Lafayette routs Park Hill South for third Steelers Stephon Tuitt Jersey straight Stephon Tuitt S Jersey championship

CAPE GIRARDEAU Park Hill South's obvious hope was two time defending Class 4 champion Lafayette would come into Saturday's final at the Show Me Center overconfident after overwhelming the Panthers in round robin semifinal play on Friday.Lafayette, ranked No. Park Hill South ended 37 4 1."It's incredible," said Lily Johnson, who helped lead the Lancers with eight kills and nine digs. "I can't help but feel blessed. God has given me the opportunity to be on three incredible teams with three different groups of awesome girls and I couldn't be more thankful. It's the best feeling."Lafayette, which beat Park Hill South 25 16, 25 15 on Friday, Steelers Ryan Shazier Jersey came out swinging in Game 1. Helped by some great play at the net from Johnson and Brenna Griffey, the Lancers surged to a 9 2 lead.Park Hill South responded with its best play in the first set to cut the advantage to 9 6. However, Lafayette closed out the set on a 16 3 run."It's amazing how well we came out considering the scores yesterday," said Lancers senior setter Maggie Scott, who had 22 assists and 10 digs in the final. "There was a lot of determination. I couldn't be prouder of the team."In Game 2, the Lancers actually looked a little nervous early in the set, probably because it suddenly dawned on them they were one set win from a Ryan Shazier 5XL Jersey third straight state championship. As a result of four quick unforced errors, they trailed 5 2. However, they quickly regrouped and went back into domination mode.Sparked by some stellar serving from Maggie Scott and Lily Johnson, the latter of which had a run of five service points that included three aces, the Lancers finished the set on a 23 8 run."I was confident the whole time," said Johnson, whose missile like serves were as damaging to the Panthers psychologically as they were to them on the scoreboard. "My teammates were picking me up and that's all you could ask for."Lafayette coach Zach Young, along with many of his players, was misting up as he talked about the team after the win."I'm happy for our whole team, but especially our seniors," he said. "The kids have put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears and have been the true heart of our program for a long time. It's obvious how hard we played that last one how bad the girls wanted it."Johnson, who for the third year was the most impressive player at the state tournament, finished the Panthers off with three kills down the stretch, including one on match point. She credited the coaches with helping the Lancers reach their true potential. She said the team bonding exercises, some of the wackiest of any program around, were a big reason for the team's success."This morning, we were sitting in a gym with all blindfolds on making animal noises and we were all loving it," Johnson said. "I guarantee you no other team in the state of Missouri was doing that this morning."Other statistical standouts included Jackie Scott (eight kills, six digs), Tori Roe (11 digs) and Amanda Noel (four blocks).The Lancers recorded 47 digs to 29 for the Panthers, chalked up 10 blocks to two for their opponent and tallied 25 team kills to nine for Park Hill South."I think we competed," Panthers coach Debbie Fay said. "They're definitely at a different level than our kids are. But we get out there and try to dig."