By Cody Morris, Tailgate TV
The Adrian Lady Blackhawks began last week facing off against the Harrisonville Lady Wildcats in the opening round of the Butler Tournament. Adrian was able to knock off both Harrisonville and University Academy on their way to the first-place contest.
The Appleton City ladies came into the week knowing they had the talent to bring home the gold. The Lady Bulldogs stormed past Pleasant Hill in the opening round. In the second round, the Bulldogs battled Butler for the second time in as many weeks, and once again they were able to prevail, sending Butler into the consolation game and advancing the Lady Bulldogs to the championship.
In the battle for the trophy, the Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 15–8 lead in the first quarter. Early on, it was truly a team effort for Appleton City, as five players scored two or more points in the opening eight minutes.
In the second period, Adrian’s defense stepped up and held the high-scoring Appleton squad to just four points, while the Blackhawks’ offense matched its first-quarter output by adding another eight points. At halftime, the Lady Bulldogs held a slim 19–16 lead.
Out of the break, Appleton City dropped a whopping 21 points on Adrian in the third quarter, beginning to pull away. While the Lady Blackhawks were able to put 16 points on the board in the period, Appleton City built a more comfortable lead, taking a 40–32 advantage into the fourth and final quarter.
In the final period, the Blackhawks sent Appleton City to the free-throw line 18 times. The Lady Bulldogs converted enough from the stripe late to secure the first-place hardware, as the final buzzer sounded with Appleton City claiming a 51–41 victory.
Baylor Brownsberger led all scorers with 19 points.
Olivia Engeman led Adrian with 17 points.
Photo from AC Athletic Boosters FB
