Hayley Kropp set a new single-game school scoring record, Polk County delivered one of its best performances of the year and an enthusiastic home crowd witnessed it all.
Senior Night couldn’t have gone much better Friday for the Wolverines – save for the final score.
Owen led from nearly start to finish, doing just enough to keep Polk County at bay en route to a 68-61 Western Highlands Conference victory at Polk.
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The taller Warhorses (16-8, 8-4) relied heavily on their inside game, with freshman Chesney Gardner scoring 21 points and seemingly hitting a key layup every time Owen really needed one. And Polk County made certain the Warhorses did, thanks in large part to Kropp.
It wasn’t the senior’s final home game – Wednesday’s non-conference season finale with Brevard will serve that purpose – but her fourth-quarter effort will be one to remember. Kropp scored 20 points in the fourth, hitting two 3-pointers, 8-of-8 free throws and three layups and finishing with 38 points to break the school record of 37 she set earlier this year.
Kropp scored eight of the quarter’s first nine points as Polk (8-13, 3-8) quickly sliced the Owen lead to seven, its defense forcing Owen into a handful of turnovers and rushed shots. The Warhorses then slowed the Polk rally and matched points with Kropp for the next three minutes, taking a 59-50 lead with less than three minutes remaining.
Kropp scored on a driving layup and Autumn Owen hit two free throws to make it 59-54 with 2:20 left. Kropp then had a look at a long 3-pointer that rimmed in and out, and Owen soon pulled back ahead by nine with a minute left. The Wolverines again closed to within five with 31 seconds left on two Owen free throws, but the Warhorses hit three of four foul shots in the final seconds for the final margin.
“To play as well as we did and come up short is frustrating,” said Polk County head coach Brandy Alm. “We had the fewest amount of turnovers we’ve had all year and we allowed the fewest offensive rebounds we’ve had all year.
“I’m proud of their effort. They never give up. The heart and soul of this team is their effort.”
Owen grabbed a 4-2 lead early in the first period and never lost it, building a 19-12 edge at the end of the first quarter. The lead hovered just below 10 points most of the second period, with Owen pushing the margin to 12 before Owen and Kropp hit a pair of free throws and Kropp hit a fadeaway 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to make it 36-29 at the break.
The Wolverines closed to within six early in the third before the Warhorses put together a 10-3 run to build their 13-point advantage at the end of the period.
Kropp finished with 12 rebounds and seven steals for Polk, which also got 15 points and six rebounds from Owen, five points and six rebounds from Ansley Lynch, two points from Mariah Overholt and a point from Kendall Hall.
