Bendlage's 32 not enough for Lady Crusaders

More rebounds

In the second half (after the Bullettes had eight 3-pointers), we decided we were going to go to man-to-man and I thought we were better. But if we rebound a little better, we would have had a better chance.”

Tony Johnson, HTC girls head coach

MEDIAPOLIS — There were enough defensive solutions for Holy Trinity’s girls basketball to try to slow Mediapolis’ inside-outside game.
There weren’t enough rebounds to make the stops work better.
The Crusaders rallied in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get key shots late in a 64-58 loss on Tuesday night.
The Bullettes (12-2 overall, 10-2 SEI Superconference South Division) scored from the outside in the first half, and on the inside in the second half.
Payton Bush led Mediapolis with 20 points, 15 coming in the first half off five 3-pointers. Haley Steffener had 17 points, scoring on the inside as well as on the perimeter. Hanna Wagenbach had 12 points and Liz Lane had nine points in the second half scoring inside.
“We had three or four different defenses ready for tonight,” Holy Trinity coach Tony Johnson said. “In the second half (after the Bullettes had eight 3-pointers), we decided we were going to go to man-to-man and I thought we were better. But if we rebound a little better, we would have had a better chance.”
That showed on the offensive end, Johnson said.
“We didn’t get a lot of second-chance points, like we usually do,” Johnson said.
Still, Holy Trinity (7-7, 5-6) had chances in the closing minutes after rallying from 12 points down at the end of the third quarter.
Holy Trinity got to within four points on four occasions in the final three minutes, the last time at 62-58 with 58 seconds to play. Teagan Snaadt forced a turnover on the Bullettes, giving Holy Trinity a chance to get closer, but Anna Bendlage missed a 3-pointer. After Lane missed the front end of a one-and-bonus with 26 seconds left, the Crusaders had another opportunity to cut the lead, but Presley Myers missed an inside jumper.
Bush was fouled on Mediapolis’ next possession, then missed the front end of her one-and-bonus chance. But Bush chased the down the long rebound in the right corner and was fouled again. She made two free throws for the final margin.
“There were a few rebounds we let loose there in the second half we should have had,” Johnson said.
Bush’s first-half 3-pointers stretched the Crusaders’ defense.
“She makes shots nobody else makes,” Johnson said. “Usually you don’t have to tell someone to go guard out at 25 feet. There aren’t many girls who would take those shots. We knew coming in she would be a problem. Our second-half defense on her was much better.”
Mary Kate Bendlage, who finished with 32 points, had 17 of the Crusaders’ 19 points in the fourth quarter.  Snaadt had seven points.