C3D2: Kelly suffers gut-wrenching defeat against Woodland in the title game

BENTON, Mo. — Kelly dropped the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Championship in a heartbreaker on Saturday, Feb. 25.

The Lady Hawks (14-15) made a furious comeback to erase a seven-point deficit in the final minute, but the Cardinals (14-15) were able to knock down a clutch shot at the free throw line in the finals seconds and hang on for a 46-45 victory at Kelly High School.

“Both teams played tremendously hard,” said Woodland coach Paul Lynch. “We knew it was going to be a battle because [Kelly head coach Matthew Blissett] has done an outstanding job with this team.”

Woodland stands for a photo after winning 46-45 in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Championship on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Kelly High School. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

The first quarter was full of back-and-forth action. London Cureton scored the first points of the game at the free throw line and gave Woodland a 2-0 advantage, but Jada Griggs finished through contact at the other end and converted at the charity stripe to put Kelly ahead 3-2.

Mallary Barks and Kayleigh Holman traded 3-pointers on the next two possessions and Sarah Wilkinson hit a jump shot to put the Cardinals up 7-6.

The Lady Hawks continued knocking down shots. Aleya King made a 3-point bucket and Brooke Dirneberger showed some good aggression, grabbing an offensive rebound away from a player and scoring to make it 11-7.

Woodland's Mallary Barks (13) shoots during a 46-45 win over Kelly in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Championship on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Kelly High School. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

“The moment was a little big for us at the start,” Lynch said. “We have a lot of new girls this year but once we settled in, we followed our gameplan and tried to find a way to win.”

Woodland tied it 11-11 with one minute and 15 seconds left in the first quarter after Barks scored in the post on consecutive possession.

Barks led the Cardinals with a game-high 23 points.

Kelly's Kayleigh Holman (23) draws contact while driving to the bucket during a 46-45 loss to Woodland in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Championship on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Kelly High School. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

“[Barks] has been on that stage before,” Lynch said. “She stepped up with that experience. We looked for her for a lot of scoring. “

Kelly led 12-11 at the end of the first quarter after Dirnberger made a shot from the free throw line, and increased the lead to 15-11 on the first possession of the second quarter when Paige Klipfel hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Macy Burger. A minute or so later, Burger buried a 3-point of her own to extend the lead to 18-13.

The Lady Hawks controlled the pace and tempo for the remaining first half. The team also did an excellent job of offering resistance against the Cardinals' size advantage.

Woodland's Sarah Wilkinson (11) blocks out Kelly's Brooke Dirnberger (13) during a 46-45 win in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Championship on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Kelly High School. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

King assist Holman on a 3-point shot to make in 21-15 midway through the second quarter, but in the final minute, Caroline Rhodes and Wilkinson had some strong plays in the paint to narrow the lead to 23-20 at halftime.

“We had overall effort,” Lynch said. “I’m so proud of them. [Wilkinson] is a tremendously hard worker. She does come up with big plays and she’s had some big games for us this season, but the most valuable part of her game is the incredible work ethic she brings every single day.”

Kelly had exceptional ball movement on its first possession of the second half, which led to Dirnberger assisting Lola Pattengill on a 3-pointer.

Kelly's Jada Griggs (21) drives during a 46-45 loss to Woodland in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Championship on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Kelly High School. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

The Lady Hawks pushed the lead to 30-20 with 5:30 left in the third quarter after Griggs scored inside off an assist from King and Holman made pair of shots at the free throws line after grabbing another offensive rebound.

The Cardinals scored six straight points to narrow it to 30-26 before Dirnberger assisted Griggs in the post and Klipfel knocked down another 3-point shot to make it 35-36.

Wilkinson continued to make big plays for Woodland. She scored on a turnaround jumper and a putback on back-to-back possession and Barks converted a 3-point play to shrink the lead to 35-33 with 11.3 seconds left in the third quarter.

Woodland's Tallie Johnson (21) looks for an open teammate during a 46-45 win over Kelly in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Championship on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Kelly High School. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

“The one thing I have learned about this group is that they have a lot of heart,” Lynch said. “Our motto this year is ‘Prove Them.’ What that means is we’re going to try to prove to everyone that we have a good team, and can compete and win. This group has fought through a lot of adversity this year, and we’ve had different girls step up. They’ve bought into our team concept and they have never given up. They kept fighting that’s what won the game today.”

Barks made two shots at the free throw line to tie the game 35-35 with 7:49 left in the game. The Cardinals led 39-35 after Maci McIntyre and Barks made shots.

Cardinals extended the lead to 45-38 with about a minute left in the game after Barks made a series of shots at the charity stripe.

Kelly made an incredible effort down the stretch. It started with King and Holman each making one shot at the free throw line. A short time later, Holman was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound and made both shots to narrow the lead to 45-42.

“It’s hard to take [Holman] off the court,” said Kelly coach Matthew Blissett. “Sometimes it might not show up on the stat sheet but what she does on the court is hard to replace. She’s a great athlete and a hard worker.”

Then in an unbelievable series of events, Griggs picked off an inbound pass, raced toward the basket, and finished through contact. She knocked down the ensuing free throw to tie the game 45-45 with 12.1 seconds left.

“This game described our whole season,” Blissett said. “We’ve been fighting all year. The injuries have been hurting us but the girls kept finding ways to prevail in situations that seemed very grim. I’m proud of this group, proud of the effort, and proud of the direction this program is headed.”

The Lady Hawks were a bit too aggressive in the final moments and fouled Barks with 3.1 remaining. Barks nailed a shot from the free throw and the Cardinals held on 46-45 for Woodland’s third straight district championship.

“We accomplished a dream today and we hope to keep it going,” Lynch said. “We’re trying to build a consistently successful program. I’m proud for our community and school but most importantly for these girls who work hard every day all year long.”

Woodland will face Portageville (22-6) in the MSHSAA Class 3 Sectional Round at the Sikeston Fieldhouse on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7:45 p.m.

Kelly graduates three seniors but returns four starters and several other contributors.

“These players showed that they believe in the system,” Blissett said. “That’s the hardest part about coming [into first-year as a new head coach]. Hopefully, we can start next season with the same mentality that ended this year. I know this going to motivate the girls. They’ll probably be asking to get back into the gym tomorrow.”

__WOODLAND 46, KELLY 45__

Kelly 12 11 12 10 — 45

Woodland 11 9 13 13 — 46

__Kelly (45) —__ Jada Griggs 13, Kayleigh Holman 12, Paige Klipfel 6, Aleya King 4, Brooke Dirnberger 4, Macy Burger 3, Lola Pattengill 3. FG: 12. FT: 12-24. F: 17. (3-pointers: Klifpel 2, Holman 2, Pattengill 1, Burger 1, King 1. Fouled out: none.)

__Woodland (46) —__ Mallary Barks 23, Caroline Rhodes 10, Sarah Wilkinson 7, Maci McIntyre 4, London Cureton 2. FG: 16. FT: 14-22. F: 20. (3-pointers: Barks 1. Fouled out: Cureton, Rhodes.)