Donettes make quick work of Naylor, punch ticket to OFC final

GREENVILLE — Two teams were ready to shake off the rust in the Ozark Foothills Conference tournament after a week off the court due to the inclement weather.

But in the end, the top-seeded Doniphan Donettes coasted to an easy win over the No. 5 seed Naylor Lady Eagles 64-26 Monday night.

The Donettes will face Neelyville for the OFC championship Friday at 6 p.m. at the Libla Family Sports Complex in Poplar Bluff. Neelyville defeated East Carter 57-43 in Monday's other semifinal.

Doniphan came out strong with a 12-2 run within the first few minutes of the game, setting the tone early for an easy night.

Senior point guard McKenna Monaghan had the Doniphan offense running smoothly with her swift handles and elite passing.

Monaghan led the way with 16 points and dished six assists with her incredible playmaking.

Although the Donettes didn’t hit many shots from beyond the arch, it was their points in the paint and tough defense that helped them dominate the game.

Naylor struggled to score as Doniphan smothered the Lady Eagles with a full-court pressure defense, turning forced turnovers into easy shots.

Doniphan kept the same defensive momentum throughout the game and only had to rely on the clock to secure the victory.

Kenzie Redus added 11 points, putting in some tough shots under the basket. Sarah Owen, Brooklynn Klepzig and Gracen Kirby chipped in with eight points each.

Owen said she was excited to be back on the floor and felt great about the win over Nayor.

“I think we played very well after being off for a week,” Owen said. “We were able to get back into the groove of playing, it was like we never missed a beat.”

Doniphan coach Adam Epps said he anticipated his team would start slow because of the week but was proud of how they finished the game.

“We came out a little sloppy defensively, but I think we made up for it on the offensive end,” Epps said. “I thought our overall pace was good, and we played really hard after being off for 12 days.”

Defense is the team's main thing, Epps emphasized. He said that once the team starts getting stops, the shots become easier to get.

“When we get our defense rolling and shots start going in, we use that momentum, and good things happen for us,” Epps added.

NEELYVILLE 57, EAST CARTER 43

In Monday's late game, the third-seeded Lady Tigers held East Carter scoreless for almost 9 1/2 minutes to open the game while building up a 17-0 lead.

The Lady Redbirds finally got on the board when Breanna Dohlemann hit a free throw with 6:32 left in the first half, cutting the Neelyville lead to 17-1, then Brooklyn Kearbey scored East Carter's field goal less than a minute later.

East Carter cut the lead to 34-32 by the end of the third quarter, but could not complete the comeback.

Neelyville's Jade Crosswhite led all scorers with 19 points, while Parker Ernst added 12 and Addison Couch had 10.

Parker Golden paced the Lady Redbirds with 11 points, while Kearbey and Anna Crowley each had nine.