Jefferson defense shuts down Albany

By Phil Cobb | January 12, 2015 |

DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Jefferson freshman guard Stephanie Chor leaps toward the rim for a layup over an Albany defender during the Eagles’ 56-10 win Monday in the opening game of the Stanberry Invitational Tournament.

A healthy dose of junior forward Jessie Henry mixed with impenetrable defense became the recipe for the Jefferson girls’ basketball team Monday, leading to a 56-10 win over Albany to start the Stanberry Invitational Tournament.

In the opening quarter, the Eagles showed off their dominance quickly, using a 6-0 run that included a pair of field goals from Henry to take the early lead. After Albany junior Kristie Sorensen hit a free throw to break the early streak, Jefferson concluded the first period on an 8-0 flurry to hold a 14-1 lead at the end of one.

The second quarter became an even more obvious display of the Eagles’ talent, as their defense didn’t allow a point in the period. With 19 points itself in the second quarter, Jefferson carried a 33-1 lead into halftime.

“We didn’t have school (Monday) and you’re always worried about how the kids are going to react when they get out of the routine,” Pedersen said. “There was definitely some spurts in the game where we probably could’ve done a better job, but overall, I thought we did a pretty nice job of executing.”

Part of the equation for Pedersen’s Eagles was their overall defensive effort, making the Warrior guards uncomfortable in the backcourt with a press while tipping passes all over the halfcourt when Albany made it across midcourt.

“(Our defense) still has a ways to go in my opinion,” Pedersen said. “Especially in our man-to-man. We, a lot of times, were reacting and stuff instead of dictating. But I thought, overall, the effort was pretty good.”

The Warrior offense came to life in the third quarter, tallying seven points, including its first field goal of the game from junior Blayre Messner with less than six minutes to go in the period.

With less than two minutes to go until the fourth quarter, Jefferson sophomore guard Stephanie Chor drilled a three-pointer from the left corner, part of a 7-0 run that helped extend the lead to 44-8 by the end of the third.

Thanks to the strong first three quarters, the Eagles basically held a win in their hands throughout the fourth period. With less than a few minutes to go, they went on a 10-0 run to close out the game.

Sophomore guard Kayla Schmitz finished with 10 points for Jefferson, trailing only Henry, who dominated the post, tallying a game-high 20 points in the first-round victory.

“She finished really well in the first half,” Pedersen said. “All year, the girls have done a nice job of finding her. She recognized when the double team came and was able to find her teammates and we hit some jumpers off that as well. I thought we were sharing the ball really well.”

After the opening-round victory, Jefferson (11-1) will head to the semifinals to take on King City, which downed South Nodaway Monday night, at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Stanberry.

“Hopefully we shouldn’t need momentum going into Thursday because we know we’re going to see a good team no matter what,” Pedersen said. “From here on out in this tournament, we’re going to play good teams.”

DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Sophomore Kelsi McQuinn lobs a floater during Jefferson’s 56-10 victory over Albany, which sends the Eagles into the semifinals with a 4:30 p.m. matchup Thursday against King City.

DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Eagles junior center Jessie Henry rips down a rebound before putting up a shot against Albany Monday night in a game that ended as a 56-10 win for Jefferson.