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By Kary Booher (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
BOLIVAR, Mo. – To every young team out there, no matter the grade listing on the roster, it’s up to you to write your own blueprint, no matter the odds.
Just look at the Kickapoo Lady Chiefs, who hit the hardwood back in November with a roster that includes six freshman (half who start), four sophomores and five upperclassmen.
Now they’re heading to the Class 5 Final Four.
Kickapoo authored a 23-10 run in a 6 ½ minute stretch, with sophomore guard Leah Frederick scoring 10 points in relief, and that was all just in the first half. The result was an 85-65 victory against the Camdenton Lady Lakers in a Class 5 quarterfinal Saturday night at the Meyer Center.
“A lot of people were saying it was going to be a rebuilding year,” freshman center Indya Green said. “But now here we are.”
Said Frederick, “It took hard work.”
Kickapoo (27-3) plays in the semifinal at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at JQH Arena.
Green’s team-high 16 points led six Lady Chiefs in double figure scoring, but it was her work on the inside – along with freshman starter Rachel Senn and sophomore Jaden Wiley — that continuously fueled Kickapoo’s fast-paced offense.
Thing was, Saturday was expected to be close one, given Kickapoo eked out an 82-75 overtime win against Camdenton on Jan. 29 in Springfield.
“We were determined tonight to get ahead,” Green said. “We wanted to make sure we’d get every rebound.”
This time, Kickapoo asserted itself in the first half as the Lady Chiefs opened the game by outscoring Camdenton 15-4. And, after the Lady Lakers narrowed the deficit to only 17-14, Kickapoo continued its up-tempo style. Their ability to snag defensive rebounds kept Camdenton from few second-chance efforts, let alone second-chance points, especially in the key run.
That was putting it mildly.
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The Lady Chiefs finished the final 6 ½ minutes on a 23-13 run in which they led by as many as 16 points late in the first half. Ultimately, they jogged to halftime with a 40-27 lead, which reached 20 early in the fourth quarter.
More than anything, the depth of Kickapoo was a major push as its bench scored 19 points in the half.
Senior Jordan Wersinger, who missed much of the season because of an ACL injury, came off the bench to score 13 points. That matched the 13 from Frederick as well as from starting guard Chloe Merced, while Hannah Collins finished with 12. Wiley and Senn combined for 14 points.
“It was a total team effort,” Kickapoo coach Jim Pendergrass said. “We have a lot of kids, and the kids do a lot of special things.”
It was a tough way to end the season for Camdenton, which beat Blue Springs in the sectional and was knocking on the door to a Final Four berth.
Natalie Basham scored 25 points to lead Camdenton, which also received 17 from Nicole Rezebak.
It was Basham’s two free throws and Rezebak’s bucket early in the second quarter that had pulled Camdenton to within 17-14.
“But it came to a screeching halt,” said Camdenton coach Staci Caffey, whose team finished with a 20-8 record. “But one thing I was happy about was the effort and focus. Our seniors and captains didn’t stop.”
