It was a regular-season finale that felt more like a district championship game. With nothing but bragging rights on the line Thursday night, the California Lady Pintos led for much of the game but the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons were always on their heels. Lauren Friedrich scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter Thursday night, leading the Class 4 No. 5 California Lady Pintos to a 47-41 victory against the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons in both teams’ regular-season finales at Blair Oaks High School.
The Blair Oaks Lady Falcons finally broke through last season, snapping a 10-year stretch without a postseason berth while winning the program’s first volleyball state championship. But winning back-to-back district titles? To do that, they would have to win on the home floor of the No. 3-ranked team in the state, the California Lady Pintos. As if this Tri-County Conference rivalry needed any more flair.
It’s a streak the Helias Lady Crusaders would love to break. The Lady Crusaders have dropped their last three state basketball tournament games at Missouri S&T, scoring 37 points in each contest. Helias gets the chance to snap that skid tonight when the Lady Crusaders (21-7) take on the California Lady Pintos (21-6) in a Class 4 sectional contest in Rolla. Game time is 6 p.m.