The defense was excellent Saturday, as the Saints allowed just eight points in the first half, and only 10 in the second half, never allowing Lakewood to get on a roll and limiting any kind of momentum for the opposition.
Preslee Peck swatted 11 shot attempts, as she continued her dominance of the paint. Blayklee Glass, Abby Mendoza, and Gracie Bullock put a lot of pressure on the Lakewood guards, combining for 14 steals. After the game, Blayklee Glass said, "We had a slow start but we picked it up late. The defense was great, and we got the big win we were looking for. Feels great to win a state championship."
The offense was sputtering early on, but Lexi Crane had a very impressive shooting performance in the first half, knocking down three jump shots to give the Saints a 12-8 lead at the break. "They told me I wasn't a shooter. Clearly I was," Lexi Crane said.
It didn't take long for GMCS to get going in the second half, and when they did, the floodgates opened. The Junior Lady Saints outscored Lakewood 25-10 in the second half to clinch the championship, and then all they had left to do was cut the net down.
Preslee Peck had another triple-double, almost the new normal for her, as this is her fourth in the last couple of months. Peck finished the game with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 blocks. Abby Mendoza poured in 10 points and played great defensively. Lexi Crane scored 6 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 2 assists, as she showed up and had one of her best games of the year at the right time. Gracie Bullock scored 5 points and 6 rebounds. Blayklee Glass was fighting through some pain throughout the game, but was lights out on defense and grabbed 5 rebounds. Payton Anderson grabbed 3 rebounds and will be one to look out for in the future. Josie Pinner grabbed a board and made the most of her playing time Saturday on defense.
It has been a great season for the Junior Lady Saints, as they took care of business, and played their best brand of basketball at the right time, cruising to a state title, winning every tournament game by double-digits.
