SportsFebruary 23, 2023
C3D2: Kelly overcomes injury bug in win over East Prairie
BENTON, Mo. — The Kelly girls’ basketball team has been bitten hard by the injury bug this season and the team’s opening-round win over East Prairie in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Tournament was no different. Despite missing several starters and varsity contributors, the fourth-seeded Lady Hawks (13-14) used a “next-man-up mentality’” to win 55-28 against the fifth-seeded Lady Eagles (5-19)...
By Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat
BENTON, Mo. — The Kelly girls’ basketball team has been bitten hard by the injury bug this season and the team’s opening-round win over East Prairie in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Tournament was no different.
Despite missing several starters and varsity contributors, the fourth-seeded Lady Hawks (13-14) used a “next-man-up mentality’” to win 55-28 against the fifth-seeded Lady Eagles (5-19).
“I’m proud of how these girls came out and worked,” said Kelly coach Matthew Blissett. “We played a lot more cohesive on the defensive end and executed our gameplan pretty well.
“We’ve been focused on improving our defense these past couple of weeks,” he continued. “We told them the offense will come later. We may miss some shots or have some turnovers, but if we’re getting stops on the defensive end then we’re doing what we’re supposed to do.”
Kelly had a strong start and built a 13-0 advantage midway through the opening quarter. Brooke Dirnberger and Jada Griggs were responsible for all of the team’s points during the stretch, and the Lady Hawks’ defensive effort and pressure made the Lady Eagles look like they were playing in slow motion at times.
“[The quick start] was important because right now we’re playing undermanned,” Blissett said. “We have a lot of injuries. People are stepping into new roles they haven’t played before. It’s big for them to see that what we’re doing is still working no matter who is in the game. Whoever is ready has to step into the role and fill it to the best of their abilities.”
Katie Brewer made a 3-pointers off an assist from Chloe Jackson with three minutes and 52 seconds remaining in the first quarter to finally get East Prairie on the scoreboard.
The Lady Hawks finished the first quarter with a 21-10 advantage after the teams exchanged several baskets, including a 3-pointer by East Prairie’s Alison Miller off an assist from Brewer and a 3-pointer from Kelly’s Kaitlyn O’Guinn off an assist from Griggs.
“[O’Guinn] hasn’t played too much this year,” Blissett said. “But she’s stepping in and stepping up at the right time. She has a good shot and has worked hard. She’s definitely earned these minutes.”
Kayleigh Holman picked off a pass and made a layup to push the Lady Hawks’ lead to 20 points a couple of minutes into the second quarter, but Kelly led by just 19 at halftime after Kristen Berry knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Lady Eagles.
Kelly continued to extend its lead after halftime, pushing it to more than 30 points towards the end of the third quarter when Dirnberger scored in transition.
“It’s a breath of fresh air to see [Dirnberger] come into her own,” Blissett said. “She’s always had the intensity and charisma. She drives to the rim hard and finishes well. She’s figuring out the game and it’s becoming easy for her. She’s going to keep stepping up and helping us out even more in the future.”
Kelly ease up some in the final quarter and allowed even more of its reserves to gain some valuable experience.
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Griggs finished with a game-high 17 points and was a workhorse for the injury-depleted Lady Hawks.
“Everything plays through [Griggs] offensively,” Blissett said. “We look for her a lot and she draws a lot of attention from the other team.”
Dirneberger was the team’s next leading scorer with 13, and Paige Klipfel added 12.
“[Klipfel] stepped up from junior varsity and done a great job with her opportunities,” Blissett continued. “She adds height, depth and shooting.”
Kelly will face top-seeded Scott City (16-9) in the semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.
The Lady Hawks will be seeking redemption from their 66-47 loss at Scott City on Jan. 17.
“We’re excited to have this game at our place and we’ll come out ready to play,” Blissett said. “We have a good game plan. I know we’ll come out ready to go because the girls want that game.”
Katie Brewer was East Prairie’s leading scorer with 10.
“Our final record isn’t impressive to look at,” said East Prairie coach Scott Davis. “But if you look at the history of where we’ve been, it is a great step forward. Hopefully, we continue to build on that for years to come.
“We’re losing two incredible senior leaders in Katie Brewer and Tori Stinnett,” he continued. “They’re leaving some big shoes to fill because those two stepped up and we’re accountable every single day. Hopefully, we can get a few more girls out for the team. We’re hoping to have enough players to be able to play junior varsity games next season. We were only able to have two of those this season [due to lack of numbers]. We do feel like we’re headed in the right direction.”
__KELLY 55, EAST PRAIRIE 28__
East Prairie 10 7 6 5 — 28
Kelly 21 15 15 4 — 55
__East Prairie (28) —__ Katie Brewer 10, Bella Sutton 6, Lydia Valencia 4, Kristen Berry 3, Alison Miller 3, Chloe Jackson 2. FG: 10. FT: 3-6. F: 16. (3-pointers: Brewer 2, Berry 1, Miller 1, Sutton 1. Fouled out: none.)
__Kelly (55) —__ Jada Griggs 17, Brooke Dirnberger 13, Paige Klipfel 12, Kaitlyn O’Guin 6, Lola Pattengill 5, Kayleigh Holman 2. FG: 19. FT: 14-18. F: 12. (3-pointers: O’Guinn 2, Klipfel 2. Fouled out: none.)
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