Defense, Kropp’s triple-double power Wolverines to win

Polk County’s holiday week recipe for success Tuesday night included a healthy serving of defense and a generous portion of Hayley Kropp.

Expect the Wolverines to whip that up for a few opponents this season.

Kropp notched a triple-double and Polk County held East Henderson scoreless over the final four minutes en route to a 37-34 victory before a large crowd at Polk County in the season opener for both teams.

With most of the Wolverines’ young roster making their varsity debut, Kropp played like the veteran leader that head coach Brandy Alm expects to see this season, scoring 26 points with 16 rebounds and 10 steals. Kropp, who finished 10-of-15 from the field, picked apart East Henderson’s man-to-man defense early on, scoring 19 points in the first half, before East moved to a zone that troubled Polk County throughout the second half.

“I think defense played a huge role in our success. It created a lot of offensive opportunities for us,” said Alm, who noted Polk had focused on its man-to-man offense in recent days. “We worked hard on the court and did a lot of little things well. We definitely have a lot of things to work on. I’m very pleased with the effort.”

East Henderson scored the opening points of the game, then didn’t lead again until six minutes remained when the Eagles took a 32-30 lead on Drew McMillan’s 3-pointer. The teams then swapped baskets, with East taking a 34-32 lead with 4:27 left. The Eagles wouldn’t score again.

Kropp drove the length of the floor for a layup to tie the game with 2:43 left, then buried a long jumper near the top of the key with 1:19 left, directing teammate Autumn Owen to set a pick to provide space for the shot. The senior added a free throw with 10 seconds remaining for the final margin.

Kropp scored 11 first-quarter points as the Wolverines grabbed a 14-7 margin, then scored five straight points early in the second quarter to push Polk to a 21-10 lead. But East began to get its offense going while forcing several Polk turnovers, the combination leading to a 9-0 East run. Kropp snapped the streak with a free throw, then scored shortly before the half to give the Wolverines a 24-21 edge at the break.

Owen scored eight points for Polk, with Mariah Overholt adding two and Bella Marino scoring one.