Lady Bobcats dominate county tournament
The Woodland Lady Bobcats secured their fourth straight county tournament championship Saturday night with a 69-23 win over the Handley Lady Tigers.
Woodland, the clear favorite in this year’s county tournament, went through two nights’ worth of competition nearly unopposed.
Woodland’s defensive prowess proved to be too much for Handley from the get-go Saturday night as the Lady Bobcats outscored Handley 23-11 in the first quarter. But it was the second quarter when Woodland really got hot defensively.
The Lady Bobcats outscored Handley 20-4 in the second quarter, holding a 43-15 lead at the halftime break.
“It was the same scenario as all season,” Woodland head coach Larry Strain said. “We played good defense. When you put that pressure on, the guards have to handle the ball well.”
Woodland continued its dominance in the second half, outscoring Handley 14-4 in the third quarter and 12-4 in the fourth quarter.
One of the most telling statistics in Woodland’s win over Handley was in the rebounding category.
Woodland grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and only 24 defensive rebounds. The reason for the nearly identical numbers is the Lady Bobcat’s entire philosophy on the court.
Woodland’s press severely cut down on the total number of shots Handley was able to take, giving Woodland a decided advantage.
“We always seem to have more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds because we try not to give them a chance to shoot,” Strain said.
That defensive philosophy is a big reason Woodland has lost only one game this season and can boast its fourth straight county title.
Leah Strain led the Lady Bobcats with 27 points, shooting 73 percent from the field. Amy Strain followed with 13 points and led the team with 8 rebounds. Shanna Strain was also good for 13 points in the win.
Woodland defeated fourth-seeded Wadley in the first round Friday night, 68-19.
Wadley was unable to contend with Woodland’s aggressive defense leading to plenty of turnovers and transition points for the Lady Bobcats.
Woodland took an 18-2 lead in the first quarter before extending its lead in the second quarter by outscoring Wadley 18-8. At halftime, Woodland led 36-10.
“It just came back to our press,” Strain said. “You might break it and break it and break it, but we’re eventually going to get a steal.”
Woodland accumulated 23 steals against Wadley. The Lady Bobcats also grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and 20 defensive rebounds through four quarters.
Wadley was unable to gain any traction in the second half also. Woodland outscored Wadley 17-4 in the third quarter and 15-5 in the fourth quarter to make the final 68-19.
“They couldn’t get the shots to fall and it just snowballed,” Strain said.
Woodland was led by Leah and Shanna Strain each with 17 points. Leah Strain led the rebounding with a total of 8 while Makayla Ford grabbed 7 rebounds. Haley Napier contributed 10 points in the win and Shalyn Strain had 8 steals also.
Strain said winning the county tournament is always big for the Woodland Lady Bobcats but not for the reasons most might think.
“I don’t know if we really worry about bragging rights,” Strain said. “It goes back to our kids and the work they put into it. It’s a pride thing. They take a lot of pride in this program.”
