Smothering D: Lady Tribe holds C'ville to five points in middle quarters

Staff photo by Mike Buhler Kennett's Alexandra Brown (right) and a Caruthersville player battle for a loose ball during the first quarter of Monday's Bootheel Conference girls basketball game at Kennett High School. [Click to enlarge]

The Kennett Lady Indians made their home debut in a big way Monday night.

The Lady Tribe held Caruthersville to just one field goal total in the second and third quarters to roll to a 58-23 victory over the Lady Tigers in what was also the Bootheel Conference opener for both teams.

"Our halftime speech was focusing on picking up out intensity and bettering ourselves at different aspects of the game," Kennett coach Casey Bunting said. "We wanted to challenge ourselves to perform a few things in the second half."

One thing Kennett (3-1, 1-0 Bootheel) performed well Monday is on the defensive end. After taking an 11-10 lead to the second quarter, the Lady Indians held Caruthersville scoreless until Clarissa Jones' free throw with 1:17 left in the half.

In the meantime, Kennett scored the first 17 points of the quarter -- eight coming from Brittney Williams -- to break the game open.

The domination continued in the third quarter, as the Lady Tribe built up a 36-12 lead before China Fonda's basket with 5:58 left in the period -- the Lady Tigers' first field goal since the end of the first quarter.

It would be Caruthersville's lone basket in the period, as the Lady Indians closed the quarter on a 12-1 run to take a 48-15 lead to the final quarter and enforce the continuously running mercy clock.

Jerica Wheeler led Kennett with 16 points, while Williams and Allyson Luce each had 12.

"The huge advantage we have this year is having a team full of scorers," said Bunting. "That will help us this season as we progress and play stiffer competition."

Fonda led the Lady Tigers (0-3, 0-1) with 14 points.

In the junior varsity contest, Kennett rolled to a 58-2 win.

The Lady Tribe continues in Bootheel Conference play Thursday when it travels to Portageville for a rematch of the Bulldog Classic championship contest.