The Blair girls basketball team held Ralston to one first-period point and scored 22 of its own Saturday afternoon.
“We were just ready to go,” Bears junior Mya Larson said.
“Everyone was being really aggressive,” Makayla Baughmann added.
The result was a 78-21 home victory against the Rams, which completed a 2-0 opening weekend for the coach Matt Aschoff-led Bears. They held their Saturday foe without a field goal make until midway through the second quarter.
Unsurprisingly, both Larson and Baughman said defense has been a priority during preseason practices. Shell drill has been a point of emphasis.
“It translated over really nicely,” Baughman concluded.
Meanwhile, offensively, 12 Blair players scored in the 57-point rout. Larson notched eight of her game-high 17 points during the first period as the Bears built their aforementioned 22-1 lead. Baughman then put her offseason shooting work into practice with three 3-point makes during a 24-point BHS second.
All the while, Aschoff's team kept the pace up, scoring in transition when it could.
“If we're able to push it, that's always best,” Baughman said. “We're conditioned, so it's nice to run.”
Larson was among the Bears who distributed from the point of attack as well.
“It's fun to walk down the court and see all of your options,” she said.
Kaitlyn Johnson added eight points for BHS, while Ella Ross had seven and Kalli Ulven notched six.
Through two games, the Bears are outscoring their opposition at a 66.5-23.5 average.
Blair opens with rout
Two days earlier, the Blair girls opened the 2020-21 season with a 55-26 home victory against Omaha Mercy.
The Bears outscored the Monarchs in every period, moving to 1-0, but it was their defense that coach Aschoff took pride in afterward.
“I thought one key was our team defense, overall,” he said. “It wasn't always as great as we would like to see, but we limited their backdoors and played a lot better in the second half defensively.”
Offensively, junior Avory French led BHS with 15 points. Larson added 13, while Baughman had 11 in the 29-point victory.
