By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
There are runs, there are big runs and then there are stretches like Wednesday night at Kickapoo High School.
Look away and you could’ve missed it.
In an Ozark Conference showdown against Rolla, the Kickapoo Lady Chiefs used their suffocating 2-1-2 full-court press to take control early and put the game out of reach.
Kickapoo feasted on Rolla turnovers, led by 26 after the first quarter and cruised to an 80-32 home victory.
It marked the latest blowout victory for a red-hot Kickapoo team. The Lady Chiefs (23-2 overall, 8-0 Ozark Conference) have now won 18 straight games.
All but two of those wins have come by 20 or more points.
“This team is playing together and that’s showing in these games,” said Lady Chiefs coach Jim Pendergrass. “They just want to get the job done.”
The game spiraled out of hand late in the first quarter.
With Rolla trying to slow things down, the Lady Chiefs flipped the script with their press.
The play-by-play went something like this: steal, layup. Steal, layup. Steal, layup.
Rolla struggled to get the ball past half-court.
Over the final two minutes, Kickapoo’s 13-3 lead swelled to 19-3. Then 25-3.
“It was crazy,” said Lady Chiefs senior Rachel Senn. “The stands were crazy and everyone was just so loud. We were getting a lot of energy.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
When the smoke cleared, the Lady Chiefs led 29-3 after the first quarter.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a sequence in a game like that, coaching wise,” Pendergrass said. “We were all over it and it was really fast. I’m looking forward to going back and watching that on tape.”
Senior forward Indya Green led four Lady Chiefs in double figures with 20 points. She scored 16 in the first half.
Senn, who finished with 13 points, flashed her improved perimeter shooting by making four 3-pointers.
“I’ve worked on (3-pointers) over the years and it’s just kind of developed. I catch it and let it go,” Senn said. “Sometimes, it goes in. Sometimes, it doesn’t. I just take it one shot at a time.”
Nine Kickapoo players scored on the night.
Kickapoo led 47-12 at halftime and limited Rolla to just two field goals in the first half.
“Being able to turn (Rolla) over was key, because they wanted to slow it down,” Pendergrass said. “You could tell that at the start of the game. It was kind of a battle of what was going to be able to happen. We were able to speed it up and went on that run.”
A common theme during their winning streak, the Lady Chiefs stringed together several “kills” against Rolla.
“We talk about ‘kills’ – we want to make three (defensive) stops in a row,” Pendergrass said. “How many times in a game can we do that? If we do it five or six times in a game, those add up and you can go on those big runs.’”
The outcome also gave Kickapoo revenge for a December loss to Rolla. The Lady Chiefs have grown considerably since then.
“Every year in basketball, it takes you about 10-12 games for everyone to get in the flow and get used to playing with each other,” Pendergrass said. “You can do it in practice all you want, but it’s not the same as a game.”
With the win, Kickapoo clinched the Ozark Conference championship. The Lady Chiefs can go undefeated in conference by winning at Waynesville on Friday.
The Lady Chiefs are the top seed for next week’s Class 6 District 12 Tournament. Kickapoo hosts No. 4 seed Joplin at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 1.
With a win, Kickapoo would play either Republic or Carthage on March 4 in the district title game.
Rolla continues a busy stretch of five games in seven days later this week. The Lady Bulldogs host Glendale on Thursday then travel to Lebanon on Friday for their regular season finale.
Rolla is the top seed for next week’s Class 5 District 9 tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs will host either Marshfield or Camdenton on March 1 in the semifinal round. West Plains or Helias Catholic await in the March 5 title game.
Kickapoo 80, Rolla 32
Rolla 3 9 16 4 — 32
Kickapoo 29 18 23 10 — 80
Rolla (15-7 overall, 5-2 OC) – Libhart 11, Gideon 9, Campbell 5, Pritchett 3, Coverdell 3, Chrisco 1
Kickapoo (23-2 overall, 8-0 OC) – Green 20, Senn 13, Goldsby 11, Fontleroy 10, Nieto 7, Barrett 6, Johnson 5, Turner 4, Muldoon 4
