By Jordan Burton
Springfield, MO – The run…
It was a staple of Kickapoo’s state championship run last year and has become engrained in the DNA of this year’s team as well; eventually the Lady Chiefs are going to put together a big run.
On Tuesday night it came in the form of a 16-5 spurt late in the second quarter, acting as the haymaker in a 73-43 opening round win over Mount Vernon in the Pink and White Lady Classic.
“I was proud of our kids for being able to pull away,” said Kickapoo coach Jim Pendergrass. “Once they got into foul trouble that changed the game and we were able to capitalize on that. That was a huge factor in the game and when they went out we were able to increase the tempo of the game and really try to make it difficult on them.”
The run was keyed by senior Jordan Sanders. The UC Irvine signee scored 13 of her game-high 23 points in the second quarter alone, many of which came in transition as the Lady Chiefs converted steals into points.
“When you play teams like that – so talented and deep – they will take advantage of it when you break down mentally,” said Mount Vernon coach Dusty Killingsworth. “We had several turnovers in that stretch and they converted on all of them. That’s why they are who they are and we’re trying to get to that point.”
The run coincided with Mount Vernon star Cameron Call picking up her third foul of the half. To that point she had tallied 11 points and had dictated the tempo of the game. She checked out with Mount Vernon trailing 28-24 with 3:33 remaining, that’s when Kickapoo countered with the 16-5 run.
Mount Vernon sophomore Caitlin Hicks also sat out the majority of the second quarter after scoring nine first-quarter points. Call and Hicks finished with 18 and 16 points respectively. The Lady ‘Neers led 18-16 after the first, but were outscored 28-11 in the second quarter.
Another key piece of the turnaround was guard Jaden Wiley.
After a scoreless first quarter, Wiley tallied eight of her 12 points in the second quarter. The 5-foot-7 freshman has emerged as a consistent third scorer to standouts Jordan Sanders and Jordan Wersinger.
“She’s really making progress,” said Pendergrass. “It’s a big step to go from junior high to Class 5 and seeing the level of competition that we play. To step in there is a credit to her. She works and brings it every day in practice and she’s been consistent for us all year. We’ve had several different players like Hannah Collins and Katrice Jackson step up as a third scorer and tonight it was her turn.”
Up next for Kickapoo is Fair Grove, a 59-37 winner over Carthage. Mount Vernon beat Fair Grove by 15 points earlier this month.
“This is a great tournament with great competition and it’s a rugged four days,” said Pendergrass. “Four games in four days and tomorrow night we have another tough game with Fair Grove. We look forward to those kinds of challenges.”
