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It’s long been part of Brandy Alm’s approach to coaching, relying on defensive pressure to help fuel Polk County’s offense.

Wednesday evening delivered a testament to the effectiveness of that thinking when all goes according to plan.

The Wolverines held Brevard scoreless for more than seven minutes in the first half, putting together a 22-0 run that sparked a 72-24 thumping of the Blue Devils in a Mountain Foothills 7 Conference clash.

Brevard (4-8, 2-3) kept pace with Polk County (14-1, 6-0) for much of the first quarter and trailed just 12-10 following Madison Galloway’s rebound basket with slightly more than two minutes left in the opening period.

Galloway also scored Brevard’s next points, a pair of free throws with 3:02 left in the first half. In between, the Wolverines reeled off 22 unanswered points, forcing the Blue Devils into turnovers with its frontcourt pressure and then often producing blocked shots when Brevard did make it near the rim.

“I think we played hard,” Alm said. “We were more patient in our offense. We’re working on some new things, and I feel like we were more disciplined tonight. Every time we step on the court, I feel the chemistry in our team is improving.”

Galloway’s free throws were the only points that Brevard scored in the second quarter, leading to a 36-12 halftime bulge for Polk. The Wolverines kept building on that margin in the final two quarters in racing away for the win.

Bailey Staton had 10 of her team-high 23 points in that 22-0 run. Kylie Lewis added nine points and 17 rebounds, with Kiera Littlejohn scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds. Mia Bradley finished with eight points, with that trio combining for five blocked shots.

Reeve Carroll had seven points, with Amiyah Waters and Charley Dusenbury each scoring six. Sofie Abrahamsen and Jayden Duncan each scored two points.

Polk County will look to extend its conference lead on Friday, traveling to Patton for another MF7 matchup.