Norwood Lady Pirates beat host to win Crane Invitational title

The Norwood Lady Pirates’ basketball team won the Crane Invitational last weekend after knocking off the host Lady Pirates in the championship game, 44-40.
A big defensive third quarter was the difference as Norwood held Crane to just four points, helping them erase a halftime deficit and take a seven-point lead into the final quarter of play.
Tournament MVP Addy Gray scored five points in that frame while fellow All-Tournament selection Jayden Chambers added four points.
Gray sealed the win in the fourth with six more points as Norwood held off a late Crane charge.
Gray opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough as Crane took a 15-11 lead.
Gray scored four more points before halftime and Quinncy Vestal added a 3-pointer to keep Norwood close before the break.
The MVP Gray finished with 21 points; Chambers had 10 points; both Gentry Davault and Vestal scored five points; Kalie Chadwell had two points; and Autumn Gunter scored one point.
Before making the host Lady Pirates walk the plank, Norwood defeated Cassville, 63-30, after holding the Lady Wildcats to 10 points or less in all four quarters.
Davault had a big first quarter with eight points while Gray, Vestall and Chadwell each added 3-pointers in a 21-point frame. Chambers scored four points in that stretch.
Norwood was 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the second quarter as Gray scored seven points to help the Lady Pirates take a 38-13 lead into halftime.
Gray made two more 3-pointers and scored eight points in the final two quarters to help seal the win.
Five different players scored in double figures. Davault had 15; both Gray and Chambers scored 11; Vestal added 10 points; and Gunter had six points.
In the first round, Norwood dominated Exeter, 84-36.
The Lady Pirates made 10, 3-pointers in the contest.
Gray hit six of them and scored 26 points. Chadwell had a breakout game with 17 points; Chambers dropped 14; Vestal scored  12 points; Jaycee Hall scored five points; both Gunter and Davault had four points; and Lydia Harden had two points for the Lady Pirates.