Well, don't tell that to Springs' head coach Pam Crawford who said the beauty of her team is their innocence. She said they really bonded and got to know each other last year playing junior varsity.
The Lady Broncos from Bush found this out the hard way.
Early on, junior Valerie Oswald hit the 3-pointer to put the Lady Chargers up 7-4. Morgan Kilgore's basket and foul gave Springs a 10-6 lead.
The Lady Broncos go on a 10-0 run from there. Carolyn Davis, who will play at Kansas next year, hit a couple of baskets during the run. Davis had 14 points in the first half and she finished with a game-high 27.
At the end of the first quarter, Aliyah Brown finds Oswald for the easy basket and Bush took a two-point lead, 18-16, after one.
In the second quarter, the Lady Chargers' Mileka Loydrake took over. She had a big steal and a layup as Loydrake scored 13 of her team-high 22 in the first half.
Clear Springs plays all nine on the team. Coach Crawford was constantly subbing players in and out. She said they have a defensive and an offensive team. The defensive team harassed the ball all night causing turnovers and steals. Loydrake had another steal and layup to put the Lady Chargers up 31-22 in the second half.
Bush got back into the game in the third quarter by outscoring Springs, 17-7, but the Lady Chargers defense was the difference. It kept Bush scoreless for the final 3:00 to complete their first playoff win in school history, 61-52.
Coach Crawford said her team had never faced the post players and experience of the Lady Broncos, but the Chargers focused on their own strengths and that proved to be enough.
