VCA senior Keenan McClure scored 13 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in the Lady Patriots’ 39-33 bi-district win Thursday against Amarillo Holy Cross. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER
VCA duo Embry Dillard and Keenan McClure combined for 29 points to lead the Lady Patriots past the Amarillo Holy Cross Mustangs in a home playoff game Thursday, 39-33.
After going down by a point (29-28) to start the fourth quarter, the Lady Patriots (14-11) pieced together a final 11-4 run to regain the lead and win the TAPPS 2A bi-district championship.
VCA coach Jeremy Bartlett said he saw his team’s adversity come through down the stretch of the game, which he said was a difference maker in the win.
“There were times where we looked really solid, and there were times when we were teetering a little bit. But I’m proud of the girls for sticking it out and persevering through the tough stretches,” Barlett said. “We didn’t shoot the ball incredible, and I think the score could’ve been different if we finished better, but overall I’m very proud of the girls and glad to get the win.”
VCA jumped off to a hot start in the contest and poured in 12 points before Holy Cross could get on the board. The Mustangs struggled to find paint touches against the Lady Patriots’ zone, settling for low percentage jumpers.
Holy Cross managed to find the bottom of the net with about 30 seconds left in the period, then tacked on a long field goal to draw within single-digits at the close of the period.
“We moved the ball and we were being patient early on. When we had our run-outs and our advantages we were throwing it ahead and finishing strong for the most part,” Bartlett said. “Our defense made things really tough on [Holy Cross] by knowing their players and tendencies and executing our game plan.”
The Mustangs deployed a successful trap in the second quarter and turned the defense into points, igniting a 9-3 run before Bartlett elected for a timeout at the 6:09 mark. Ansley Beedy nailed a pull-up jumper for Holy Cross late in the first half, then teammate Carlee Seidenberger followed her up with a 3-pointer, putting the exclamation point on the Mustangs’ 15-8 run and knotting up with VCA 19-19.
Embry Dillard was VCA’s leading scorer with 16 points in a home playoff win against Amarillo Holy Cross Thursday. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER
Dillard made a 1-for-2 trip at the free throw line to close out her 6-point second quarter and put VCA back ahead by 1.
“When they started pressuring and hitting some shots, we got frazzled,” Bartlett said. “We were making silly turnovers and just doing some uncharacteristic things like traveling.”
McClure did nearly all of the damage by herself in the third quarter to keep VCA in the driver’s seat, using her size advantage to score 6 of the Lady Patriots’ 8 points in the low post. While Holy Cross had a closing 5-0 run in the final four minutes of the third frame, McClure’s early offense helped VCA keep a 28-27 lead headed into the final period.
“It’s my last home game as a senior, so I just wanted to leave everything out there and do the best I could for myself and the team,” McClure said.
Holy Cross took its first lead of the game in the first minute of the fourth quarter, but McClure helped VCA tie even with the Mustangs (29-29) right after. Bartlett took a VCA timeout with 6:13 to play in the contest, and there was no looking back for the Lady Patriots.
“I told the girls to be active with their and be more physical. They ramped it up to the next level and started forcing those turnovers,” Bartlett said. “That’s where we started getting a lot of those steals and forcing turnovers that we couldn’t get in the first half. I saw some great energy. The girls on the floor knew they needed to pick it up late, and they did.”
VCA’s stout defense froze out Holy Cross and opened the offense back up after the timeout, and VCA rode that momentum to the final buzzer.
Dillard was the leading scorer of the night with 16 points, showing her skills as a downhill guard with successful drives to the bucket and the ability to find the open kick-out or cutting teammate.
“Our offense gets us a lot of open looks, and we were able to hit on those tonight,” Dillard said. “I felt like our spacing was great and we were moving around the floor well.”
McClure recorded a double-double with an unbelievable 23 rebounds and 13 points. Bartlett said it’s not often VCA has a size advantage on an opponent, and wanted to make sure he utilized her size inside.
“Before the game, we were telling Keenan that [Holy Cross] didn’t have a lot of size and she’d have opportunities to seal and get some easy stuff,” Bartlett said. “And then on the rebounding side, she was pretty incredible. She was constantly running in for the offensive board and ended with 11. She listened and did what was asked of her and absolutely killed it.”
Greenville Christian will host VCA in the area round next week. Game details will be published when announced. The top-seed Lady Eagles observed a first-round bye after winning their district championship.
“It’s such a blessing to keep playing basketball,” McClure said. “I want to keep going out there and finish the year without any regrets, whenever that may be. I don’t ever want to look back and wish I would’ve done more in these games.”
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