“It was
exactly what we needed,’’ she said after the Gators won their fourth straight
in the tournament and 10th in a row overall to put their record at
12-3.
“We were a
bit conservative is some of the earlier games in the tournament, but today we
put on our track suits and played the type of ball that we like to play.’’
Red Mountain
(10-5), a 6A Conference school like Xavier, was a stronger opponent than some
of the other teams in the tournament, showing more athleticism and defensive
pressure. Like Xavier, the Mountain Lions had won their first three games of the tournament.
“Red
Mountain is a good team. They are athletic, but they’re not as deep as some
teams,’’ Gillom said.
“We executed
well, used our press and got some steals that got us some extra points.’’
Junior point
guard Leilani McIntosh and senior forward Montana Oltrogge had more limited
roles as they nursed leg soreness, but they still managed to lead the Gators in
scoring with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
“We needed
them to rest some,’’ said Gillom, whose team’s next game is on Wednesday (Jan.
3) against Chandler Basha at the Activity Center.
Red Mountain
did its best to stay within range of the Gators in the first half, but started
to let it slip away early in the second half as Xavier went on a 14-5 run.
Oltrogge and
junior guard Paris Moore were named to the All-Tournament Team. Moore had a big
effort for the Gators on Saturday.
“Paris was
great for us at both ends of the floor. She really stepped up when we needed
her to,’’ Gillom said.
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