HOOPS Roundup: PB girls slow King in road win

ELLINGTON – The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules went on the road and beat the Ellington Lady Whippets in a game they led from beginning to end.

The Mules had two players in double digits, Madelyn Eads with 17 points, and Mikalla Little with 10.

The Whippets were led by Kaylee King with a game-high 22 points, but that also played a big part in the Lady Mules win.

King entered the contest averaging nearly 35 points per contest and scored 78 in her last two games combined before the Mules stymied her. The Lady Whippet was held to 3-for-15 from the field with three layups and three free throws in the second half as Poplar Bluff held on.

“Our girls played extremely hard tonight,” said Poplar Bluff head coach John David Pattillo. “We’ve been in many close games this year and have been on the unfortunate side too much.

“I thought we did a good job defending Ellington.”

The Mules used a combination of tough defense and rebounding to run out to a 10-4 lead. Ellington cut it to 10-8, but a basket and three consecutive three-pointers extended the Mules’ lead to 19-8 at the end of the first.

The Mules (4-9) held their lead at 26-14 halfway through the second. Ellington outscored the Mules 8-4 in the last four minutes, but Poplar Bluff still took a 30-22 lead into halftime.

Ellington drew within five halfway through the third with a more aggressive defense. A series of Mules turnovers left the score at 39-33 Poplar Bluff at the end of the third.

Scoring was tight in the fourth, with the Mules holding on to a 43-38 lead with four minutes left. Two consecutive Mules turnovers led to four Ellington points, bringing them within one, down 43-42, with two minutes left.

After the Mules scored two, Ellington tried to tie the score with a three, but they missed four in a row, repeated chances given them by the Mules’ inability to control the rebound. After the fourth miss, the Mules grabbed the ball with 17 seconds left.

Ellington fouled on the inbound pass, which made it seven team fouls for the Lady Whippets. Eads hit both shots on the one-and-one bonus, making it 47-42.

“Tonight our girls finished well,” Pattillo said. “Ellington is a well-coached team, and it’s nice to go there and win.”

Ellington head coach David Burrows did not respond to requests for comment.

OTHER GAMES

Girls

Doniphan 81, Greenville 22

The Doniphan Donettes ran away with their home game against the Greenville Lady Bears Thursday night.

Head coach Adam Epps notched his 100th victory with the Donettes, and he gave them all the credit for the win.

“The girls played great,” Epps said. “They guarded their tails off and hit shots.”

Bailey Honeycutt led all scorers with 18 points for Doniphan, with teammate Brooke Klepzig adding 14 to the tally.

Brianna Despain led Greenville with seven points.

East Carter 63, Van Buren 48

The East Carter Lady Redbirds emerged victorious in “The Carter County Showdown” over the visiting Van Buren Lady Bulldogs.

Brooklyn Kearbey once again led East Carter’s scoring with a game-high 21 points. Teammate Breanna Dohleman added another 17.

“We played much better tonight after two losses earlier this week,” said Redbirds head coach Angela Nicole Rodgers.

“One of our goals was to move the ball more, and we were able to do that,” she said. “Hopefully we can take this game and keep building on it into the BRL tournament.”

Twin Rivers 60, Clearwater 29

The Twin Rivers Lady Royals scored a decisive road win against the Clearwater Lady Tigers Thursday night.

“It was a great team win,” said Twin Rivers head coach David Crockett. “We moved the ball well and found open teammates.”

Amelia Douglas led the Lady Royals with 15 points. Teammates Reese Crismon and Haylyn Crockett each scored 10.

Clearwater’s leading scorer was Makinlee Keister with 12 points.

Puxico 40, Bloomfield 34

The Puxico Lady Indians beat the Bloomfield Lady Wildcats Thursday night at the BCS Tri-County Tournament in Bloomfield.

“It was a very evenly matched game, and both teams played well,” said Puxico head coach Trent Copling. “It was a good, hard-fought win.

“Our girls played well and rebounded well, too,” he said. “The game was pretty physical, and we were able to keep our heads and played through it.”

Puxico’s were led by Laney Porter with a game-high 15 points and Adi Denny with 11.

Bloomfield’s top scorer was Mollianne Dodd with 10 points.

Malden 43, South Pemiscot 30

The Malden Lady Wave rolled out of Steele with a victory over the South Pemiscot Lady Bulldogs Thursday night.

Malden was led by Jada Townsend, who scored a game-high 16 points.

East Prairie 35, Westwood Baptist 24

The Westwood Baptist Academy Lady Eagles lost on the road to the East Prairie Lady Eagles Thursday night.

WBA’s leading scorer was Katie Gross with 14 points.

Boys

Naylor 86, North Pemiscot 28

The Naylor Eagles soared on the road over the North Pemiscot Mustangs Thursday night.

Naylor head coach Ed Moore said, “We had 13 players who scored.”

The Eagles scoring leaders were Jackson Leroux with 16, Sam Rose with 14, and Junior McCoy with 13.

Twin Rivers 73, Clearwater 72

The Twin Rivers Royals snuck out of Piedmont with a close win over the Clearwater Tigers Thursday night.

Twin Rivers led by four at halftime and 52-42 after three, but they had to withstand a furious Clearwater rally in the fourth. The Tigers outscored the Royals 30-21 in the final period.

The Royals were led by Colton Hargraves with 20 points and Jagger Crismon with 13.

Charles Robbins had a game-high 37 points for Clearwater.

East Prairie 67, Westwood Baptist 31

The Westwood Baptist Academy Eagles dropped a road game to the East Prairie Eagles Thursday night.

WBA’s leading scorer was Jeffrey VanDover with 18 points.