Delta girls win eighth straight district crown

ZALMA -- Delta senior Sarah Keys admitted that she felt some pressure when she and her teammates took to the court Thursday night in search of their program's eighth straight district title.

"There is a lot of pressure to keep on winning it," Keys said.

Keys kept her cool and had a team-high 24 points in a 52-42 win over Lesterville in their Class 1 District 2 championship game to help the Bobcats bring home yet another title.

Delta (22-2) advances to the sectional round, where it will face Scott County Central in Poplar Bluff on Tuesday.

Keys, in her second year as a starter, looked strong from the opening tip. Her 24 points included 11 in the first quarter alone. She also had five straight points in the fourth quarter to thwart the Bearcats' late rally.

"It was very important to come out and play hard to win the district so we can go on and play in sectionals," Keys said.

Keys scored the Bobcats' first nine points, making her presence felt both inside and outside. She had three 2-point field goals, a trey and was 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in the first quarter to help the Bobcats enter the second period with a 16-11 lead.

"Sara really stepped up a lot," Delta sophomore Taylor Smith said. "She's always telling us to keep our heads up when something goes wrong, and she's always the one who steps up and tries to take charge not just in games, but also in practice, too."

Delta outscored Lesterville 9-8 in the second quarter to head into the break with a 25-19 advantage. The Bobcats then extended their lead to 13 points at 44-31 heading into the fourth quarter.

Yet in the fourth, Lesterville staged a comeback going on a 9-2 run to bring its deficit within six points at 46-40 with 2:47 remaining in the game.

"Every time they would get the ball, it seemed like they would keep making 3s and keep coming back," Keys said. "So it was nerve-racking."

That's when Keys went back to work.

She drove in for a layin to put the Bobcats ahead 48-40 with 2:28 left. She drove to the basket again 26 seconds later, scored, drew a foul and converted her free throw to give her team a 51-40 advantage, putting the game out of reach.

"I just saw the opportunity to drive the basket so I did," Keys said.

Lesterville 11 8 12 11 -- 42

Delta 16 9 19 8 -- 52

Lesterville (42) -- Ashley Gutches 5, Kristan Jordan 24, Erika Stewart 4, Chasarae Alcorn 5. FG 15, FT 4-9, F 11. (3-pointers Gutches 1, Jordan 4, Alcorn 3.)

Delta (52) -- Sara Blattel 10, Alison Burger 2, Sarah Keys 24, Jodi Menz 5, Taylor Smith 11. FG 21, FT 5-11, F 11. (3-pointers: Smith 1, Menz 1, Keys 3)