Kickapoo and Branson each found themselves in a first-quarter dogfight Monday night at the Class 5, District 11 semifinals.
That said, neither underdog had answers for the depth and talent possessed by the top two seeds. Kickapoo ran away from Parkview 71-28 in the early game, and then Branson topped Ozark 69-54 in the nightcap.
Kickapoo vs. Parkview
Five-win Parkview wasn't supposed to pose much of a threat for the top-seeded Lady Chiefs; however, a quick start pushed them out to an 8-3 first quarter lead.
Unfortunately for the Lady Vikings, their tempo and momentum didn't last beyond the game's initial three minutes. Kickapoo's perimeter bomb squad rallied with an 18-0 run to quell Parkview's hot start and take a commanding 21-8 lead.
Save for a trio of free throws, the Lady Chiefs did all their scoring from beyond the arc in the quarter, connecting on six 3-pointers.
Junior Ari Acuff led the charge with 6 of her 14 points in the opening frame.
"It was a little rough and definitely wasn't our best start," Acuff said. "We kind of came out slow, but recovered well and kicked it into gear. We can't really overlook anyone, but we're really looking forward to our game on Friday."
From there, Kickapoo's smothering defense wrote the rest of the story. While Parkview's guards were able to move the ball through the Lady Chief's press, the half-court traps at the other end presented a more formidable challenge.
Kickapoo head coach Jim Pendergrass was pleased with his team's defensive effort, particularly in the second half.
"We really want to have a great pace of play," Pendergrass said. "We want to trap people, and we were able to do that tonight. We did a good job of rotating out of our traps tonight without giving up a lot of layups tonight, and that's a key. You can't give up layups out of those traps."
Kickapoo also benefitted from a balanced scoring line, with five players posting double figures. Acuff, Laura Vierkant and Jordan Sanders each had 14 points, Jordan Wersinger scored 11 and Audrey Warren added 10 for the Lady Chiefs.
Parkview was led by Ty Stiles' 11 points in the game.
Kickapoo – 71, Parkview – 28
Kickapoo 21 13 18 19 — 71
Parkview 8 8 3 9 — 28
Kickapoo Scoring: Ari Acuff – 14, Laura Vierkant – 14, Jordan Sanders – 14, Jordan Wersinger – 11, Audrey Warren – 10, Hannah Collins – 5, Sharon Lopez – 3
Parkview Scoring: Ty Stiles – 11, Aaliyah Buckley – 6, Paiton Acord – 5, Neveah Mitchell – 2, Bethany Harris – 2, CJ Stiles – 2
Branson vs. Ozark
The evening's second game started out much like the first, with the lower seed taking early control.
A 10-4 run placed upset-minded Ozark in control and, unlike Kickapoo's quick rally, Branson found itself spinning in place.
Then the wheels came off.
Early foul trouble on the interior left the Lady Pirates little room to operate. Ozark's perimeter defense was able to pressure Branson's talented combo of Amanda Kearny and Ashley Forrest and hold the two guards to a combined three points in the quarter.
Ozark managed to push the lead to 21-8 before Branson was able to steady itself and mount a rally.
A rally triggered by Lauren Garrison.
The sophomore guard took advantage of Ozark's defensive shift on Kearney and Forrest, scoring six quick points in the second quarter to help Branson cut into, and eventually re-take, the lead.
"They were playing Amanda and Ashley really tight," Garrison said. "I was just trying to get open for them, because they couldn't really do much. I thought if I would score, it would open them up."
Garrison's plan worked.
After taking a 29-28 lead into the half, the Branson guards began to place their stamp on the game.
Kearney and Forrest combined for 27 of their 41 points in the second half, pushing the tempo into a transition nightmare for the Lady Tigers.
In the end, Branson's depth and experience proved too much for Ozark to overcome, as the Kearney/Forrest/Garrison trio answered each of the Lady Tiger rallies with second-half runs of its own.
Branson head coach Kip Bough praised his team's resolve and refusal to panic.
"I've got competitors," Bough said. "I didn't think our kids would just kind of go quietly after that and they didn't. Oh boy, we fought back. We go from 11 down at the end of one, to up one at the half."
After breaking the school record for wins, Branson (22-4) now meets Kickapoo (23-3) on Friday for the district championship and a shot to move on in the state bracket.
Branson – 69, Ozark – 54
Branson 8 21 21 19 — 69
Ozark 19 9 10 16 — 54
Branson Scoring: Amanda Kearney – 28, Lauren Garrison – 15, Ashley Forrest – 13, Gracie Jaeger – 4, Tori O'Dell – 3, Terra Utz-Depriest – 2, Emily Gifford – 2, Emma Miller – 2
Ozark Scoring: Mikayla Putt – 18, Morgan Doyle – 8, Kaylan Smith – 7, Bre Johnson – 5, Macey Putt – 5, Ally Lollis – 3, Makensi Taylor – 3, Jadyn Easley – 3, Cassie Hinkley – 2
