GROTON – Groton used defense to fuel a fast start and then came up big on defense to secure a strong finish Monday night.
The Tigers fought off numerous comeback attempts to grab a 39-34 non-conference girls’ basketball victory over Florence-Henry for their seventh consecutive win.
“The girls showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts, played some good defense,” said Groton coach Matt Locke.
Groton bolted out to a 12-1 lead in the opening period and it turned out the Tigers would need that big of a cushion as the night wore on. The Falcons did not score their first point until a minute remained in the quarter.
“I knew it was going to be a battle. Groton is well-coached. They get up and press a lot,” said Florence-Henry coach Mitch Reed. “I thought we did a good job in the first half of handling that pressure. I didn’t think it was going to be next to impossible to score.”
Florence-Henry bounced back from the rough start to close the deficit to 16-13 at the half, thanks to nine second-quarter points from Caylin Kelly.
The Falcons closed the margin to two points a couple of times in the third period before Groton extended its lead to 28-19 heading into the final quarter.
Florence-Henry kept the pressure on, three times closing the deficit down to a single point, however, Groton responded each time. The Falcons had just one opportunity where they possessed the ball down a point and it came in the final minute of action.
That’s when Groton’s Jerica Locke stepped up and helped to seal the deal on both ends of the floor. The sophomore stole the ball to deny Florence-Henry a chance to go ahead and then made two free throws to extend the margin to 37-34 with 26 seconds left.
The Falcons then missed a 3-point attempt at a tie and Locke grabbed the rebound and added two more foul shots to ice the win.
Locke made 5 of 6 free throws total during the final stages of the fourth quarter on her way to a team-leading 10 points.
“Well, I’ve struggled in past games,” Locke said, “but this game I was like the ball’s going through.”
Groton’s smallest starter at 5-foot-5, Locke also came up big on defense when the Tigers needed it most. She finished with five rebounds and three steals.
“I just know it’s very important,” Locke said. “We’re not very tall at all on our team, so someone has to get up there and get the boards and make those defensive plays.”
While the Falcons did not turn the ball over much, they did have a bit of an issue with Groton’s pressure defense.
“We struggle with press sometimes,” said Florence-Henry senior Taylor Watson. “We just get rushed in ourselves. We just need to learn to slow down.”
When the Falcons were able to work the ball inside to Kelly, she made the Tigers pay, finishing with a game-high 20 points.
“She’s tough to stop,” Coach Locke said. “She’s a tough matchup for anybody.”
Florence-Henry, which just defeated Class A state runner-up Wagner last Saturday, is currently 12-3 facing a demanding schedule that has also included games against the likes of West Fargo and Great Plains Lutheran with contests coming up against Hanson, Aberdeen Roncalli and top-rated Sisseton.
“We’re going to keep going,” Reed said. “We’re battle tested.”
The Falcons are also in a tough region that includes unbeaten Flandreau and defending State A champion Hamlin.
“Our goal is not to lose anymore,” Watson said, “and just set ourselves up good for postseason.”
Groton featured a balanced scoring attack as evidenced by seven different players accounting for the team’s first 14 points of the contest. The Tigers received a huge boost off the bench from Taryn Traphagen and Faith Traphagen.
“They’re long. They can cause some problems in there for you,” Coach Locke said. “Taryn’s got a good touch and Faith can slash.”
Groton improved to 10-4 on the season and received a shot of confidence from the victory over Florence-Henry, which is receiving votes in this week’s poll.
“We can beat anybody on any given night and we can get beat any given night,” Coach Locke said. “If we get a little bit more consistent putting the ball in the basket and keep our defensive effort, we’ll be a tough out.”
FLORENCE-HENRY (12-3): Haley Hlavacek 0 2-8 2, Taylor Watson 3 0-0 6, Reese Schmidt 1 0-0 2, Caylin Kelly 8 3-4 20, Ashlynn Vavruska 1 0-0 3, Ashelyn Klitzke 0 1-2 1. Totals 13 6-14 34.
GROTON (10-4): Sidney Leicht 1 0-0 2, Jerica Locke 2 6-9 10, Jaedyn Penning 2 0-0 4, Brooklyn Hansen 3 0-0 8, Rylee Dunker 1 0-0 2, Faith Traphagen 1 1-2 3, Laila Roberts 1 0-0 2, Taryn Traphagen 3 1-1 8. Totals 14-29 8-12 39.
Florence-Henry 1 13 19 34
Groton 12 16 28 39
3-point field goals – Kelly, Vavruska; Hansen (2), T. Traphagen. Total fouls – Florence-Henry 14; Groton 14. Rebounds – Florence-Henry 18 (Hlavacek 7, Kelly 5); Groton 26 (Locke 5, Penning 5). Turnovers – Florence-Henry 6; Groton 17. Assists – Groton 5. Steals – Groton 4 (Locke 3).
