Lady Hawks pull off upset over Doniphan

BROSELEY -- Kelly's girls basketball team pulled off an impressive upset in the Lady Royals Holiday Classic on Thursday night, toppling Doniphan in overtime, 61-57.

"Our girls just picked up the intensity in overtime," said Kelly head coach Rod McQuerter. "They played hard and played together as one unit. This is a huge win for our program."

It's the third substantial win Kelly has posted in the tournament, also beating talented teams from Malden and Sikeston in recent days.

Cara Scherer had a big night for the Lady Hawks, scoring a career high 22 points in Thursday's win.

"Our girls were doing a lot of penetrating, and Cara's man was helping off of her," explained McQuerter. "She made some inside shots and got some putbacks also."

Christy Kluesner also contributed in a big way, finishing with 14 points.

Kelly jumped out to a 12-10 lead in the first quarter and was able to extend it to six points at halftime. The Donnettes rallied in the second half, outscoring Kelly 35-29 to force overtime.

The Lady Hawks put up nine points to Doniphan's five in the extra frame to improve to 6-3 on the season.

With the victory, Kelly advances to the championship game on Saturday, where they will meet top-seeded Twin Rivers at 8 p.m.

"We're just very excited about how the girls are playing right now," said McQuerter. "We're excited about the chance to play a quality team like Twin Rivers. They've got a great history and have a great team this year too."