The top-ranked Class 2A girls basketball team in the state had a lead for a half Wednesday night.
Then the fourth-ranked Class 4A team in the state got defensive.
Real defensive.
Skyview held Mark Morris to seven points in the second half, erasing a seven-point deficit to win 48-32 in a non-league game featuring two teams with state championship dreams.
“Great defense across the board, everybody,” said Skyview post Jocelyn Adams, who scored a game-high 17 points along with eight rebounds and four assists. “Jen drew some stuff up and made sure we were on top of things on defense.”
That would be Jennifer Buscher, Skyview’s coach, who was thrilled with the second-half performance. She also appreciated playing another quality opponent.
“I think it’s really important we’re playing the best competition,” Buscher said. “That’s how we get better. That’s how we get ready for postseason.”
Skyview improved to 10-1.
The Monarchs (9-1) made four 3-pointers in the first half, taking a 25-18 lead at the break.
Skyview went old school on offense, an inside-out game with Adams going 7 for 11 from the floor.
“We knew some of our outside shots weren’t falling,” Adams said. “Our posts are bigger, so we decided to take advantage of that.”
The Storm ended the third quarter on an 11-0 run. Adams assisted on Hannahjoy Adams’ 3-poiner to tie the game. Aubrey Ward-El, who had 17 rebounds and 11 points, gave Skyview the lead for good with a free throw, and Stephanie McDonagh drained a 3-pointer to end the period.
Skyview scored the first five points of the fourth to make it 16 in a row, pretty much securing the victory.
Kourtney Eaton led Mark Morris with 12 points — all in the first half. Karley Eaton added 10 points.
