GIRLS 4A REGIONAL FINAL: Trinity dominates Catholic to advance to Birmingham
Catholic’s Heaven Bailey attempts to drive past Francie Morris of Trinity in the Class 4A girls regional final at the ASU Acadome on Tuesday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
After hitting six 3-pointers against Catholic on Dec. 21 in a one-point victory, you wouldn’t think Trinity junior Ellie Causey would be left unguarded when the two teams met in the Class 4A Central Regional final at Alabama State’s Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
But there she was, hitting 3-pointer after 3-pointer, sinking six more against the Knights and leading the two-time defending state champions back to the state tournament for the third consecutive year with a 65-48 win on Tuesday afternoon.
“All I know is I was always open in the corner for some reason,” Causey said. “But, hey, it worked.”
Causey’s first 3-pointer came three minutes into the contest and gave the Wildcats a 9-3 lead. Her second came two minutes into the second quarter and made it 22-10. The third one followed moments later. Somehow, some way, she was open again.
“Francie (Morris) and I were asking the same question,” Trinity senior Maddie Smith said. “I don’t know why, but I’m glad they are (overlooking her). We’ll take it.”
By the time Causey was finished, so was Catholic, watching a successful season fall short of a trip to the state tournament for the first time since 2002.
“You can’t shoot a whole lot better than that,” Catholic coach Jill Clark said. “We were supposed to be on her. I think, too, they’re definitely a more experienced team with three seniors on the floor. I’ve got one. Asking a ninth grader to guard a senior is tough. We just got caught up in some screens or trying to ‘help.’ You really can’t ‘help’ because when you come off (the person you’re guarding), they kick it to the open person who has an open 3.
And Causey, who finished with a game-high 20 points, earned most valuable player honors on a team that includes three standout seniors and a third-year starting freshman at forward.
“I would have been like, ‘no, there’s no way,’” Causey said. “They always tell me to shoot it, so that’s what I try to do.”
It was the fifth meeting between the area rivals, with two close wins by Trinity, a rout by the Wildcats and a win by the Knights in the previous four meetings. The two teams used roughly the same formula used in the past, with Trinity assigning Mattie Smith to Catholic’s top player, Hannah Smith, and Francie Morris to guard point guard Heaven Bailey.
“More than anything, it’s hard when you feel like what you’ve done is good,” Trinity coach Blake Smith said. “But you know they’re adjusting to that, so it’s trying to figure out how they’re going to adjust. The way I feel they adjusted -- and Jill might say different -- is Heaven was a lot more aggressive. She started throwing in a lot of shots early on and that’s what kept them in the game.
“For us, we didn’t change as much … because we felt pretty confident about what we were trying to do and didn’t know if they would have anything to counter that with.”
Catholic countered early, using a quick pass from Hannah Smith and back to her for a couple of baskets once she shook free of Maddie Smith, but Hannah wouldn’t score her first basket with Maddie on her hip until 5:30 remaining in the third quarter. By then, the Wildcats owned a 20-point lead.
“That girl is a load,” Blake Smith said of Hannah Smith. “You’ve got to be mentally tough and you’ve got to be physically tough and strong. Maddie’s just relentless. The ability to do that on Hannah will be one of my most favorite things she has done in her career because it takes a special person to be able to do that and run the team.”
Hannah Smith finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, an incredible accomplishment considering Maddie Smith’s defensive efforts.
“Our main thing was fighting early,” Maddie Smith said, “so don’t let her get into the lane. Push her hard and fight her early, then if she gets it, get big and strong. It helps a lot when I know my teammates are behind me and around me, ready to help in those times when she does get me.”
Bailey had a team-high 19 points with the help of four 3-pointers, but the remainder of the Knights had just 11 points without the contribution of Smith and Bailey.
“You try to do a couple of things different, but you’ve got to go with what brought you,” Clark said. “You can’t just change who you are and what you do. But we know their personnel and they know ours. They pass the ball well and they have a lot of people who can shoot on the outside. They work the ball very well and they shoot the ball well.”
Catholic ends its season at 20-8, with seven losses coming to state tournament teams Trinity and St. James and another loss to a team playing for a state tournament berth on Wednesday, Park Crossing.
“Hopefully, coming to this (regional final) helps,” said Clark, who will lose just one senior off of this year’s team. “Hey, we’ve got to get back. I feel like we’re right there, we’ve just got to make that next step. We’ve got to work harder (to be like) teams that can pass and catch and move the ball well, knock down some shots. We’ve got to work harder.”
Trinity (28-4) will advance to the 4A state tournament at Legacy Arena next Tuesday against the winner of the Madison Academy-Plainview game. Last year, the Wildcats beat Plainview 48-40 for the 3A state title. This year, it’s been a difficult journey as Mya Moskowitz, last year’s state tournament MVP, has battled nagging injuries late in the year and Morris missed six weeks with a hip injury.
On Tuesday, Moskowitz had 19 points, Maddie Smith had 11 and Morris had nine.
“It’s just so special,” Causey said, “because they (her teammates) are so good. That’s the only reason I get to shoot, because they get it down there and get me open. So I just think it’s going to be sweet this last time to play with them and we’re trying to win again and it’s just fun getting to go back to Birmingham. We’re all excited and ready to play.”
For Smith, Morris and Moskowitz, their high school careers are nearing the end, something Maddie Smith said she’s trying to block out.
“I try not to (think about it),” she said. “I’m just enjoying it. I love everyone on this team and they’re making it so enjoyable. So I’m just trying to soak in every second of it and enjoy it while it’s here,”