January 18, 2014
Bravettes claim back to back Scott-Mississippi titles
sports@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Coming into Friday's Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament title game, all signs pointed toward the Oran Lady Eagles being newly crowned champions. Not only did Oran come into the tournament as the top-seed, but they'd already beaten their finals opponent, Scott County Central, twice this season...
By Brent Shipman - Standard Democrat
sports@standard-democrat.com
SIKESTON -- Coming into Friday's Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament title game, all signs pointed toward the Oran Lady Eagles being newly crowned champions.
Not only did Oran come into the tournament as the top-seed, but they'd already beaten their finals opponent, Scott County Central, twice this season.
In the end, however, it was the reigning champion Bravettes relying on much of the same core as last season to defend their title with a 62-57 win.
"It's great for these four seniors to go out as back-to-back champions," Scott Central head coach Matt Limbaugh said. "I'm just really proud of the effort. Oran has had our number all year and we were just lucky enough to pull one out tonight."
Through the first three quarters of play the two squads battled neck-and-neck with neither able to distance themselves by more than four points. It was only on a 3-pointer from LaQuisha Strickland at the buzzer that the Bravettes took a 44-40 advantage into the fourth.
Oran's Addie Kielhofner hit a quick three to close her team back within a point to start the final period, but a Lady Eagles turnover soon after fueled a 5-0 Bravette rally.
Johniqua Fort hit a free throw to start the run, followed by a bucket from Abby Ross. Following an Oran turnover, Fort hit her only basket of the quarter to give Scott Central a then-high six-point lead, 49-43, with six minutes to play.
Scott Central started to send the Lady Eagles to the foul line, where they converted on only 5 of 10 attempts in the quarter, allowing the Bravettes to extend their lead with a couple quick baskets.
It was following a pair of missed shots at the charity stripe that Ziaire Davis scored in the paint to push Scott Central ahead, 53-45, with 5:08 remaining.
"We started actually driving into the lane more," Limbaugh said of his team's fourth quarter success. "We needed to work the lane, we had settled for too many jump shots those first three quarters and I felt like we finally started to get in the paint more.
"That's where we're successful at and I thought that was the difference."
After Oran missed three of their next five attempts at the free throw line, Taylor Nenninger got a put-back to keep Oran's hopes alive and close her team to within two possessions. A Bravette turnover soon after led to an Allie Cummins layup to close the Lady Eagles deficit to four points, 55-51, with 2:35 to play.
Before Oran could get any closer, empty trips down the floor cost the Lady Eagles precious seconds on the clock. Scott Central's Mikaela Blissett hit a pair of buckets over a two minute span that kept her team's six-point lead intact heading into the final two minutes.
"We got a little bit gassed," Oran head coach Ethan Evans said. "They got some girls back in there that were in foul trouble in the first half. We had some that were still in foul trouble. They did better job of running the floor and hitting the open lanes and made better decisions than we did."
With their chance of a comeback already on life support as they trailed 60-52 with 15 seconds to play, Oran's hopes were crushed when Blissett got a put-back on a free throw attempt to give her team their biggest lead of the night, 62-52 in the closing seconds.
Much like in the first two games of the tournament, it was the steady play of Blissett, a senior, that kept the Bravettes' offense rolling. She finished Friday's contest with 21 points for a grand total of 66 points over the three-game title run.
"It's a great feeling," Blissett said. "We were working for it and I'm glad we got it."
Added Limbaugh, "That's why she's your first team all-stater. You want your big time players to step up in big situations. I felt Mikaela did that in the fourth today."
Another senior, Abby Ross, had 13 points on the game after a 19-point effort against Charleston in the semifinals. She finishes the championship a combined 39 points, good for second on the team.
It was Ross' play early that got the Bravettes going, scoring eight points in the first quarter as her team drew Oran to a 13-13 tie entering the second.
"Being a senior I think it means more now because it's the last time you get to do it," Ross said of the title. "It's also the first two varsity conference (titles) so this one means a lot."
Blissett and Ross are joined by Derien Ditto and Fort as the four seniors who will graduate this spring as two-time conference champs.
For Oran, Nenninger finished with a team-high 20 points while going 5 of 6 at the foul line. The rest of the team went a combined 3 of 9 on free throws. Kielhofner was second on the squad with 14 points and Cummins added 10.
Oran 13 17 10 17 -- 57
SCC 13 16 15 18 -- 62
ORAN (57) -- Addie Kielhofner 14, Taylor Nenninger 20, Allie Cummins 10, Tatum May 6, Chrissy Sauceda 3. FG 25, FT 8-15, F 22. (3-pointers: Kielhofner 1, Nenninger 1, Sauceda 1. Fouled out: none.)
SCOTT CENTRAL (62) -- Mikaela Blissett 21, LaQuisha Strickland 8, Johniqua Fort 9, Derien Ditto 7, Ziaire Davis 4, Abby Ross 13. FG 22, FT 12-27, F 17. (3-pointers: Strickland 1, Ditto 2. Fouled out: none.)
Third place
__Kelly 79, Charleston 54__
Led by Samantha Ratledge's 24 points, the fifth-seeded Kelly Lady Hawks took down second-seeded Charleston 79-54 for third place on Friday at the Scott Mississippi Conference Tournament.
Cheyenne Randle led Charleston with 25. Sierra Frazier had 23.
Charleston 17 15 7 15 -- 54
Kelly 18 18 22 21 -- 79
CHARLESTON (54) -- Sierra Frazier 23, Keana Horton 2, Frederica Evans 1, Juwanna Walker 2, Cheyenne Randle 25, Channelle Quinn 1. FG 19, FT 15-27, F 21. (3-pointers: Frazier 1. Fouled out: Natalie Groves.)
KELLY (79) -- Samantha Ratledge 24, Morgan LeDure 11, Kaylee Scherer 7, Tessa Johnson 8, Stephanie Worth 7, Kristi Brucker 12, Payton Jones 4, Logan Ivie 6. FG 31, FT 16-27, F 21. (3-pointers: Ratledge 1. Fouled out: none.)
Advertisement
Advertisement