BCT 2023: Kenedy sparks East Prairie to dominate 79-45 win over Doniphan

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — No. 2 seed East Prairie's slow start melted away like a snowman in the heat, burying No. 15 seed Doniphan in a scoring avalanche during a 79-45 win in the opening round of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.

But this victory wasn’t powered by a single reindeer pulling the sleigh — it was a whole herd charging ahead with four Eagles (7-1) scoring double figures in the lop-sided victory over the Dons (3-6) on Tuesday, Dec. 26.

“We came out sluggish after not playing for 11 days,” said East Prairie coach Gary Scott. “We didn’t have the energy I was hoping for but as the game went on, they started picking it up and sharing the ball a lot better. We played much better as the game went on.”

Doniphan's Emmitt Jones (23) shoots during a 79-45 loss to East Prairie in the first round of the 67 Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Dee Loflin)

East Prairie clung to a 24-21 lead at the end of the first quarter, despite Emmitt Jones single-handedly keeping Doniphan within striking distance, racking up 14 of his game-high 31 points in the opening frame.

“Evan Kenedy did a great job and kept us in it early,” Scott said. “When we were a little sluggish, he was the one who was getting some big baskets for us. Overall, he had his best game of the season.”

The Eagles shook off their rust in the second, outscoring the Dons 22-9 behind the balanced attack of Connor Marcum (19 points), Evan Kenedy (16), Noah Johnson (15) and Kamron Farmer (11), building a comfortable 46-31 lead by halftime.

“We hit a spurt near the end of the second quarter where we went to a zone defense and got some steals and easy transition buckets,” Scott said. “We have multiple guys who can score, but we must share the ball. We did a better job of that as the game went on. That’s what it’s going to take to keep winning.”

East Prairie continued to pull away in the second half, inflicting the mercy rule in the fourth quarter.

East Prairie's offense torched the nets at a 60 percent clip (31-of-52) compared to Doniphan's 38 percent shooting (18-of-48). From beyond the arc, the Eagles drained 4-of-8 attempts, while the Dons managed just 2-of-13.

Doniphan battled hard on the boards with a 28-23 overall advantage, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds. However, the rebounding edge couldn't overcome East Prairie's superior shooting.

Both teams take the court again tomorrow as Doniphan will face No. 10 seed Hayti (2-3) in the consolation bracket at 1 p.m. and East Prairie takes on No. 7 seed Portageville (4-2) in a quarterfinal-matchup at 7 p.m.

__EAST PRAIRIE 79, DONIPHAN 45__

Doniphan 21 9 10 5 — 45

East Prairie 24 22 18 15 — 79

Doniphan (45) — Emiitt Jones 31, Corey Hagood 5, Kaden Buffington 3, Trent Anders 2, Isaac Rawling 2. FG: 18. FT: 7-16. F: 15. (3-pointers: Hagood 1, Jones 1. Fouled out: None).

East Prairie (79) — Connor Marcum 19, Evan Kenedy 16, Noah Johnson 15, Kamron Farmer 11, Tavion Ware 9, Braylan Cade 6, Ty Wallace 3. FG: 31. FT: 13-19. F: 12. (3-pointers: Marcum 2, Farmer 1, Wallace 1. Fouled out: None).