C3D1: Portageville uses strong finish against Twin Rivers to claim third straight district title

Dennis marshall

Standard-Democrat

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — The district championship still runs through Portageville.

After trailing for most of the first half, the No. 8 ranked Lady Bulldogs (22-4, 7-0 Bootheel) secured their third straight district crown by using a dominant fourth-quarter run to pull away for a 60-37 win over Twin Rivers in the final of the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 Tournament on Saturday, March 1.

“I was just proud of the way girls fought hard all night long,” said Portageville coach Kellye Fowler. “We got down early and it would have been easy for them to get frustrated and give up, but they responded to some coaching, and really some changes to some things we haven’t done all year.”

Taryn Irby, Ja’Niya Smith, and Gloriaha Farmer powered Portageville’s title-clinching performance.

Irby’s 19 points and four assists set the tempo, while Smith dominated inside with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Farmer added 13 points and eight boards, helping the team take control when it mattered most.

“They stepped up,” Fowler said. “They were the ones who picked up the pace and allowed us to pull away. I’m proud of them for being leaders, working hard and keeping us going when things weren’t going well at the beginning.”

Portageville held a slim lead late in the first quarter, but back-to-back baskets from Raegan Null and Lilly Oliver gave Twin Rivers an 11-10 edge heading into the second after the Lady Bulldogs held the ball for the final minute but couldn’t generate a clean look.

The Lady Royals controlled the glass throughout the second quarter, scoring all of their points in the paint. The Lady Bulldogs finally gained some momentum before halftime, as Alise Hickenbottom sank two free throws and Taryn Irby set up Deasia Arterbridge for a key basket, cutting the deficit to 21-20 at the break.

“We had a slow start but a lot of that has to do with the really long break we had coming into the postseason,” Fowler said. “We had 16 days off between our last game and the start of the district tournament. It just took them a little while to overcome that and get back to what they were used to.

“This atmosphere comes with some nerves and it took us a little time to work some of those off.”

Lilly Oliver was a force for Twin Rivers in the first half, accounting for 14 of her team’s 21 points. However, Portageville’s defense made the necessary adjustments after halftime, and Oliver was held scoreless in the second half.

“We made a defensive adjustment,” Fowler said. “We put one of our girls who could jump in there on her, and that made a big difference.”

The Lady Bulldogs came out of the break with renewed intensity as Irby immediately knocked down a pull-up 3-pointer from the top of the key, tying the game at 23-23 just 30 seconds in. A short time later, Satori Saxton’s 3-pointer gave Portageville a 26-23 lead.

The Lady Bulldogs held that slim advantage throughout the third quarter, finishing the period up 35-30 after Ivy Benson’s late bucket for Twin Rivers cut the deficit to five.

In the second half, Portageville spread the floor with a four-high or four-out set, placing four players beyond the arc to open up driving lanes and create space. By rotating their personnel across the court, the Lady Bulldogs kept the defense off balance, leading to better shooting opportunities and cleaner drives to the basket.

“We just had to be more aggressive going to the rim,” Fowler said. “They weren’t giving us a lot of space, but they were back far enough that they were daring us to shoot it. We started driving it harder at them and kicking it out for open shots.”

Irby faked an outside shot, took a dribble, and sank a pull-up from just inside the free-throw line to ignite Portageville’s 21-0 run to close the game. The Lady Bulldogs’ defensive intensity also ramped up, switching to a zone trap that created key turnovers and disrupted Twin Rivers’ offense. Saxton’s 3-pointer with less than a minute left capped the scoring, putting Portageville ahead 60-34.

“They were comfortable and the instincts took over,” Fowler said. “We really dominated defensively. When we can make our defense turn into offense for us, that’s when we really look good.”

When asked what made this championship different from the previous two, Fowler pointed to the shift in personnel.

“This is a whole different group of girls,” she said. “We did bring back two starters, but the rest of these girls were role players or didn’t get to play much last year. It’s just special, as a program, to be able to lose five seniors and still stay relevant. It speaks a lot to what we’re trying to build here.”

Portageville will host Woodland (15-11) in the sectional round on Tuesday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m.

“I really think it’s going to come down to defense and who gets the most stops,” Fowler concluded. “We have to stay humble and hungry. We know that these opportunities don’t come around all the time, and championships are not given.”

PORTAGEVILLE 60, 
TWIN RIVERS 37

Twin Rivers 11 10 9 7 — 37

P’Ville 10 10 15 25 — 60

Twin Rivers (37) — Lilly Oliver 14, Raegan Null 9, Ivy Benson 6, Maci Hockersmith 3, Raegan Bader 2, Layla Thompkins 2, Reese Crimson 1. FG: 16. FT: 4-14. F: 18. (3-pointers: Hockersmith 1. Fouled out: None).

Portageville (60) — Taryn Irby 19, Ja’Niya Smith 18, Gloriaha Farmer 13, Satori Saxton 6, Alise Hickenbottom 2, Deasia Arterbridge 2, Josie Cayton 1. FG: 18. FT: 18-26. F: 16. (3-pointers: Irby 4, Saxton 2. Fouled out: None).