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Independence, MO —
Becca Jonas had heard about St. Joseph Central's twin terrors – 6-foot-2 Maggie Lawrence and 6-1 Madison Pfleiderer.
But until she walked out of the Truman High School locker room and saw the Indians' duo, she hadn't really thought about the impact they had made for their 7-3 team.
“I saw them and thought, ‘Whoa, we have our hands full tonight,’” Jonas said.
Whoa, indeed.
Jonas, who also stands 6-2, had a game-high 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots to lead the Class 5 No. 3-ranked Patriots to a convincing 45-22 Suburban Middle Six Conference victory.
The Indians did not reach double figures in any period and Lawrence and Pfleiderer combined for just 10 points.
“I know people don't really think of us as a great defensive team,” Truman coach Steve Cassity said after the Patriots improved to 13-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play, “but before this game, we were just giving up (31.3) points a game.
“We had to make some adjustments at halftime, but overall I was really pleased with the way the girls played tonight. We passed the ball and really played well in the paint. They didn't get a lot of points inside.”
They didn't get a lot of points period.
“We're really proud of our defense,” Jonas said. “The last few days, that's what we've been concentrating on in practice and it really helped tonight.”
Neither team could get on track offensively in the first quarter as Truman crawled to a 9-5 lead.
The Patriots managed nine points in the second quarter and took an 18-11 lead into halftime.
“I really like passing the ball and seeing other players score,” Jonas said. “Deep down, I've always wanted to be a point guard, but I know that's not going to happen. Abby (Hix) challenged me to pick up my scoring, so I went out in the third period and really tried to score some points.”
Jonas, who was 6-for-6 from the free throw line, scored eight of her 16 points in the third period. Truman scoring leader Ashley Guenther, who was held scoreless in the first half, added five points and finished with 11 for the game.
Hix, who had two 3-pointers, added 12 points.
“I think one reason we are still undefeated is because we don't care who scores or who gets their name in the headlines, all we want to do is win,” Jonas said. “We played great defense tonight and scored enough points to win, and that's all that matters.
Freshman Lexie Hart scored 17 points to lead the Patriots to a 39-26 victory in the junior varsity game.
Becca Jonas had heard about St. Joseph Central's twin terrors – 6-foot-2 Maggie Lawrence and 6-1 Madison Pfleiderer.
But until she walked out of the Truman High School locker room and saw the Indians' duo, she hadn't really thought about the impact they had made for their 7-3 team.
“I saw them and thought, ‘Whoa, we have our hands full tonight,’” Jonas said.
Whoa, indeed.
Jonas, who also stands 6-2, had a game-high 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots to lead the Class 5 No. 3-ranked Patriots to a convincing 45-22 Suburban Middle Six Conference victory.
The Indians did not reach double figures in any period and Lawrence and Pfleiderer combined for just 10 points.
“I know people don't really think of us as a great defensive team,” Truman coach Steve Cassity said after the Patriots improved to 13-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play, “but before this game, we were just giving up (31.3) points a game.
“We had to make some adjustments at halftime, but overall I was really pleased with the way the girls played tonight. We passed the ball and really played well in the paint. They didn't get a lot of points inside.”
They didn't get a lot of points period.
“We're really proud of our defense,” Jonas said. “The last few days, that's what we've been concentrating on in practice and it really helped tonight.”
Neither team could get on track offensively in the first quarter as Truman crawled to a 9-5 lead.
The Patriots managed nine points in the second quarter and took an 18-11 lead into halftime.
“I really like passing the ball and seeing other players score,” Jonas said. “Deep down, I've always wanted to be a point guard, but I know that's not going to happen. Abby (Hix) challenged me to pick up my scoring, so I went out in the third period and really tried to score some points.”
Jonas, who was 6-for-6 from the free throw line, scored eight of her 16 points in the third period. Truman scoring leader Ashley Guenther, who was held scoreless in the first half, added five points and finished with 11 for the game.
Hix, who had two 3-pointers, added 12 points.
“I think one reason we are still undefeated is because we don't care who scores or who gets their name in the headlines, all we want to do is win,” Jonas said. “We played great defense tonight and scored enough points to win, and that's all that matters.
Freshman Lexie Hart scored 17 points to lead the Patriots to a 39-26 victory in the junior varsity game.
