Deidra Smith is dispelling the notion that centers can’t run the floor.
While many of her position peers are content to remain in the paint when the fast break begins, the East junior often is on the finishing end of the transition game.
Such was the case Saturday, when a bevy of Smith’s easy baskets off the break ignited the Angels to a 74-50 win against Horizon in the second round of the Class 5A girls basketball state tournament.
“We’re big and we can run,” East coach Dwight Berry said. “If our big girls run up and down the floor, that’s trouble for everybody. Our bigs sometimes run better than the guards.”
In what almost looked to be an instant replay in live time, the 6-foot-1 Smith tallied three transition baskets during a 14-1 Angels burst to begin the second quarter — a spurt that essentially sealed the outcome. But it wasn’t all about the former Overland player, as University of Colorado-bound forward Shae Kelley also did most her scoring off the break against the Hawks (12-12).
“Our team is very athletic and a lot of people can’t guard us,” said Smith, whose 15 points and eight rebounds made her one of five Angels double-digit scorers. “The big girls from Horizon, they had a hard time getting up and down with us.”
East (19-5), the No. 2 seed in the Sharon Wilch Region, was balanced in chalking up its 13th consecutive win. The Angels received double-doubles from Kelley (15 points, 10 boards) and Chelsea Small (13 and 10), while Sydney Small added 13 points off the bench and point guard Samantha Sanders scored 12 points.
“We had a stretch or two there where we kept turning it over and it led to easy baskets,” Horizon coach Greg Hahn said. “And Shae Kelley’s a great player. She’s a handful.”
Horizon 10 9 18 13 — 50
East 14 18 21 21 — 74
Horizon — Bollinger 1 0-0 2, Malcolm-Peck 3 2-2 8, Rader 4 4-6 12, Rasmussen 5 2-4 12, Ramos 1 2-2 4, Dyer 2 2-4 6, Rae 0 1-2 1, Lujan 1 1-1 3, Martinez 0 0-0 0, Jimenez 0 0-0 0, Franklin 0 2-2 2, Maes 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 16-23 50.
East — Sanders 5 1-4 12, Taylor 2 1-4 5, C. Small 6 0-1 13, Kelley 6 3-9 15, Smith 5 5-10 15, S. Small 4 2-3 13, Brame 0 0-0 0, Carey 0 0-0 0, Yancy 0 0-0 0, Patterson 0 1-2 1, Lunka 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 13-33 74.
3-point goals — S. Small 3, C. Small, Sanders. Total fouls — Horizon 25, East 14. Fouled out — Bollinger, Dyer.
