NAPOLEON -- The Napoleon girls basketball team turned up the pressure on defense, forcing 31 turnovers in a 40-28 win over Jackson Christian on Thursday.
The Pirates came away with six steals in the first quarter alone, and even when they did not come away with the steal, Napoleon players were constantly harassing passing lanes and making life difficult for the Royals.
Jackson Christian's first four possessions of the third quarter resulted in three Napoleon steals (by three different players) and the Pirates' press causing a 10-second violation.
"I just think it was a really big night, Senior Night, and we worked more as a team instead of, sometimes we have the habit of being a little selfish, and tonight we played as a team," Napoleon senior guard Camryn Smilowski said.
Smilowski had seven of the 19 steals Napoleon players nabbed during the game. Gracie Tallman had four.
Napoleon took a 23-10 lead into half on the strength of forcing 14 turnovers, yielding nine points off turnovers.
"It just stayed true to what we've been trying to do," Pirates coach Trevor Huttenlocker said. "All season long we've preached being in passing lanes and making it hard to get to the middle, and I think they just do that and it was a really great effort defensively."
Emma Darnell led the Pirates with 15 points, 11 of which came from the free throw line, the rest on a pair of layups in transition.
"She's pretty good down low," Smilowski said. "She has a lot of points down low and she had a lot of rebounds, and she excels at that."
Tallman had 11 points. Smilowski added eight.
Rennie Huff led the Royals with 18 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
Ella Boll had 10 rebounds, helping the Royals claim a 37-36 edge on the boards.
Napoleon jumped out to a 7-2 lead after Gracie Tallman scored on a putback on one possession then fed Camryn Smilowski for a 3-pointer on the next.
The Royals got within two when Rennie Huff hit a 3-pointer, but Joy Flack responded with a 3-pointer at the other end, and moments later Smilowski came away with a steal which led to a layup for Emma Darnell.
A Tallman layup and a Sophia Jennings jumper helped Napoleon build its lead even more early in the second, and a Smilowski steal and layup extended it to 20-5.
Rennie Huff added a jumper and a 3-pointer late in the half, but Napoleon still took a 13-point lead into the break.
Napoleon extended the lead further in the third, getting a Darnell layup and a basket in the paint from Tallman. Johannah Loew responded for Jackson Christian, hitting a 3-pointer, but the Royals still trailed 29-16 after three.
Smilowski then opened the fourth by knocking down a 3-pointer, and Tallman followed that with a putback.
Napoleon led by 16, though the Royals chipped away at the deficit as Loew hit another 3-pointer and Shaina McCombs. The Royals got within 10 before Tallman answered with a jumper, and the Pirates defense again clamped down, as Smilowski came up with three steals in the span of four possessions, and Tallman grabbed two more.