Hawks fall; Indians win

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- In a mirror image of the teams' first meeting of the year, the Kelly girls basketball team played Doniphan tough early before being outscored 15-8 in the third quarter en route to a 65-50 loss to Doniphan in the Class 3 state sectional at Poplar Bluff High School on Wednesday.

"Kelly has a really nice ball team. We just happened to put a little run together there," Doniphan coach Jimbo Blackwell said. "I never dreamed we would of won this one by 15."

Kelly senior Kelly Essner and Doniphan's Hailee Deckard put on a show for their respective teams.

Essner scored a team-high 26 points in her final game, while Deckard, a 5-foot-10 freshman, finished with 34 points and 14 rebounds.

"I'm telling you she's a great player," Blackwell said of Essner. "It's a shame this is her last one."

The Donettes advance to face second-ranked Hancock in Saturday's quarterfinal at the Farmington Civic Center. The tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Kelly (24-5) led 27-25 and had a chance to extend the advantage at the free-throw line with 48 seconds to play in the second quarter. Ashley Vetter missed two free throws before Chelsea Swindle knocked down a 3-pointer, giving Doniphan a one-point edge. After a Kelly turnover, Deckard scored off the glass to give the Donettes a 30-27 halftime lead.

Midway through the third quarter, Swindle and Morgan Davis hit 3-pointers, sandwiched by an Essner bucket, as Doniphan built a 43-33 lead.

"I thought maybe we were wearing them down a little bit right before halftime," Blackwell said. "We can play 10 or more and that really helps us."

Brittany Ponder scored seven points for Kelly, while Jessica Burnett added five.

Sophomore Morgan Davis scored 18 for Doniphan.