Pulaski Academy doesn't always dazzle, but the Lady Bruins don't mind getting floor burns.
PA turned 16 eStem turnovers into numerous easy baskets, had seven different players contribute at least one three-point basket and made 20 free throws Friday night in its 77-50 victory over the Lady Mets in the 4A-5 Tournament championship game at Alex Hugg Gymnasium.
"This is what we've done all year," PA Coach Rick Treadway said. "Our game is to try to take the ball away from you, and if we can take the ball away from you, that's good offense because you're shooting very high-percentage shots."
The Lady Bruins (19-4) completed a 14-0 run through the 4A-5 Conference and need to win one game next week in the regional tournament to assure themselves a spot in the Class 4A state tournament to be held in Morrilton the second week of March.
It will be no surprise if the Lady Bruins advance, but Treadway said eStem (16-8) is capable of making it, too.
"Somebody in the regional tournament better be ready for them," Treadway said. "They're athletic. They're a lot better than people think."
The Lady Mets got 22 points from freshman Kiaya Davis and 10 from Blake Green, but didn't offer much resistance early.
PA ran out to a 7-0 lead in the first 1:19, forcing first-year Coach Dustin Williams to call timeout.
"We got off to a bad start, " Williams said of the Lady Mets, who have two freshmen, two sophomores, three juniors and one senior on their roster. "They exploited matchups."
Pulaski Academy combined to score 47 points on free throws and three-pointers, compared to 20 for eStem, a 27-point spread that represented the final margin of victory
"We got rattled early and I can't really explain it," Williams said. "We like to run and we like to trap you too, but against them it's not something you want to do."
Pulaski Academy's game is built on near-continuous pressure defense, either full-court pressing or half-court traps, from a seven-player rotation of juniors.
The Lady Bruins' balanced attack was led by 21 points and 10 rebounds from Natalya Kaza, 16 from Taylor Hernandez and 14 from Riley Smith.
Blakely James scored 9 with 1 three-pointer; Ashley McDaniel scored 7 off the bench with 2 three-pointers; and point guard Stella Gadberry added 7 points with 1 three-pointer.
Treadway said the leadership provided by Gadberry and Kaza makes the Lady Bruins an easy team to coach.
"The thing about Stella and Natalya is they are very high IQ basketball players," he said. "They're kind of students of the game."
The result is a fast-moving game.
"You don't have to call any timeouts," he said.
Pulaski Academy led 41-23 at halftime and built its lead to 55-30 late in the third quarter, but eStem scored 11 consecutive points in a span of three minutes.
Treadway called timeout with the Lady Bruins leading 55-41 with 7:06 to play.
"I didn't have to say a whole lot," he said. "They came over and said, 'Coach, we know, we know."
PA outscored eStem 11-2 to regain its margin, but Williams said he was pleased with the way the Lady Mets persevered, especially with two starters on the bench with foul trouble.
"That was as good as we can play," Williams said. "An 11-0 run. We had flashes, we had spurts."
The inability to break through Pulaski Academy's early pressure led to 16 turnovers, 11 more than the Lady Bruins, and that gave PA 11 more possessions to score.
"Our kids play hard, they play really, really hard.," Treadway said.