Hall of Fame coach Curt Riley has won his 540th game as a basketball coach and his first leading the New Bloomfield Lady Wildcats.
Riley said New Bloomfield moved the ball the way it wanted to in its 50-24 win Tuesday night at Calvary Lutheran in Jefferson City as 10 of 12 Lady Wildcats scored, led by senior Asya Nichols' 12 points.
Fellow starter and freshman Macie Abbott added seven points while the bench added another 20, with junior Brooklynn Smith and senior Lelah Shikles leading with eight and six points, respectively.
"We started moving the ball really, really well and got some wide open looks," Riley said. "We had some great passes from the interior out to the wings, and our kids knocked some threes."
The Lady Wildcats (1-1) hit seven 3-pointers employing the inside-out strategy and helped the team to get going after missing some early shots.
"It's part of our game. We're doing a lot of pushing the ball and getting people to spots," Riley said. "We're doing a good job of delivering the ball into the shooting pocket. I think you're a good shooter because you got somebody who is areally good passer. The pass kind of dictates what the chances are of the shot going in."
Following an 8-4 New Bloomfield lead after one quarter, the Lady Wildcats surged into halftime with a 25-14 lead and distanced themselves even more from Calvary Lutheran (0-2) after outscoring the Lady Lions 16-8 in the third quarter.
Riley said Calvary Lutheran ran ball screens and the Lady Wildcats pressured the ball well on defense, eventually holding the Lady Lions to two points in th fourth quarter.
Nichols, Abbott started the game along with juniors Avery Nichols and Brinley Dysart and senior Ellie Emerson. Riley said having these players in his lineup while also bringing in bench players with a selfless attitude helps the team as a whole.
"The kids coming off the bench, our concern is winning and not just playing," he said. "That's a great issue to have when you have kids that are unselfish and work hard every day."
New Bloomfield begins play Monday in the Tipton Tournament against Smithton (0-1).