By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
COLUMBIA — Skyline senior Kenzi Cheek had to cope with foul trouble and emotions that seemed overwhelming regarding her Lady Tigers finale playing for her father, coach Kevin Cheek.
“Right before we were getting ready today, I was in the hotel room with Autumn (Baldwin) and we were like, ‘We don’t know why we’re so emotional,’” Kenzi said. “We (knew) this was the last one we were going to play together. Dad hugged me in the locker room and I said, ‘I don’t want to quit playing for you.’
“All good things have to come to an end (and) we went out with a good one,” she added.
Cheek’s playing career did indeed end Saturday, but Skyline’s reign as Class 2 state champions continues for a second straight season. The Lady Tigers repeated by beating plenty of odds on their way to a 53-45 triumph versus St. Vincent.
Skyline was forced to play the majority of the title tilt without its leading scorer, guard Ashlen Garrett, due to a knee injury she suffered in Friday’s semifinal win.
Skyline (29-3) also had to overcome a 26-16 second-quarter deficit, Cheek had to adjust after picking up three first-half fouls and the Lady Tigers finally made a 3-pointer during their Final Four weekend.
After being 0-for-11 on 3s Friday. they were 0-for-12 shooting 3s Saturday, before Shelby Redd swished a 3 to give Skyline the lead for good at 44-41 with 3:33 left to play.
“If you would have told me we were going to win a state championship and make only one 3-pointer, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Kevin Cheek said. “You get up here and it might not go in and our shots hadn’t went in either day. So, then it came down to, ‘Can you rebound the basketball and can you guard and get stops?’
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“We got a bunch of stops in the second half,” he added. “We didn’t do things right early. But then we kind of grit our teeth and said, ‘We aren’t going to lose.’ This group of kids, when they want to, can really get after you and guard. They went out in the second half and gave all they had. The way we played in the second half is about the way we practice every day.”
Skyline’s full-court pressure forced St. Vincent to commit 20 turnovers.
St. Vincent managed just 19 points in the second half.
Garrett played only five minutes, all in the first half. It was painfully obvious the injury wasn’t going to allow her to be herself. She missed all three of her field-goal attempts and traveled on one possession while trying to put pressure on the knee.
“I knew I couldn’t slow the team down and cost them the championship,” Garrett said of accepting the fact her injury was too much to allow her to play. “I knew if I couldn’t be on the court with them, I was going to be on the bench cheering them no matter what.”
The Lady Tigers were 0-for-7 on their 3-pointers and shot 7-of-20 overall in the first half.
Skyline’s early struggles were compounded when Kenzi Cheek picked up her third foul with 2:00 left in the second quarter, forcing her to the Lady Tigers’ bench with one first-half point.
Skyline’s comeback began at the start of the second half. Cheek recorded her first field goal at the 5:10 mark of the third quarter. A trio of free throws from Redd midway through the third quarter tied the score at 27, capping an 11-1 Lady Tigers run.
Redd’s 3 putting Skyline on top dictated the final minute.
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St. Vincent resorted to purposely fouling with :49 still to play and Skyline leading by just one, 46-45.
The Lady Tigers clinched the contest from the foul line, making 7-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter. They finished 16-of-19 on their free throws. St. Vincent was 9-of-20.
St. Vincent squandered its lead, despite winning the battle of the boards handily, 34-21
Kenzi Cheek scored 12 of her 13 points in the second half and Redd added a dozen points.
It was a fitting finale for Skyline’s seniors who were 103-19 in their careers.
Skyline 53, St. Vincent 45
SKYLINE (53) — Sa. Redd 5-8 2-2 12. Baldwin 3-6 0-0 6, Barb 2-2 0-0 4, Cheek 3-6 7-8 13, Garrett 0-3 0-0 0, Sh. Redd 5-21 7-9 18, Hunt 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 16-19 53.
St. VINCENT (45) — K. Rubel 9-15 4-9 22, B. Rubel 2-9 0-2 5, Robinson 1-2 0-0 2, A. Patrick 2-10 4-5 8, Adams 1-2 1-4 4, M. Patrick 1-1 0-0 2, Emmendorfer 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 17-41 9-20 45.
Skyline 9 9 15 20 – 53
St. Vincent 10 16 9 10 – 45
3-point goals – St. Vincent 2-14, Skyline 1-13). Rebounding – St. Vincent 35 (K. Rubel 7), Skyline 26 (four with 4). Assists – St. Vincent 12 (K. Rubel 4), Skyline 3 (Baldwin 2). Steals – Skyline 12 (Baldwin and Hunt 4), St. Vincent 8 (three with 2). Turnovers – St. Vincent 20, Skyline 10.
