[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyPflYGYkys[/youtube]
NEWTON – An unexpected two-week layoff left Polk County girls basketball coach Brandy Alm wondering how her Wolverines would react when Tuesday’s state 2A playoff opener tipped off at Newton-Conover.
Get PolkSports delivered to your inbox
Sign up for our free newsletter →
The answer was quite well, thank you.
Its trademark aggressive defense troubling Newton-Conover from the outset, Polk County led nearly from start to finish en route to a 56-40 victory in first-round playoff action at the Red Devils’ Lemon Gymnasium.
Polk County (17-8), the 17th seed in the 2A West bracket, will now face the winner of the East Rutherford-Mountain Heritage matchup, currently slated to be played Wednesday. The unbeaten Cougars, who defeated Polk County twice this season in Western Highlands Conference play, are the top seed in the 2A West bracket, with East Rutherford the 32nd seed.
Two bits of history made Tuesday – the victory marked the first 2A playoff win for the girls program, with Polk County’s last postseason victory coming in 2009 when the Wolverines defeated Swain in the opening round of the state 1A playoffs. And junior guard Hayley Kropp became just the second girls player in school history to crack the 1,000-point barrier, doing so early in the third quarter.
The Wolverines turned a 27-18 halftime lead into an 18-point margin at the end of the third period before Newton-Conover (12-12), the 16th seed coached by former North Carolina State All-American Andrea Stinson, scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter, puling within 44-36 with 4:19 left. But Kropp buried a running 3-pointer from the left wing and a jumper from the lane on a fast break, then Autumn Owen followed with a 15-footer to build the advantage back to 15 with 2:28 remaining and squelch any hopes the Red Devils had of a late rally. Newton-Conover turned the ball over on three straight possessions after pulling within eight.
“We were on such a roll and playing so well and playing together before the break,” Alm said. “We had great practices, but game situations are a little different. But we picked up right where we left off. I was a little nervous about how we would respond, but once I saw how focused they were when they stepped on the court, I knew we would be OK.”
Newton-Conover, the second-place team in Southern District 7, struggled throughout the game to break Polk County’s halfcourt pressure. When they did do so, the Red Devils often looked to drive into the lane, then kick the ball out to a waiting shooter at the 3-point line. Many of those efforts missed, though, and the Wolverines dominated the boards to often limit Newton-Conover to one shot per possession. Senior Sarah Phipps had 10 rebounds, one of four Wolverines with at least five boards in the game.
“That’s the way we play, playing aggressive defense to create offensive opportunities,” Alm said. “Controlling the boards is essential to us in every game.”
Polk County took a 5-3 lead with 4:18 left in the first period and never trailed again. The Red Devils did stay close for a while and were still down by two early in the second quarter, but six quick points gave the Wolverines a 19-11 edge, and the lead never dropped below three points again, the Wolverines taking a 27-18 lead at the half.
Held to two points in the first half, Kropp opened the third period with a short jumper to push her past the 1,000-point mark, and that seemed to open the floodgates as she scored 18 of her game-high 20 points in the second half and had six rebounds for the game. Owen had 13 points in her first playoff appearance, Phipps had 11 points and Kara Overholt had 10 points, six assists and five rebounds. Ashley Kropp had two points and six rebounds to round out Polk’s scoring.
Mackenzie Harbinson had 13 points to lead Newton-Conover. Sophomore Hannah Stull, one of the Red Devils’ two all-conference players, was held to eight points and fouled out late in the game.
