Tourney champs

Monday, December 12, 2011
The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs posed with their plague after winning the 35th annual Lady Devils Invitational Tournament on Saturday night. (Photo by Brent Shipman, Staff)

Sikeston wins Lady Devils Invitational

sports@standard-democrat.com

CHAFFEE -- Looking to bring home their first Lady Devil Invitational Tournament championship since 2005, the Sikeston Bulldogs used a dominant first half against the Delta Bobcats to pull away for a 70-39 win.

"The girls came out extremely focused in the first half," Sikeston head coach Matt Schonhoff said. "It was one of the best first halves that we've played all year and we had a goal set when we had practice on Saturday that let's come away with a championship.

"When you're seeded No. 1 you're supposed to win it. We fought three really good teams this week and were lucky enough to come out on top."

After the Lady Bobcats (3-2) opened the game hitting a quick 3-pointer to take their only lead of the night, Sikeston's (5-0) fast-paced offense roared to life to take a 25-12 advantage to start the second frame.

By the end of the half, with their full-court press causing Delta fits, the Lady Bulldogs had only surrendered another two baskets to take a more than comfortable 42-18 edge into the break.

For a large part of Sikeston's first half success, Schonhoff credits his defense for keeping Delta star Machela VanGennip from getting on a roll.

After finishing the Lady Bobcats last contest with a game-high 25 points, the Lady Bulldogs were able to hold her to only seven at the half.

"She's a very good ball player," Schonhoff said of VanGennip. "She's a point guard and their scorer. We wanted to take her out of their game plan in the first half.

"She played the whole game and got extremely tired, but she battles with the best of them and is one of the better players we'll see all year. Maybe one of the top three shooters that we'll face all year."

Though the Lady Bobcats were able to move momentum in their favor by outscoring Sikeston 14-12 in the third quarter, Sikeston's defense held tight in the fourth, only allowing seven points to seal the win.

"We finally got some composure and started running our offense (in the third quarter)," Delta head coach Randall White said. "Before that they were pressuring us and we were just trying to get rid of the basketball as quick as we could. We'd just go down there and in five seconds fire the ball off.

"Sikeston does a real good job. They have nine kids that they can run in and out and about all of them are capable of scoring, can handle ball and aren't afraid of handling the ball."

Leading Sikeston on the game, Tyangela Gibson had 20 points on the night, including 14 in the first half. She was 8 of 14 shooting from the floor while collecting five steals and four rebounds.

Close behind was Quesha Howard with 18 points, 13 of which came in the Sikeston's first half run.She was 7 of 12 from the floor with five steals and a pair of rebounds.

Taneshia Pulley finished the evening with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds while every Lady Bulldog on the roster contributed at least a point. On the game the Lady Bulldogs collected 30 rebounds and 18 steals.

"Our shooting has been really, really good this year," Schonhoff said. "We had one bad game shooting perimeter shots against Woodland, but tonight in the first half everything was clicking.

"We didn't have a real good third quarter, but we got it back in the fourth. It was just a real good all-around game getting everybody got in the scoring column, which as a coach is a good feeling."

After her slow start, VanGennip came back strong in the second to lead the Lady Bobcats with a game-high 21 points with Tori Burton finishing second on the team in scoring with 13.

Delta126147-39
Sikeston25171216-70

DELTA (39) -- Machela VanGennip 21, Macey Parks 2, Chastity Taylor 1, Tori Burton 13, Myra Henson 2. FG 12, FT 11-13, F 15. (3-pointers: VanGennip 2, Burton 2. Fouled out: none.)

SIKESTON (70) -- Tyangela Gibson 20, Keyonna Blissett 8, Quesha Howard 18, Leah Little 1, Mikala Tinnon 1, Mikala Nichols 2, Taneshia Pulley 9, Jalen Peet 2, Yalanda Johnson 6, Danika Garmon. FG 24, FT 16-26, F 13. (3-pointers: Gibson 3, Howard 3. Fouled out: none.)

Woodland 51, Scott City 41

CHAFFEE -- Once again plagued by a rough first half, the Scott City Lady Rams saw their slow start in the third place game lead to a 51-41 loss to the Woodland Lady Cardinals.

"We just didn't come to play," Scott City head coach Ricky Keller said. "We can't wait until the third or fourth quarter to start playing. It's the same returning theme we've had all year.

"I don't know when it's going to change and they get it through their minds that have to come out and play (from the start)."

Putting up eight points in each of the first two quarter, the Lady Rams (3-2) saw Woodland (3-1) take a 28-16 advantage into the break.

Though Scott City start to outpace the Lady Cardinals in the second half, outscoring them a combined 25-23 in the final two quarters, the deficit was too great.

"You can't give good teams 10 to 12 point leads in the first three quarters," Keller said. "You can't just rely on your skill to come back and beat them. It's not going happen.

"I felt like we played a harder later on and if we had that same intensity the entire game it might have been a different game."

In hitting three 3-pointers in Scott City's second half comeback bid, Katie Hogan finished the contest with a team-high 15 points. She also led the Lady Rams with nine rebound and blocking four shots.

Alicia Kern and Lyndsie Robert both had nine points on the game with Robert grabbing six rebounds and a steal while Kern added two steals, a block and a rebound to Scott City's cause.

For Woodland, Kendra Pinkley had a game-high 20 points, including 16 in the first half with Josie Long and Kathlyn Cooper adding 16 and 11 points respectively to the Lady Cardinals cause.

"Defensively we controlled the tempo and that's what we wanted to do," Woodland head coach Gary Poyner said of the win. "We especially did a good job staying after their shooters and we're able to limit them to one shot.

"I don't think they had very many offensive boards right under the basket. So that was the big thing to defensively control the tempo, be patient on offense and look for our shots."

Woodland14141013-51
Scott City 88916-41

WOODLAND (51) -- Josie Long 16, Kathlyn Cooper 11, Lindsay Shell 4, Kendra Pinkley 20. FG 18, FT 15-27, F 10. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none.)

SCOTT CITY (41) -- Lyndsie Robert 9, Katie Rhymer 8, Katie Hogan 15, Alicia Kern 9. FG 13, FT 11-15, F 20. (3-pointers: Hogan 3, Rhymer 1. Fouled out: none.)

Kelly 47, East Prairie 41

CHAFFEE -- Playing the consolation finals, the Kelly Lady Hawks got 16 points from Tessa Johnson en rout to a 47-41 win over the East Prairie Lady Eagles.

After jumping out to a 12-8 lead after the first quarter, Kelly edged out the Lady Eagles in the second frame to go up 20-15 at the half.

East Prairie was able to close back to within three points of the Lady Hawks going in to the final frame, but an 11-8 Kelly run to end the game sealed the win.

Led by Johnson, the Lady Hawks had eight scorers on the night with Bridgette Chandler contributing nine points and Stephanie Worth Logan Ivie collecting five apiece.

Scoring 12 points in the second half alone, Caitlyn Harwell finished the contest with a game-high 20 points for East Prairie. Courtney Carden and Kailey Turner tied for second on the team with seven points each with Rebekah Douglas added six to the Lady Eagles' cause.

East Prairie87188-41
Kelly1281611-47

EAST PRAIRIE (41) -- Courtney Carden 7, Rebekah Douglas 6, Caitlyn Harwell 20, Briana Strayhorn 1, Kailey Turner 7. FG 15, FT 8-20, F 24. (3-pointers: Harwell 3. Fouled out: Carden, Turner.)

KELLY (47) -- Tessa Johnson 16, Darbe Backfisch 4, Stephanie Worth 5, Logan Ivie 5, Kristi Brucker 3, Payton Jones 3, Katie Koonce 2. FG 15, FT 14-36, F 17. (3-pointers: Johnson 2, Backfisch 1. Fouled out: none.)

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