By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
After defending their home floor in a 62-51 victory over Pratt in Wednesday's semifinal, the Rock Creek girl's basketball team will hit the road for a sub-state final in McPherson on Saturday against the #2 team in Class 4A.
The Lady Bulldogs will come into this contest at 19-2 after wrecking El Dorado 71-12 on Wednesday while the Lady Mustangs enter at 14-7 after snapping a four-game losing streak to end their regular season.
If that streak was a cause for concern it didn't show in the opening round of sub-state as Rock Creek cruised into the finals with a big home win.
"We've continued to climb out of our low point this season," Lady Mustang head coach Adam Plummer said. "We had been playing better the past few weeks, it just didn't show up on the scoreboard. We shot the ball well, mostly because we competed before the catch to get our feet ready."
That 62-point output was Rock Creek's highest watermark in over a month and was every bit as much a product of communication as it was of technique.
"I really liked the way Brynn McFall verbally competed against Pratt," Plummer said. "She was definitely an extension of me on the court, which allowed for us to be in the right offense every possession."
Now, the Lady Mustang's focus shifts to one of the best teams in Class 4A, and Rock Creek's schedule has perfectly prepared them for a game like this, with previous matchups against teams like Wamego, Silver Lake, and Rossville.
"McPherson is a tough, gritty team," he said. "You can tell that they play confidently and with a strong belief that they will win. They don't take possessions off, so we will have to be willing to compete for 32 minutes. They have great balance in their ability to score on the perimeter, mid-range, and in the paint."
While this game will prove to be an exceptionally difficult test for Rock Creek, the Lady Mustangs have built a reputation for finding ways to grit out wins all season long, and that success has brought with it the confidence needed in a game like this.
"We don't see this as an upset opportunity," Plummer said. "We have an expectation to play at a high level, and if we do, we always feel good about our chances to be successful. Like most teams, the ball has to go through the basket consistently, we can't score in the 30s and expect to win. We also have to make sure that we do a great job of stopping dribble penetration and helping each other on backside rotations."
Tip-off between the Lady Mustangs and Bulldogs is scheduled for 6:00 at McPherson High School and the winner will walk away with a punched ticket to the 4A state tournament in Salina next week.
For continuing coverage of Rock Creek boys' and girls' basketball throughout the postseason, stay tuned to the Little Apple Post, and follow us on Twitter @SPostSports.