[dropcap]D[/dropcap]espite holding a seven point lead at the conclusion of the first quarter, senior forward Madison Treece knew that the 16-9 advantage would not secure a win, especially at that stage in the game.
“The game can change at the drop of a hat,” Treece said.  “We want to take that lead of seven and make it eight then nine, and keep increasing it.”
At the ninth annual Norm Stewart Classic, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) began its 48 consecutive hours of basketball starting with RBHS’s varsity girls who took on Waynesville Dec. 2. Columbia College hosted the tournament.
The 24 games played in the Classic include 20 teams of girls and 24 teams of boys; however, each team only plays a single game.
“It’s not a tournament because everyone is only playing once,” Treece said. “It’s not different than any other game.”
By the end of the game, Treece said the zone defense and sharing the ball were the most well executed aspects of the RBHS gameplan. Led by head coach Jill Nagel, the first half ended with the Bruins holding a commanding lead. A solid second quarter increased the margin  33-21. Junior guard Katey Klucking, however, still believed a 12-point lead wasn’t enough.
[quote]”Going into the game I for sure thought we were going to come out with a win, we were prepared from practice,” Klucking said.  “But after the first half when we were up 12 we have a motto that says up 12, make it 13, up 13, make it 14,  so we are never secured.  We wanted a major lead, so we always play to the buzzer.”[/quote] At the end of the third quarter, RBHS expanded their lead, 60-33.  At this point, Nagel knew at this point the 27-point lead gave the girls a boost of confidence, which called for smart plays.
“We were able to start the second half strong defensively which led to easy transition buckets,” Nagel said. “I was glad we were able to get into our defensive sets and create turnovers. You have to take what the defense is giving you, and I felt good about the adjustments our team made to execute these plays and shots.”
The final score read 74-51, propelling the Lady Bruins to a 2-1 record on the season. The team will compete against St. Joseph Lafayette Dec. 10. RBHS hopes to use the momentum of a blowout defeat in their upcoming matches.
“It always feels good to beat a team by that many points,” Klucking said.  “But it definitely shows that we are capable of many things such as transition layups and running our offense.”
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