The North Callaway Ladybirds proved that projections sometimes mean very little.
North Callaway tallied the game's first 18 points and the No. 5 seed Ladybirds breezed from there in disposing of No. 2 Bowling Green in a 58-42 triumph in the championship of the 90th-annual Bowling Green Tournament on Friday night.
North Callaway's path to the title included a 54-45 victory over No. 4 seed Winfield in the first round, followed by a 50-47 win over No. 1 Clopton in the semifinals. The Ladybirds' three-game winning streak raised their season record to 12-7.
"The girls played with a chip on their shoulder all week - whether it was internally or the coach trying to motivate them," North Callaway head coach Matt Miller said. "We didn't have an easy road, but I'm proud of the toughness they showed."
The Ladybirds built their 18-0 advantage with senior guard Elaine Brinker handing out seven of her 11 assists during the early spree. Bowling Green finally got on the scoreboard by hitting a 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 22 seconds to go in the first quarter, but North Callaway led 24-9 at the end of the period.
The Ladybirds shot a sizzling 65 percent (15-of-23) as a team in the first half and carried a comfortable 42-20 edge into the break.
"That's how I drew it up, right?" Miller jokingly said. "That start right there was probably as well as we've played all year. We were getting one (defensive) stop after another, then we were pushing the basketball ... and looking for an open teammate."
North Callaway cooled off in the second half, making only 5-of-17 shots while being outscored 22-16 by the Lady Bobcats. However, the Ladybirds didn't allow their lead to slip below 11 points as they wrapped up the championship.
Freshman guard Kyla Bertschinger delivered eight of her 16 points in the first quarter to direct North Callaway, which lost junior forward Bethany Bloss for the rest of the season after she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in the semifinal victory over Clopton.
Brinker and junior guard Maddie Ausfahl supplied 14 points apiece Friday night, while Brinker's stat line also included eight steals and six rebounds. The Ladybirds shot 50 percent (20-of-40) for the game.
"I thought we shot the ball extremely well," Miller said. "We moved with purpose and passed with purpose."
Jaylen Early, finishing with 11 points, was the only player to reach double figures for Bowling Green (11-7).
"Playing the host team in their own tournament in front of a packed house, I emphasized that we had to communicate (on defense)," Miller said. "The five players on the floor did a good job of talking and rotating."
North Callaway plays at Eastern Missouri Conference opponent Elsberry at 6 p.m. Thursday.