Even when they run into foul trouble, it’s hard to slow down the Kickapoo Lady Chiefs right now.
Kickapoo continued its torrid offensive pace – a trend it has been on since January – Wednesday night against Republic in the Class 5 sectional round at Drury’s O’Reilly Family Event Center.
GAME PHOTOS: KICKAPOO VS. REPUBLIC
Jordan Wersinger (26) and Jordan Sanders (23) combined for 49 points as Kickapoo bested Republic 81-65 in a matchup of Class 5's top ranked teams, avenging a loss from earlier in the season.
“We knew we were a totally different team from when we played them in December,” Wersinger said. “We just wanted to come out and show it tonight, make sure everyone knew.”
The victory propels Kickapoo into the Class 5 quarterfinals, where the Chiefs face Columbia Hickman (24-4 overall) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.
“They’re enjoying playing right now,” Chiefs coach Jim Pendergrass about his teams. “I don’t feel like you have to ‘get them up’ for a chance to go to Columbia. They’ve worked hard for that all season.
“We’ll see how they react on Saturday.”
Kickapoo had its depth tested against Republic, with starters Sanders and Audrey Warren each owning three personal fouls by the 4-minute mark of the second quarter.
Kickapoo led 28-23 at the time, and with Sanders and Warren on the bench, the Chiefs’ lead swelled to 11 points over the next two minutes. Sanders returned to the game to close the second quarter, and aided by a late three-point play from Wersinger, Kickapoo led 46-32 at halftime.
“We thought (Sanders’ and Warrens’ fouls) may be a key spot (in the game), and I’ll be darn, it went the opposite way,” said Republic coach Kris Flood. “We had some critical turnovers at that juncture and it led to a Kickapoo run. That was just a missed opportunity.”
Although their point totals won’t show it, Kickapoo got key contributions from reserves such as Sharon Lopez, Ari Acuff, Katrice Jackson and Hannah Cantrell. The depth enabled Kickapoo to stay in a full-court press and play fast on offense.
“We don’t just have five starters, we have a whole bench that comes in and plays a very important role for us,” Wersinger said. “They came in and did their part tonight.”
Republic made things interesting late in the third quarter, getting as close as seven points then forcing a steal on the ensuing in-bounds pass. But with the Tigers threatening to cut it to a two-possession game, Kickapoo responded with an 8-0 run to lead 64-49 going into the fourth quarter.
“It seemed like we were trading baskets. That wasn’t going to cut it when we were down double digits,” Flood said. “We just didn’t have it tonight. A lot of things that you have to have go well in these type of games, we didn’t have them.”
Despite the foul trouble, Sanders finished with a monster game for Kickapoo (25-3 overall, No. 2 MBCA/MOsports.com poll). In addition to the 23 points, the Illinois State commit had, unofficially, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Brooke Stanfield, a Drury commit, scored 29 for Republic (25-2 overall, No. 1 MBCA/MOsports.com poll) in her final career prep game.
Free throws made a big difference in the game, with Republic finishing 6-for-18 at the line compared to Kickapoo’s 28-for-38 mark.
Republic graduates a seven-player senior class, one of which is Flood’s own daughter, Logan.
“Not just with basketball, I’ve had time to spend with their families through travel and basketball-related trips,” Kris Flood said. “I’ve seen them from a different side. It’s unique in that aspect; it’s more than from a coaching aspect. I’ve gotten to know them through a friendship-type deal. They’re a great group, a special group.”
Kickapoo 81, Republic 65
Republic 20 12 17 16 — 65
Kickapoo 21 25 18 17 — 81
Republic – Brooke Stanfield 29, Taylor Fergen 9, Jordan Kabetske 8, Brylee Argo 7, Alexis Ladwig 5, Morgan Branstetter 3, Jade Sawyer 2, Allyson Barrett 2
Kickapoo – Jordan Wersinger 26, Jordan Sanders 23, Audrey Warren 14, Laura Vierkant 11, Ari Acuff 3, Hannah Collins 2, Sharon Lopez
