Donettes shake off slow start for a spot in the LRCC semis

BROSELEY — The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules continued their struggles of playing a complete game, but the Doniphan Donettes stayed red hot to reach the next round of the Lady Royals Christmas Classic.

A solid start for the Lady Mules ended in disappointment as they fell to the Donettes 65-27 Monday night in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Despite coming into the game down two starters due to health reasons, the Donettes managed to keep their focus on the task at hand. Head coach Adam Epps said it was nice to see some of the other players step up, and it was a good night for them to get some much-needed experience.

“It was a good win for us despite everything else,” Epps said. “We’ve had our recent battles with the flu, but I told them this is the team that we got tonight, and we must approach the game ready to play like any other. Some of our girls stepped up big time, picking up the slack with our scoring and even in the leadership role. It was nice to get the win, and I was proud to see them play up.”

The Donettes came out flat but quickly regrouped in the second quarter to take full control. By halftime, the Donettes solidified their win with dominance as they held a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.

Senior Kenzie Redus led the Donettes with 16 points, with some elite scoring inside the post. Junior Madilyn Redus ran the show from the point by adding 12 points, while Sarah Owen chipped in 11.

While the Donettes (8-0) added another victory to their undefeated streak, the Lady Mules continue to search for the right path to turn their season around. Though the Lady Mules dropped to 2-7 on the season, head coach Soley Dugas has not been disappointed in her team’s effort to compete from buzzer to buzzer.

With many games not landing in the Lady Mules’ favor, Dugas expects her team to play hard regardless of the final outcome.

“I thought we started out aggressive and came to compete, which is something that we’ve been preaching all week long,” Dugas said. “The common theme for us for the first half of the season is playing a complete game. We always start off great, but we must learn to have a little more fight when the game gets tough. We never got on a solid run, which made it hard to get the game close. Overall, I’m proud of them for playing hard and working together.”

Senior guard Darneasha Danner led the Lady Mules with eight points, while Kennedy Zgaynor added seven.

The Donettes will be back in action on Thursday to play the Neelyville Tigers, who defeated the undefeated Portageville 65-45 for a spot in the championship. Meanwhile, Poplar Bluff will play in the fifth-place semifinal Friday night.