MANSFIELD — Mansfield Christian was almost too polite in hosting its Holiday Showcase Classic on Tuesday morning.
The Flames fell behind 11-2 early, but recovered and eventually rallied in the fourth quarter for a 35-29 victory over Harvest Prep.
“We talked about not taking a lot of long shots, long shots leads to long rebounds and they are so quick, they got a couple of those and were off to the races,” Mansfield Christian coach J.R. Wilson said. “I think we took one long shot there in the fourth quarter but for the most part we moved the basketball and got it inside.”
That was a solid strategy on more than one front. The Flames’ best threat roamed inside in the figure of forward Heidi Smith. The 5-foot-8 junior dominated the lane with 15 points and 19 rebounds to earn a Holiday Showcase Classic Player of the Game plaque.
“Heidi in the past two games has really stepped up,” Wilson said. “She’s boxing out and it seems like the game is coming to her.”
Her effort was needed to overcome an early Harvest Prep blitz.
The Warriors jumped off the bus and rolled to an 11-2 lead early, leaking out for a number of fast-break buckets. The Flames closed to within 11-5 to end the period and then controlled the second quarter to forge a 15-15 halftime tie.
“We are still trying to figure out how to play together,” said Smith, who began to impose her will in the second period. “They had a lot of fouls and we started driving and trying to take advantage of that.”
Harvest Prep moved back on top 24-21 entering the final eight minutes, but Wilson’s team dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the visitors 14-9.
Senior Allie Maiyer chipped in nine points for the Flames, while senior Abigail Steensland had six points and junior Faith Weinhardt notched five.
Harvest Prep got 16 points from sophomore point guard Trinity Lee and six from senior Mariah McCray. The Warriors slipped to 1-9.
Mansfield Christian improved to 3-5 after baptizing its own event in fine fashion.
Wilson said next year’s Holiday Showcase Classic will take place on Dec. 30 with 14 teams locked into the fray. The 2018 event will be a two-day extravaganza.
“It’s been a wonderful experience and we’ve had a lot of great people put in a lot of effort to pull this together,” Wilson said.
Sponsors for the Mansfield Christian Holiday Showcase Classic include Subway, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Awardsmith Trophy & Plaque.
