Kennett Indians win Class 4 District 1 opener with season high performance

KENNETT, Mo. - Postseason action continued in the Bootheel of Missouri with the start of the Class 4 District 1 girls tournament at Kennett High School

The Kennett Indians made it past the opening round of the tournament with a 70-38 victory over Saxony Lutheran.

This victory marks the Indians' highest score of the season. The scoring efforts were led by sophomore guard Alyce Edwards. She would finish the contest with 33 points, shooting 45% from the field.

Her night started with a 21-point performance in the first half. This helped the team get off to a 35-16 advantage at halftime.

The Crusaders were led by freshman Emmalee Mueller, who had 10 of Saxony Lutheran’s 16 points in the first half. She got hot in the second quarter and knocked down two back-to-back three-pointers in an attempt to keep her team above water.

However, the Kennett trio of Alyce Edwards, Brooklynn Edwards and Anekia Farmer helped extend the lead for the Indians.

The three popped off for a combined 25 points in the third quarter. Farmer led the way with a 10-point performance in the third quarter. She would finish with a season-high 18 points, making eight of her nine shot attempts.

Meanwhile, another Saxony Lutheran freshman stepped up as Kenzie Keys scored 10 points in the second half.

She finished with 14 points as Mueller followed right behind with 13 points of her own.

However, the night would belong to the Indians.

As Alyce Edwards and Farmer led in scoring, their teammates would also contribute to this victory.

“We were able to pass the ball a little more and get some good looks today,” Alyce said. “It feels good to get the whole team involved in a win like this.”

Senior Jayla Ellis led the team in rebounds, as she grabbed nine. She would also have four points, three assists and three steals. Along with Ellis, Isabella (Bella) Wilson grabbed seven rebounds and scored four points.

Sophomore Alaina Edwards, along with Farmer, each led the team defensively with six steals apiece.

Alyce, while scoring 33 points, would cap the night with five assists, four steals and a block.

According to her, while being proud of this performance from her team and herself, she hopes they can stay on track for their next performance.

With this win, the Indians advanced to host the No. 1 seeded Doniphan. The Donettes have only dropped two games this year, as they finish the regular season 23-2.

The last time Kennett faced Doniphan, on Feb. 24, Doniphan walked away with a 22-point victory.

“We came in expecting to win this one, but we have a big game ahead of us on Thursday,” Alyce said. “We are gonna hit practice hard, look at some film and see what they run and make sure we come in focused come game time.”

Kennett and Doniphan will face off in the semifinals on Thursday, March 6, at 6 p.m.