Heritage Christian Academy used the KCAA State Basketball Tournament as a true measuring stick of just how far the team has improved since the start of the season.
Despite losing its leading scorer, Hallie Zieg, to injury early in the year, the Lady Warriors were able to navigate a season of transition to finish 5-5 in KCAA play and win its first game against KHSAA competition.
Entering Thursday’s state tournament as a No. 6 seed, the Lady Warriors fell to No. 3 seed Lakeside Christian Academy 47-30 in the quarterfinals.
The game was decided in the first four minutes when Lakeside jumped out to a 9-2 lead and the final six minutes when HCA was outscored 13-2.
In between, the Lady Warriors played some of their best basketball of the season.
Junior Bailey Craft scored nine of her team-high 19 points in the second quarter as the Lady Warriors cut a nine-point deficit to five at intermission.
A Hadlee Hayes bucket early in the third quarter got HCA to within 24-21. However, Lakeside ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 34-24 lead into the final eight minutes.
Craft got a steal and bucket to cut the Lakeside lead to 34-28 with 6:15 left. But that would prove to be the final field goal for the Lady Warriors, who were outscored 13-2 to end the game.
In addition to her 19 points, Craft pulled down eight rebounds. Tori Sutton, the lone senior on the Lady Warrior roster, finishes her HCA career with three points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
HCA’s season ends with a record of 6-17.
Heritage Christian Academy 4 13 7 6– 30
Lakeside Christian Academy 9 13 12 13– 47
Heritage Christian [6-17] – Craft 19, Sutton 3, Hayes 2, Robson 2, St. Martin 2, Carr 2
Lakeside Christian – H. McKenzie 16, Pecco 12, Lewis 8, Barton 7, K. McKenzie 4
