By Dana Harding
No. 2 Kickapoo got all it could handle from No. 7 Fair Grove in Wednesday’s Pink & White Lady Classic quarterfinal matchup at Drury University.
All it could handle … and then some.
The Lady Chiefs survived a sluggish first half, a lopsided result on the boards and a fourth-quarter deficit en route to a 63-52 victory.
From the opening tip, Fair Grove sought to control the interior and the glass with gritty, physical play. In the first half alone, the Lady Eagles held a 15-8 rebound advantage.
Fair Grove’s aggressive play, in fact, may have surprised the Lady Chiefs. Midway through the opening quarter, Kickapoo coach Jim Pendergrass pulled his starting five and played out the set with reserves.
“We definitely weren’t expecting [the physical play],” Kickapoo’s Jordan Sanders said. “At first we didn’t do very well with it, and we just had to play through it. Definitely, towards the second half, we did better.”
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While Kickapoo struggled on the boards, Fair Grove played through its own series of conflicts.
In the first half, alone, the Lady Eagles committed 20 turnovers at the hands of Kickapoo’s pressure defense.
Fair Grove head coach Jenny Talbert knew ball control would play a pivotal role in the matchup.
“We struggled a little bit taking care of the ball,” Talbert said. “But Kickapoo played great defense, too, so we knew that was going to be something we’d have to handle. Even with those turnovers, I was just super-proud how we fought through and continued to get stops.”
Despite the rash of turnovers, the Lady Eagles found themselves down only three at the break. Pendergrass attributed the tight game to Fair Grove’s aggressive nature on the boards.
“Fair Grove rebounded the ball really well, and they got to the ball quicker,” Pendergrass said. “When we would get to it, it would get knocked away from us. That’s a credit to them, because their kids kept fighting for it the entire possession, even when we had it.”
In the third, Fair Grove super sophomore Alana Findley, who finished the game with a team-high 18 points, showed why she’s one of the brightest emerging talents in the area.
Back-to-back Findley baskets late in the quarter knotted up the scoreboard at 37-37.
Minutes later, a 3-pointer from Lorin Weaver and backdoor cut from Findley gave Fair Grove a 44-40 lead to open up the fourth quarter.
Just as they had earlier in the game, the Lady Eagles made the most of second-chance opportunities.
“[Findley] is a good player,” Pendergrass said. “She does a lot for them, and she’s hard to stop. When they keep getting second and third chances, the game gets a lot easier. When you only have one chance, it’s hard.”
Down but not out by a long shot, Kickapoo rallied.
A deep 3-pointer from Hannah Collins cut the margin to a single point, and a pair of Jordan Wersinger free throws recaptured the lead for the Lady Chiefs.
Collins’ basket was the big break Kickapoo needed, according to Pendergrass.
“The 3-pointer really changes the game of basketball,” Pendergrass said. “Other than a charge, it’s as much of a game-changing play that there is. Hannah Collins hit a couple huge shots late, and we needed to have them.”
While Collins put Kickapoo in the driver’s seat, Jordan Sanders stepped up in the final minutes to bring the Lady Chiefs home.
Through her defense and devastating transition game, Sanders scored eight straight points for Kickapoo when it needed it most and opened up a 57-49 lead with less than a minute on the clock.
Pendergrass praised his senior leader for the strong finish that broke open a tight game.
“Getting the ball in the open floor, that’s where her strength is,” Pendergrass said. “She’s very difficult to stop and, tonight, she made some fantastic steals there at the end and some fantastic finishes and really helped put our team over the top.”
Sanders finished with 18 points for the Lady Chiefs, 10 of which were scored in the final frame. Wersinger led the team with 19 points, and Collins chipped in 13.
For Fair Grove and Coach Talbert, the narrow loss serves as a good mid-season barometer.
“Any time you go up against Goliath there in the defending Class 5 state champions, you just want to come out and show that you belong in there with them,” Talbert said. “I felt like we really held our own. They didn’t back down to Kickapoo, and that’s the team I want to coach.”
Weaver and Lexie Sutherland joined Findley in double figures for Fair Grove with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Up next for Kickapoo (9-2) is a semifinal clash with No. 6 Lebanon (7-1) Thursday at 8:30pm in the O’Reilly Family Event Center. Fair Grove (7-3) heads to the consolation bracket semifinals for a matchup with Skyline (8-1) at 8:30pm in Weiser Gymnasium.
White Division quarterfinal: Kickapoo – 63, Fair Grove – 52
Kickapoo 12 13 15 23 — 63
Fair Grove 11 11 17 13 — 52
Kickapoo scoring: Jordan Wersinger – 19, Jordan Sanders – 18, Hannah Collins – 13, Emily Lorbach – 5, Jaden Wiley – 4, Lexi Armstrong – 3, Natasha Whittet – 1
Fair Grove scoring: Alana Findley – 18, Lorin Weaver – 12, Lexie Sutherland – 11, Harley Maxwell – 4, Cydney Fullerton – 3, Maddie Clark – 2, Taylor Bell – 2
