By Brock Sisney (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
CARTHAGE — The Kickapoo Lady Chiefs wrapped up a Carthage Lady Tigers Invitational title with a 62-27 blowout victory Saturday afternoon over the Miller Lady Cardinals.
Both teams entered the contest having won their first two games in Carthage and the Lady Chiefs never trailed Saturday in a fascinating early season meeting between potential state title contenders at opposite ends of the enrollment spectrum, large school Kickapoo enrollment 1,538 and small school Miller 150.
“For us, we look at every night being a challenge,” Kickapoo head coach Jim Pendergrass said. “We know that when we get in the gym, we get everybody’s best game. We don’t look at any team differently.
“Our size, our rebounding, is definitely a strength for our team and the girls have been exhibiting it thus far this season. It was again tonight. For us to be as good as we can be, we’ve got to take advantage of where we have advantages. Our height and length are advantages and the girls are doing a good job of using that with a lot of great effort.”
The first half numbers Saturday reflect Kickapoo’s dominance: Kickapoo scored the game’s first eight points, Miller went the first seven minutes without a field goal and more than an entire quarter between their first and second field goals, and Kickapoo built a 37-6 halftime lead after a 17-3 first and a 20-3 second quarter.
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The Lady Chiefs extended their lead to 40 about halfway through the third quarter and that’s when Pendergrass called on the reserves to finish out the majority of the remaining contest, including the entire running clock fourth.
Kickapoo improved to 4-0 overall after tournament victories against Carthage (67-58), Webb City (83-24), and Miller.
“I was proud of the way the girls came out,” Pendergrass said. “We shared the ball and if we continue to do that, we’ve got a lot of weapons. If you’ve got a lot of people who can score, it’s hard to stop all them, especially when they’re willing to share the ball and make that next pass and do whatever it takes for their team. That’s why we played as well as we did.
“I want to thank Carthage — coach Scott Moore, really thank him for having us at the tournament, as well as athletic director Mark Holderbaum. The hospitality’s been great and it’s a great tournament. Hopefully, it keeps growing and more teams come.”
Three Kickapoo players especially took advantage of their size and their teammates sharing the ball Saturday: 5-foot-11 senior Indya Green dropped in 12 of her game-high 22 points in the third quarter, 6-2 junior Ysabella Fontleroy netted 10 of her 12 points in the first half, and 6-1 senior Rachel Senn climbed into double figures by scoring seven of her 12 points in the final quarter. Senn accounted for all of Kickapoo’s points in the fourth.
Kaylee Helton led Miller with 10 points and Claudia Hadlock added seven.
Tournament host Carthage claimed second place after a 62-43 win Saturday over traditional arch rival Webb City, powered by a 25-2 lead after one quarter and 46 points from the duo of senior Hailey Fullerton and sophomore Kianna Yates. Fullerton, a 6-1 forward, hit six 3-point baskets en route to her game-high 25 points.
Miller settled for placing third.
