Lady Bluejays falls to Kennett in potential district preview

Kennett jumps out to big lead and rolls to win

sd_sports@yahoo.com

CHARLESTON -- If Charleston wants to make a run at the Class 3, District 1 Championship this season, they got a look at who they'll likely see in the finals when the Kennett Lady Indians came to town Thursday night.

Facing the Lady Indians with just over a week to go until the district tournament, the Lady Bluejays watched Kennett jump out to a 22-point halftime lead before going on to a 66-43 win.

"It's a little bit disappointing," Charleston head coach Josh Thompson said. "We knew we had to come out and start well. It's a little bit of a psychological thing they have on us.

"We knew we couldn't get down early and we did. That made a big difference in the game psychologically."

Opening up the game scoring six-straight points before ending the first quarter with an 18-6 advantage, it didn't take long for Kennett (24-2) to show Charleston (9-9) why they are the ninth-ranked Class 3 team in the state.

In pushing ahead to a 39-17 lead at the break, the Lady Indians continued their charge through the second half, getting eight points apiece from both Audrey Wynne and Veronica Amos in the quarter.

"The kids really came out focused and intense," Lady Indians' head coach Spencer Hoffman. "I thought our pressure really bothered (Charleston) there in the early part of the game and kind of set the tone."

Picking up where they left off, Kennett opened the second half on a 12-3 push that saw the Lady Indians go up 51-20 with 4:40 left in the third

Though two buckets by Kasuela Cooper on a Charleston 6-0 run late in the frame aided the Lady Bluejays attempt to stay in the game, Kennett's offense showed no signs of slowing down.

It was in the closing minute of the quarter Wynne hit her last basket of the night to push the Lady Indians up by a 35-point advantage to effectively seal the game.

"I thought we played extremely hard (tonight)," said Hoffman. "Charleston has some really nice players and I feel really fortunate that we were able to play as well as we did at their place."

Leading the Lady Bluejays' effort, Cooper finished the night with a game-high 17 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. She also contributed three rebounds and a steal. Second on the team, Jasmine Spence had eight points and four rebounds.

Usually one of the Lady Bluejays top scorers, Eneikqua Ewing was held to only five points and two rebounds in the game thanks to early foul troubles. Ewing got her third foul early in the second frame, limiting her usually dominant presence in the paint.

"She's a hard player to guard in there," Hoffman said. "She's strong and hard to keep off the boards so it was important we picked up that early foul on her and got her on the bench to kind of give us a little bit of a leeway."

For Kennett, Wyne had a team-high 14 points on a night where three Lady Indians scored in the double-digits. Jerrica Wheeler and Amos finished with 13 apiece.

Kennett 14 25 24 3 - 66

Charleston 6 11 14 12 - 43

KENNETT (66) -- Alexandra Brown 6, Alex Washburn 1, Jerrica Wheeler 13, Anna Kay Hillburn 7, Audrey Wynne 14, Veronica Amos 13, Caroline Shetley 3, Janeashia Gooden 9. FG 28, FT 8-11, F 18. (3-pointers: Wheeler 1, Amos 1. Fouled out: Shetley)

CHARLESTON (43) -- Gabrielle Quinn 4, Taylor Duenne 3, Kasuela Cooper 17, Eneikqua Ewing 5, Lakeisha Wilson 6, Jasmine Spence 8. FG 17, FT 8-21, F 13. (3-point: Duenne 1. Fouled out: Wilson)