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By Dana Harding
For nearly two quarters, Monday’s Kickapoo-Republic game looked awfully familiar … yet another relatively low-scoring defensive grudge match.
The two Class 5 powers have had their share of nail-biting struggles in recent years, with the last ten meetings split at five each. While the Lady Chiefs were able to finally break the game open en route to a 67-46 victory, it was anything but a walkover.
Early on, Kickapoo sought to push the pace and opened up a sizeable lead behind hot starts from Jordan Sanders and Jordan Wersinger, yet time and time again, Republic managed to regroup and keep the game close.
After Kickapoo stormed out to a 26-12 lead, Republic flipped the script and went on an 11-0 run of its own. Allyson Barrett’s basket with 1:52 left in the first half cut the Kickapoo lead to 28-25, and it seemed the Lady Tigers were poised to take control of the scoreboard.
That’s when Hannah Collins and Jaden Wiley sparked a Kickapoo 7-0 run to close the half.
For Kickapoo head coach Jim Pendergrass, a big key to the game was establishing a fast tempo.
“For us, I felt like we needed to control the tempo, make it a fast game and try to get a lot of possessions,” Pendergrass said. “In the first half, we were able to have some tempo, but then we fouled. That negated our hustle and slowed us down. In the second half, we cut down on our unnecessary reaching fouls, and we were able to get that tempo where we wanted it.”
Where the Lady Chiefs wanted it, specifically, was in the hands of their three playmakers. Sanders, Wersinger and Collins combined for 57 of Kickapoo’s 67 points in the contest.
Sanders, in particular, was a one-girl wrecking ball on both ends of the court, slashing to the basket, causing defensive fits for Republic ball-handlers and gobbling up rebounds.
Republic had few answers for the senior forward’s transition game and ability to attack the basket. Her 8-0 individual run in the second quarter helped Kickapoo establish an early lead it would not relinquish.
“Usually, I just look to pass,” Sanders said. “But if I can get my first step and get past them, I just try to go to the basket and not let them catch up to me. I just want to keep going.”
Sanders’ 26 points led the stat book, as did her 15 rebounds. Wersinger and Collins added 19 and 12 for Kickapoo, respectively.
While the Kickapoo trio provided the majority of offensive fireworks in the game, a freshman might have had just as much of an impact.
Jaden Wiley’s defensive effort on Republic standout Taylor Fergen helped limit scoring opportunities and force the Lady Tigers to look elsewhere for productivity.
“[Republic] is a well-coached team,” Pendergrass said. “They’ve got a great player in Fergen, who really makes them go, and Jaden Wiley did a fantastic job on her tonight, limiting her to 8 points. They got into early foul trouble, which helped us as well. Being able to have her out of the game, it maybe limits what they can do.”
For Republic coach Kris Flood, costly turnovers, foul problems and a chaotic pace proved to be the Lady Tigers’ undoing.
“When we don’t do little things, like take care of the ball, when we play good teams, we’re probably not going to have much of a chance,” Flood said. “First half, I think we had 17 turnovers. Credit [Kickapoo] on that. They did a good job with pressure and used their size well. We’re not equipped to give up that many possessions where you don’t even get a possible opportunity to score.”
Despite the early-season loss, Flood looked to positives for his relatively inexperienced squad as it moves into holiday tournament mode.
“It got away from us,” Flood said. “I thought we did a pretty good job there for about two-and-a-half quarters, maybe, and had it right there. We shot ourselves in the foot, and they were able to take advantage of the stuff we were doing.”
Brylee Manes led Republic with 14 points. She was joined in double figures by Megan Branstetter’s 13 and Barrett’s 10.
Following a short holiday break, both teams are back in action Tuesday, Dec. 27 for the Pink & White Lady Classic held at Drury. No. 2 seed Kickapoo (7-2) opens play in the White Division against Mt. Vernon at 6pm, while No. 5 seed Republic (5-3) faces Bolivar in a 12:30pm Pink Division matchup.
Varsity final: Kickapoo – 67, Republic – 46
Kickapoo 12 23 14 18 — 67
Republic 6 19 7 14 — 46
Kickapoo scoring: Jordan Sanders – 26, Jordan Wersinger – 19, Hannah Collins – 12, Jaden Wiley – 8, Natasha Whittet – 2
Republic scoring: Brylee Manes – 14, Megan Branstetter – 13, Allyson Barrett – 10, Taylor Fergen – 8, Natalie Bennett – 2
Soph final: Republic – 43, Kickapoo – 28
Jade Kirby and Shaelyn Barrett – 12 points
JV final: Republic – 45, Kickapoo – 42
Lacee Walcher and Hallie Bartlesmeyer – 9 points
