MAPLE CITY — Kingsley’s full-court press took a little bit to sink in.
But once it did, did it ever.
The Stags led by just a point a minute into the second quarter of Wednesday’s Division 3 girls basketball district semifinal against Traverse City St. Francis at Glen Lake. That’s when it clicked.
Kingsley forced turnovers that turned into quick points in a 14-0 run to take charge on the way to a 64-39 victory.
“We’re an energy group, so if the kids get their energy and effort meter up, good things happen for us,” Stags head coach Matt Schelich said. “Little bit of a slow start, which we’re pretty good at, and then they catch fire. Good effort, and we’ll get a chance to come back here and see if we can get it done Friday.”
Kingsley (18-4) faces Glen Lake (15-8) in Friday’s district final on the Lakers’ home court.
Glen Lake and Kingsley were supposed to play earlier this season, but the game was postponed by inclement weather, and with other league make-ups, the two couldn’t make a reschedule work.
Kingsley’s 14-0 run gave them a 27-12 lead on an Grace Merchant 3-pointer, her second of the spurt. The Stags hit six triples in the opening half, two by Aizlyn McKinley and one each from Laney Osborn and Genevieve Massey, to lead 30-14 at the intermission.
The Stags dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Gladiators 24-7 to lead 54-21. Kingsley’s lead would get as large as 38 on another McKinley 3-pointer.
“We just really want to win,” McKinley said. “We don’t want this to be over. We’re close as a team, work hard every day in practice and want to win.”
Emilee Robinson — who didn’t play in Kingsley’s 51-25 win over St. Francis in mid-December — scored a game-high 16, doing much of her damage on fast breaks caused by turnovers. McKinley added 13, Merchant nine, Annie Strang eight and Massey six.
“We just hustle and don’t give up on it,” McKinley said. “Our defense is basically like our offense, is what we say. We just don’t give up.”
Kylee Eising led St. Francis with 10 points and eight rebounds, with Brynn Odette and Harper Nausadis each closing with seven points (Odette added seven boards), Helen Biggar scoring five points to go with nine rebounds and two assists and Vivian Bramer four points. Nausadis hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer in her final high school basketball game.
St. Francis (9-12) outscored the Stags 16-3 over the final 3:04, with Kingsley’s lone offense coming on an Addison Merchant 3-pointer.
“We just needed to slow ourselves down, because when you’re sending two to the ball, somebody’s open,” TCSF coach Margot Denton said. “We handled their pressure fine when we were scoring, and then when they started to hit some threes, our confidence took a hit, and then we started to be tentative and that that kind of hurt us. Presses are most effective when you’re not aggressive.”
The Gladiators graduate Nausadis, Bramer and Alessandra Cisneros, with Biggar and Addie Lesinski the only juniors on a team with seven freshmen and sophomores on varsity, most logging regular minutes.
“Really thankful for this community that’s just taken me in,” Denton said of her first year as coach. “The girls were really open and willing to learn new things, and my awesome staff. Really thankful to be a part of this community and for the opportunity.”