C3D1 GBB: Portageville gets defensive to grab first title since 2009

PORTAGEVILLE – After losing by 18 points (51-33) in last year’s MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 championship game to Twin Rivers, the Portageville girl’s basketball program set their sights on the Royals for the past 365 days.

The Bulldogs got very defensive over the final 16 minutes of THIS year’s District title match-up with Twin Rivers and won on Saturday 42-35 on Jim Bidewell Court in Portageville.

“Going into (the game),” 10th-year Bulldog coach Kellye Fowler said, “we wanted redemption from last year. We didn’t really even play them close in the (2022) District championship, and we wanted another shot at them.”

Portageville (22-6) had beaten the Royals 44-33 in early December, but Twin Rivers let the hosts know immediately that outcome was irrelevant.

The Royals took a 13-7 lead to close the opening quarter with a half-court shot from senior Charly Johnson, and still led 18-17 at halftime.

“We have a no-quit attitude,” Twin Rivers coach David Crockett said. “We are out-sized, and we are out-athletic on most nights, but we just fought. We don’t quit.”

The Royals (11-14) did battle throughout the evening, but that five-point second quarter produced by Crockett’s kids was an indication of things to come.

The only senior on the Bulldogs’ roster, Amiyah Saxton, scored two of her team’s five buckets in the third quarter, as Portageville began to methodically create some breathing room and grab a 30-26 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

“Once we got a little bit of a cushion,” Fowler said, “my girls were really smart with the ball. Even before I told them to, they began to pull the ball out and forced Twin Rivers to come out and guard us.

“We knew that we were more athletic than they were, so if they had to come out and guard us, we were going to be able to get lay-ups.”

Or opportunities at the free throw line.

On the surface, Portageville missed 18 of its 29 free throws, but in the final quarter, as the Royals were having to foul to narrow their margin, the Bulldogs did hit four free throws.

In the final 24 minutes of the game, Fowler’s kids held the Royals, who had averaged over 50 points per game over their previous four games, to a mere 22 points.

“We executed the game plan,” Crockett said. “The ball didn’t fall for us a few times and we didn’t take care of the ball as well as we wanted to. Ultimately, we got beat by a pretty good team.”

The Bulldog win broke a two-title streak that Twin Rivers had put together, while the victory was the first for the Portageville program since winning back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009.

Fowler was a player on that championship team in 2008.

“They’re both great,” Fowler said of comparing championships as a player and a coach. “I’m just so proud of the girls.”

Saxton led Portageville with 12 points, while Janiya Smith (seven), Taryn Irby (six), and Laney Stone (five) also contributed.

Johnson paced her team with nine points, while senior center Hannah Bader had eight points, and Amelia Douglas added six.

Portageville will now play Woodland (13-15) in the MSHSAA Class 3 Sectional on Tuesday at the Sikeston Field House at 7:45 p.m. The Cardinals advanced after beating Kelly 46-45 in the Class 3 District 2 title game.