Kickapoo celebrated a 2016 state championship at Kirkwood’s expense.
The Pioneers never forgot that dreadful feeling, despite winning a state championship last year.
“We had a little chip on our shoulder today – I don’t think it was little; I think it was pretty big, actually,” said Kirkwood coach Monica Tritz.
Kirkwood finally got its payback on Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers used a stingy defense to thwart Kickapoo 67-50 in the Class 5 Girls’ Show-Me Showdown championship game at JQH Arena.
“I wanted to play (Kickapoo) again,” said Kirkwood senior guard Makayla Wallace. “I remembered that feeling. I remember it just like it was yesterday. I have pictures of us crying. To have a rematch with them, I liked it.”
Kirkwood’s Jaidah Stewart, a Webster Groves transfer, scored a game-high 22. She also led her team with seven rebounds.
Jayla Everett (15), Wallace (14) and Natalie Burns (12) also scored in double figures for the repeat state champions.
Kickapoo shot 14-for-46 from the field and struggled to find open looks.
Kirkwood’s defense registered 10 blocks, seven steals and forced the Chiefs into 16 turnovers.
“They (Kirkwood) were difficult to get around, and that caused us problems tonight,” said Chiefs coach Jim Pendergrass.
Kirkwood broke the game open after halftime. The Pioneers outscored Kickapoo 18-9 in the third quarter and led by 22 going into the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs made a final desperation run – outscoring Kirkwood 9-3 during a two-minute span in the fourth quarter – but never got closer than 17.
Senior Jordan Wersinger and freshman Chloe Merced scored 11 apiece to lead Kickapoo. Senior Hannah Collins added 10 points.
For Wersinger and Collins, Kickapoo’s only two seniors, Saturday marked the end of a successful three-year varsity run at Kickapoo.
They helped the Chiefs win multiple district and conference championships, and a state title in 2016.
“Playing basketball (with Jordan) has really taught me a lot,” Collins said. “When she came to Kickapoo her sophomore year and started playing, it made us come together.
“We’ve been used to playing together and I feel like we can feed off each other really well. It’s going to be hard going to college and not having (Jordan) there.”
Wersinger and Collins also played together on Cherokee Middle School teams that won city championships.
“I watched them play in junior high all the way up, and they didn’t disappoint,” Pendergrass said. “Not one day, not one time.”
Kirkwood’s Stewart, who transferred from rival school Webster Groves last summer, broke Kickapoo’s back and 1-3-1 zone defense with her perimeter shooting.
Stewart scored 14 of her 22 points in the first half. She finished 5-for-7 from deep. Kirkwood shot 24-for-55 from the field overall.
“She was hot,” Tritz said. “She did her role well.”
Kickapoo didn’t make a field goal until the 6:35 mark of the second quarter, on a runner by freshman Chloe Merced.
The Chiefs went 0-for-8 from the field in the first quarter and missed their first 10 shots overall. They shot 3-for-19 from the field in the first half.
Kickapoo drew 24 fouls on Kirkwood but couldn’t take full advantage. The Chiefs made 19 of 32 free throw attempts.
Kirkwood outscored Kickapoo by 10 in the second quarter and led 30-17 at halftime. The Chiefs did out-rebound Kirkwood, 41-33.
“There’s little margin between winning and losing sometimes,” Pendergrass said. “We needed a lot of things to go right. We gave up some opportunities throughout. When you get in big games, you need to take advantage of everything you can.”
Late in the third, an official called a technical foul on Kickapoo’s bench. The Chiefs had argued against a charge ruling that negated a potential three-point play.
Kirkwood’s Wallace also received a technical foul later in the period as tensions escalated between the former state champions and budding rivals.
“Of course it’s disappointing. We wanted to come out with a win,” Wersinger said. “I felt like with all the adversity we had to go through in that game, I thought we put it all out there and did the very best we could. We just came up short. I don’t think we ever gave up, we never let (Kirkwood) run away with the lead.”
Late in the game, with the outcome decided, Pendergrass subbed out Wersinger and Collins individually and shared one final moment with his two seniors.
“They’ve been so coachable,” Pendergrass said. “I told them I loved them and, ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for our program.’ They’ve been tremendous Lady Chiefs. They’ll never be forgotten.”
Kickapoo freshman Indya Green had a game-high 16 rebounds. She finished with 30 rebounds over the two-game tournament, leaving her four shy of joining the top five all-time in MSHSAA Girls’ Show-Me Showdown history.
Kirkwood 67, Kickapoo 50
Kickapoo 7 10 9 24 — 50
Kirkwood 10 20 18 19 — 67
Kickapoo – Chloe Merced 11, Jordan Wersinger 11, Hannah Collins 10, Indya Green 8, Rachel Senn 4, Madie Barrett 3, Leah Fredrick 3
Kirkwood – Jaidah Stewart 22, Jayla Everett 15, Makayla Wallace 14, Natalie Bruns 12, Ashley Anderson 2, Emily Kreidler 2
