Polk County gave gifts and thanks to its four seniors prior to Tuesday’s game with Hendersonville. In return, the quartet gave the Wolverines all the points they would need to make Senior Night a festive one.
Three of that group – Kara Overholt, Sarah Phipps and Ashley Kropp – combined for 42 points to lead Polk County to a 61-42 victory over the Bearcats in Western Highlands Conference action at Polk.
The win clinched third place in the WHC for Polk County (15-8, 7-5), who will travel to Brevard on Wednesday for a chance to earn its 16th victory, the most regular-season wins for the program since the 2007-2008 season. Polk County will also host a first-round game in next week’s WHC tournament, most likely again facing Hendersonville (6-17, 2-10).
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Overholt and Phipps each scored 19 points as the Wolverines overpowered Hendersonville with pressure defense – Overholt had 11 steals – and effective ball movement in their half-court sets.
“We moved the ball so well,” said Polk County head coach Brandy Alm. “I was very impressed with how we reversed the ball and even on our secondary, we were getting looks at the basket. We worked our inside/outside game again really well.”
Polk held a 14-8 lead at the end of the first period, then took command of the game in the second period thanks in large part to Overholt. The senior guard outscored Hendersonville 14-7 in the quarter and had the Wolverines’ final nine points as Polk County built a 32-15 halftime lead.
The advantage quickly ballooned to 20 points in the third period and allowed Alm to give plenty of playing time to her entire roster. Late in the fourth period, she returned all four seniors – Overholt, Phipps, Kropp and Katelyn Miller – to the floor for a couple of minutes before pulling the group at once to a nice ovation from fans and teammates.
Overholt also had six assists and Phipps had a team-high eight rebounds. Hayley Kropp had 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals and Ashley Kropp and Autumn Owen each had five rebounds for Polk, which has also positioned itself for a possible home playoff game in the 2A state playoffs with its overall record.
“We’re ready for postseason play,” Alm said. “We’re ready for the conference tournament and ready for the playoffs. We want to keep playing for as long as we can.”
Polk County Scoring
Kara Overholt 19, Sarah Phipps 19, Hayley Kropp 10, Ashley Kropp 4, Maranda Gosnell 4, Autumn Owen 3, Savannah Ross 2
