PREP HOOPS: AU commit Strain scores 27 in blowout of Beulah

BEULAH — Those expecting a sneak preview Tuesday of what to expect from Courtney Strain when she trades her Woodland jersey for Auburn University’s orange and blue didn’t exactly see the extent of her arsenal.

Strain didn’t need to utilize her dangerous mid- and long-range jump shots much in Woodland’s easy, 74-32 victory over Beulah, as she had no trouble taking the easier buckets inside or dishing it off to one of her teammates throughout her team’s 25th victory of the season.

Beulah’s boys, meanwhile, maintained their undefeated homecourt record, downing Woodland, 68-50, to cap the night.

“Tonight you didn’t get to see what she does best,” Woodland girls coach and Courtney’s father, Larry Strain, said. “Most of the time it’s a true jump shot. She comes off the dribble and goes up in the air and shoots the jump shot like a guy.

“Most people don’t let her get to the basket and she has to rely on her jump shot. That’s probably what’s going to happen in college. “

Strain missed her first four shots Tuesday but recovered nicely, finishing with a game-high 27 points to give her 5,032 for her career. She broke the state record for most career points in January of last year and should have no problem separating her total from second place by more than 1,000 by the time she wraps up her high school career.

That’s why she had no trouble setting up her little sister, Leah, for a number of easy baskets en route to 21 points of her own.

“Before, I had to do most of the scoring,” Courtney said. “Now I feel like this is my opportunity to work on my passing and handling the ball more.”

Courtney Strain picked up all of her 17 first-half points inside the paint, highlighted by her steal and coast-to-coast layup midway through the second quarter, which staked Woodland to a 36-9 lead. The visiting Bobcats never let the lead get any slimmer than that, as Strain took an early exit with the rest of the starters midway through the fourth quarter.

The elbow jumper off a curl she hit in the third quarter and the self-created 3-pointer early in the fourth is what Auburn fans should expect from her as a freshman next season, her father said.

“That’s what they recruited her for,” Larry Strain said. “Dribble, penetrate and shoot.”

Erica Brooks led Beulah with 10 points while Ariel Underwood and Angel Davis each added 7.

Beulah center Justin Harper scored 24 of his 32 points in the second half to fight off a tough one-two punch from Woodland in the boys game.

The home Bobcats (12-6) never trailed after their 10-0 run through the end of the first quarter and into the second, but completely reworked the gameplan in the second half to constantly feed Harper, who had at least four inches on the tallest Woodland player.

“We call that inside-outside,” Beulah coach David Owen said. “You go inside first and then outside second. We got away from that in the first half.”

After Jordan Wimberly opened the second half with a layup, Harper scored 24 of Beulah’s next 26 points, capping his night with his 10th point from the foul line.

Wimberly added 16 points and Dylan Aikens had 10 for Beulah, which heads into a rematch with Loachapoka on Friday. The Indians beat Beulah in the first round of the Lee County Tournament, 66-31.

“Hopefully we’ll give them a better game this time around,” Owen said. “We’re really looking forward to it.”

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