Neelyville Tigers secure sixth straight victory after surviving Kennett

KENNETT, Mo. - The Neelyville Tigers picked up their sixth consecutive victory on Monday, Feb. 17.

After winning the OFC Conference Tournament the week prior, they followed this performance by escaping the Kennett Indians 64-50.

According to Tigers head coach Becky Hale, their main focus for this game was defense. Despite their efforts and the win, Hale said there were a lot of things her team could have executed better on both ends of the floor.

“We were just trying to stop No. 1 Kennett,” Hale said. “We came out kinda flat and I think we got fired up for nothing. We got up by 20 but we couldn’t hold them. We were just trying to win a ball game.”

Kennett’s ‘No.1’ Hale referred to was none other than Alyce Edwards. She had 17 points in the first half, keeping contact with the Tigers who only gained a 10-point advantage through two quarters. They finished the half down 31-21.

Although Edwards was doing her part for the Indians, junior Parker Ernst was doing everything she could to make sure Neelyville stayed on top. She led the Tigers through the first half scoring 18 of their 31 points.

The battle between Edwards and Ernst continued through the third quarter as they both matched each other with 10 points. However, Ernst's 10 points aided in the Tigers tacking 16 points to their score while the Indians only added 11 points. Kennett’s deficit grew to 47-32 ball game.

In the fourth quarter, they trailed by as much as 20 points before the team began to mount a comeback.

Edwards put on a 12-point barrage to reel the Tigers back in but ran out of time. The Tigers would hold on to a 14-point victory as Ernst put up nine points in the fourth quarter.

Ernst would finish with the second most points on the floor for the night at 37. Despite the loss, Edwards walked away with a game-high 39 points. She also got a double-double, grabbing 11 steals during the game.

Now, with this victory over Kennett, Neelyville’s record is bumped up to 19-4 after winning 10 of their past 11 match-ups. This win also ties their win record from the past two seasons where they’ve gone to win their District title.

Meanwhile, the Indians’ record has dropped to 11-13. They look onward to two more regular season games as they face Scott County Central on Thursday, Feb. 20 for Senior Night. Their final regular season game will be at Doniphan on Monday, Feb. 24 before they enter District play.

This was the first game of a final regular-season tour for the Tigers as well. They have two more games on the road before their post-season run. They will play Woodland on Feb. 18 and then travel to Kelly on Feb. 20.

The Tigers have received a No. 1 seed and a BYE for the first round of their Class 2 District 2 Tournament. They are set to face the first-round winners of No. 4 ranked Greenville and No. 5 ranked Van Buren.

Even with the No. 1 seed, Hale knows their hope of a three-peat district title is not guaranteed. She hopes these last few games are crucial for gaining momentum into the postseason.

“This is a crucial time of the year,” Hale said. “You don’t want to just be playing good, you want to be playing your best at this time of the year and we have some work to do to get there.”