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by Michael Smith With senior Annabelle Totta out with an injury, Grain Valley girls basketball coach Randy Draper decided to give someone a chance. That person was Pyper Hartigan, who was inserted into the starting lineup for the Eagles in Friday’s championship game of the Cardinal Division of the Winnetonka Tournament against Lee’s Summit. The move paid off for the veteran head coach as Hartigan exploded for 18 of her 21 points in the second half to help her team overcome a 28-21 halftime deficit in a 61-48 victory at Winnetonka High School. “I just thought in our first two games, she did a good job,” Draper said of Hartigan. “When we found out Totta couldn’t play tonight I thought, ‘We’re going to find out what Pyper can do.’ We found out pretty good today.” Hartigan came off the bench during the first two games of the tournament, but because of the injury to Totta, Draper decided to play his freshman more minutes in an important championship game. She didn’t disappoint, as she connected on four 3-pointers and had multiple key baskets in the second half to help her team get the win. Arguably her biggest basket came in the third period when Grain Valley had a 35-32 lead. Senior guard Finley LaForge brought the ball up past halfcourt and was trapped in the left corner by a pair of Tigers defenders. LaForge, who had multiple assists in the contest, made a skip pass out of the trap and found a wide open Hartigan, who buried a trey from the right wing. “It definitely changed the whole game around,” Hartigan said. “Once we start getting up by a few points, that is when we go off.” Added Draper: “I don’t think Finley came out. She can rest up tomorrow. She’s so good with the ball.” Junior guard Camryn Kelly was just as important to the Eagles’ offense as she helped Hartigan space the floor with her 3-point shooting. She had a trio of 3-pointers herself as she finished with 18 points. Kelly put the game away late in the fourth period when she converted a conventional 3-point play after getting a steal and finishing in transition to put Grain Valley up 58-44. It was a struggle for the Eagles (3-0) early in the game as they trailed 15-11 at the end of the first period. Grain Valley was only down 12-11 with under three seconds left, but a pass from senior forward Megan Knust was stolen by Lee’s Summit junior Avery Rausch, who was fouled by Hartigan on a three-quarters court shot at the buzzer. She made all three of her free throws to put her team up 15-11. Rausch then made back-to-back threes midway through the second quarter, which helped Lee’s Summit take a seven-point halftime lead. From there, Grain Valley picked up its defense and held the Tigers to just four points in the third period. Lee’s Summit took tough, contested shots and missed the few open looks it had. “I think there was a mentality switch,” Kelly said. “We knew we were in the game and wanted it more than them. We had to show them and prove to them that we are a good team and we deserve to win this game.” Meanwhile, Haritgan went off for 10 points in the quarter and a putback layup from sophomore Addy Seyfert put the Eagles ahead for good at 31-30 midway through. Seyfert alongside Knust and senior Emma Jane Ogle did the dirty work for their team, crashing the glass to get key rebounds throughout. “She had 14 rebounds in the semifinals,” Draper said of Seyfert. “We need her. She’s really good.” In the fourth, Hartigan and Kelly combined for 14 points to help ice the game.  Grain Valley senior Finley LaForge looks to set up the offense. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley senior Emma Thiessen whips a pass to a teammate. Photo credit: Michael Smith  The Grain Valley girls basketball team poses for a photo after winning the Cardinal Division title of the Winnetonka Tournament following a 61-48 win Friday. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Comments are closed.
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