eight points and freshman Ava Lett contributed six. Freshman Libby Fanning had nine rebounds to go with four points.
The Cougars finished the season without the services of junior Lauren Ukena, who suffered a season-ending injury. Sophomore Maddy Colin and freshmen Molly Long, Fanning and Lett all gained valuable experience this winter.
With a 12th straight win, the Cardinals improved to 23-3.
Senior guard Claudia Hadlock led Miller with 19 points, while classmate Kaylee Helton added 15 and fellow senior Payten Richardson had nine.
Miller meets Blue Eye (24-5) in the sectional round at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Carthage High School.
GAME RECAP
The Cougars hung tough early, as a pair of hoops from Fanning kept College Heights within one, but Miller used a 13-2 run to go up 18-6.
College Heights received treys from both Lett and Johnson late in the opening frame, but the Cougars trailed 20-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The Cardinals took control with an 18-5 second quarter, as a bucket inside by Long and a 3-pointer from Lawrence were CHC’s only points of the frame.
Up 38-17 at halftime, Miller blew the game open with a 16-2 third period.
Hadlock scored 11 during the quarter, and the Cardinals held a comfortable 54-19 lead entering the fourth period.
The final outcome was never in doubt in the final frame.
“College Heights is a really good basketball team,” Miller coach Sean Price said. “They did a lot of good things this year. Our girls are excited to get this win. To get where we want to go we needed to win districts. That’s the first step. I’m extremely proud. We’re ready to move on.”
