2016 Class A Semi-Finals Game Recap

Detroit King vs. St. Johns

Friday, March 18, 2016

Breslin Center

In the first Class A semi-finals matchup, the Lady Crusaders of Detroit King (23-1) would face off against the Lady Redwings of St. John (23-3). Both teams would start their first possessions of the game off with turnovers, but that quickly changed when Micaela Kelly would break the ice for King, hitting a three point shot. This was quickly answered by a three from St. John’s Maddie Maloney. King would fire back in a matter of seconds with another triple from Kelly. Tia Tedford and Alicia Norman would also join the three point party and knock down shots of their own, giving King a total of 4 threes for the quarter. Maloney would be the spark for the Redwings, getting a long rebound and easy layup and another three point shot. St. Johns would end the quarter down 2.  

The Lady Crusaders would continue their hot shooting with three point shots from freshman Del’Janae Williams and sophomore Erica Whitley-Jackson within the first minute of the 2nd quarter. King’s speed on both ends of the floor, along with their aggressive style of play, would control the tempo for much of the first half, forcing St. Johns to accumulate a nice amount of turnovers. Although King was able to shoot just about any shot that they wanted, they were only able to add 8 points to their score. St. Johns would be held to only 3 points in the quarter and go into halftime down 7.

Opening the third, King would switch things up on defense and run a box and 1, with Williams face guarding Maloney. This defense strategy worked well for King. Maloney did not score one field goal in the third. Senior Jessica Hafner would try to give her team some energy, knocking down a three point shot from the top of the key. Her efforts seem to give the energy to the wrong team. King would get back to back steals from Williams and great drives to the basket from Kelly. Erika Ballinger would score a three point bucket for St. Johns, however it would be all the Redwings would get for the remainder of the quarter. King would go into the 4th with a 37-28 lead. 

The fourth quarter would start off very similar to the third, with Whitley-Jackson knocking down a deep three point shot. St. Johns would not go away quietly. They would play great defense and get big shots from Maloney and Hafner. Both teams would trade baskets until a timeout was called by the Redwings. After the timeout, St. Johns would continue to give all they had on both ends of the court. Ballinger hit a nice pull-up jumper to cut King’s lead down to 9. She would soon after foul out of the game with 1:23 left to play. Kelly would knock down two clutch free throws, but St. Johns would fire back with a lay-up and foul from junior Jamie Carroll. After the old fashion three, King would have a crucial turnover, giving St. Johns the ball back. They would make good on the possession, drawing the foul and knocking down two free throws. With under 30 seconds left to play, Kelly and Norman would split a pair of free throws and King would live to play another day. They will face the winner of the Warren Cousino vs. Hudsonville game.

Leaders: Detroit King - Kelly 18, Norman 14, Whitley-Jackson 10; St. Johns – Maloney 12, Carroll 8, Ballinger 7

Game Highlights

Detroit King:

• Del’Janae Williams played outstanding defense. She got some crucial steals and slowed down St. Johns go to player without getting in foul trouble.

• At halftime, King was shooting 50% from 3 point range and continued this great shooting into the second half. When they are shooting that good, it’s hard to beat them.

• Micaela Kelly’s leadership was on display today. She kept her team level headed and made huge plays when they needed them.

St. Johns:

• St. Johns may be young but they’re disciplined. Look for this team to make a few more trips to the Breslin in the next couple of years.

• Maddie Maloney plays well beyond her sophomore status. Her final points do not show her true contribution to her team today.

**Follow R. Simone on Twitter @LBI_RSimone**