By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
From the opening tip, the Kickapoo Lady Chiefs left little doubt as to what the outcome was going to be Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Chiefs raced to a 9-0 lead to open the game and never took their foot off the gas on their way to a 72-42 Ozark Conference victory over the West Plains Lady Zizzers.
Junior guard Bella Fontleroy filled up the scorebook with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and 1 steal, but the Lady Chiefs’ balance across the board – offensively and defensively – is difficult to match for most teams and was again on Saturday.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Kickapoo coach Jim Pendergrass said. “We came out and tried to be the aggressor. Defensively, we did a good job of getting our hands on passes and played good half-court defense, making it difficult for (West Plains) to score.
“The girls executed the game plan really well, almost to perfection. We presented what we wanted to do and they did it.”
The Lady Chiefs, who improved to 19-2 overall and 5-0 in the OC, had six different players score in the first and second quarters, and five different players score in the third and fourth.
“It makes it hard to defend when (teams) have a lot of people who can score, and we have that,” Pendergrass said. “Our girls can give up a shot for a better shot and I thought our ball movement was incredible. When we do that, it makes it hard to guard.”
Every Kickapoo player who scored also recorded at least one rebound and one assist. That unselfishness is key to the team’s success.
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“We definitely have found our rhythm as a team,” Fontleroy said, “getting everybody the ball, distributing it and making sure that everybody gets their hands on it. Our mind-set coming into the game was to execute. They like to play slow, so we were trying to get them to pick up the pace, which I feel like we did, and to get those deflections and steals, and finish every possession with the rebound, which I think we did really good.
“We’re doing really well as a team right now. Our chemistry is really, really good, and we’re just excited. We’re excited to get back to state this year and finally get past that sectional round and just keep playing. Everybody wants to keep this team together. This is probably the best team we’ve had in a while, as far as chemistry, and I love all the girls. So, we’re just trying to stay together for as long as we can.”
The Lady Chiefs have now won 15 straight games with the closest game in their last five being by 19 points. Saturday’s keeps them in the running to secure their fifth OC title in six years, with Glendale, Lebanon, Rolla and Waynesville still to play. Rolla, which beat Kickapoo in December, is also unbeaten in Ozark Conference play.
West Plains, which fell to 20-3, 3-2, was never really able to recover from Kickapoo’s fast start Saturday.
“We didn’t get off to a great start, and then we got down and didn’t handle the press and we’ve worked on what we wanted to do,” West Plains coach Scott Womack said. “I thought we came out and played like a young team. I needed my experienced girls to step up and kind of lead us early, and we just didn’t get things done early.”
Senior MacKenzie Brunson led the Lady Zizzers (ranked No. 3 in Class 5) with 16 points, but early foul trouble for junior standout Ashton Judd hurt West Plains’ chances to try and get back in the game.
“We never, I felt like, played with any confidence,” Womack said. “Today, from the start, it just didn’t seem like we had that confidence. Against a team like that, they’re going to take advantage of it. There were moments during the game that I felt like we were playing really well. We got down early, and then I think we crept back and got within maybe seven and then Ashton gets her third foul.
“Every time we started to make some kind of a run, something bad happened, where they went on a four-point run. Then starting the third quarter, instead of us chipping away, they came out to start third quarter, and all of a sudden, you look up and you’re down 25, or whatever.”
The Lady Zizzers have three OC games left on their schedule before districts start and Womack looks for his team to bounce back.
“All three are going to be tough games; we’re going to have to go play,” Womack said. “We beat two of them already, but that doesn’t mean anything. Hopefully, we’ll go in with some confidence knowing that, but we’re going to still have to go play because all three of those teams are very physical teams that we’re going to have to match. Hopefully, we can finish the season on an upswing so that we’re rolling into districts.
“We played a very good team today. I think they’re probably the best team in the state. And that’s what I told the girls – from this, you’ve just got to learn and try to get better from it and go see what you could do to help this team and make yourself a better player.”
Of Kickapoo’s two losses on the season, one of those came to Rolla early in the season when Fontleroy was out with a concussion. Rolla currently sits at 3-0 in OC play.
The Lady Chiefs (ranked No. 2 in Class 6) have played three games in five days as teams try to get in games that had to be rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and weather. But with the balance the team has, and the fact that the coaching staff has worked to keep the team ready with the ever-changing schedule, the Lady Chiefs are prepared for the stretch run.
“(Running players in and out) helps because you want to create depth in case of injury or foul trouble,” Pendergrass said. “The girls understand their roles and excel.
“We’ve given them days off, which is difficult but important to keep their legs and to stay fresh and stay hungry. It’s a long season and the kids are hungry to work and to get better. We’ll take it day by day and see what happens.”
KICKAPOO 72, WEST PLAINS 42
Ozark Conference game
WEST PLAINS 11-11-7-13—42
KICKAPOO 22-19-17-14—72
KICKAPOO (19-2, 5-0) – Kaya Goldsby 9, Bella Fontleroy 21, Rachel Senn 13, Indya Green 13, Kya Johnson 9, Brooke Turner 2, Madie Barrett 5.
WEST PLAINS (20-3, 3-2) – Georgia Osborn 3, MacKenzie Brunson 16, Drew Harris 7, Ashton Judd 9, Zoey Williams 4, Kaylea Dixon 1, Jade Barry 2.
West Plains B 52, Kickapoo B 46
West Plains freshman 21, Kickapoo freshman 13 (2 quarters)
