Donettes shake off slow start to down Liberty

DONIPHAN — One thing about holding the title as the No. 1-ranked team is that every team will be eyeing to take you down, and the Doniphan Donettes got their first taste of it on Thursday.

The Donettes were battle-tested as they took on the Liberty (Mountain View) Eagles. After an uncommonly slow start, the Donettes found their rhythm in the second half to land a 59-44 win. The Donettes improved to an 11-0 record on the season — and managed to keep their spot at the top.

After being held to only one basket in the first quarter, senior Kenzie Redus quickly found her footing and led the Donettes back with a 19-point performance.

“It was a rough first three quarters for us,” Redus said. “We didn’t play our best, but the guards did a really good job of creating shots for others. They were covering me up pretty well in the first half, but in the second half, the guard started creating and moving, and they did a really good job of looking for me and getting me open, so I give credit to them because they did a great job.”

The Eagles came out with a head full of steam, showing that they would not be intimidated by playing against the No. 1 team. They utilized a full-court press to rattle the Donettes to make many turnovers, which worked to their advantage as Liberty held a 17-11 lead after the first quarter.

While the Donettes struggled to go on a strong run, they held their composure as expected and slowly found a pace back into the game. Doniphan would get its first lead of the game with a deep 3-pointer from freshman guard Ellie White.

The game would remain close for most of the first half, but the Donettes wouldn’t allow that lead to stay close for much longer as they would start to build momentum heading into the third.

Entering the fourth quarter with a 38-31 lead, the Donettes continued to capitalize on miscues from Liberty and managed to execute inside the post and from beyond the arch to survive another game as number one.

Madilyn Redus had 12 points, White finished with 10, while Kensey Killian and Sarah Owen chipped in with six apiece.

Despite securing the victory, head coach Adam Epps said it was a bad shooting night for the Donettes, but he admired their will to keep fighting through it.

“We shot the ball really bad in the first half, but some nights that’s going to happen,” Epps said. “I’m glad we played the defense that we did in the first half, or that could have been a worse situation. We shot the ball a lot better in the second half, and the guards started to play and how they could play, which opened up the post for Kenzie. We made a conservative effort to give her the ball in the second half, and she did a great job finishing under the basket.

“Liberty is a good team. They have a guard that’s really stinking hard to keep in front and can finish as well. They gave us a game today, but we didn’t panic. We came out in the second half and started playing together, which gave us a little momentum, and we finished the job.”

While the Donettes ride high into the weekend with a solid win, they must be prepared to take on East Carter (8-1) on Monday.

Redus said it will be a tough game for sure because they know each other very well, adding they’re going to have to fight and be ready for anything East Carter throws their way.