Kennett zones out Lady Mules to come away with victory

The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules have been on a tear the past three games but got stopped in their tracks by a hungry Kennett team, who's been searching for a win themselves.

The Kennett Lady Indians (14-9) started the game hot and ended it in the same fashion with a 49-44 win over Poplar Bluff.

“I was stressing with the girls about Kennett’s rebounding, their athleticism and how physical they can play, and that gave us some issues,” said Poplar Bluff coach John David Pattillo said. “I thought we attacked the inside early, but we didn't make many shots.

“We didn't quit, but it's disappointing because this is a game that we should’ve won, especially at home. But they did a nice job and were really coached well.”

Meanwhile, Kennett coach Aaron New said he liked the way his team started the game and praised their effort on the defensive end.

“I thought it was a great performance for us and how we played defensively,” New said. “Poplar Bluff has some pretty tough scorers on their side, and I thought we did great keeping them out of rhythm. I thought we rebounded well in the first half, and it helped us build up a solid lead.”

New said he thought the key for them was their zone defense and finding ways to cover the shooters. He mentioned that his team could have been better offensively but did enough to win the game.

Both teams came out with a lot of intensity and were hungry for the win.

The Lady Mules (10-13) started off slow as they struggled to find a basket. Meanwhile, Kennett went on a solid 6-0 run to build a lead, but momentum picked up for the Lady Mules to trim the lead to 11-12 to end the first period.

Kennett made another run in the second quarter, getting most of their points in the transition from forced turnovers. Despite being careless with the ball, the Lady Mules managed to keep the gap close heading into the fourth trailing 33-38.

With a lot of success from the post-game, Kennett utilized a zone defense to close the paint and forced the Lady Mules to take shots. Although the Lady Mules could still put up points, not having access to the paint prevented them from getting into a rhythm.

However, Kennett thrived in the paint as they could make multiple plays under the basket and draw fouls for constant trips to the free-throw line.

Within the game's last two minutes, the Lady Mules went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead down to 44-41 with a chance to get the game back.

Down by five with 30 seconds left of the contest, the Lady Mules hoped for a quick steal and a chance to score, but their faint was sealed by a clutch shot and a made free throw from Kennett’s Tayja Carter, who finished with 13 points.

Senior Lani Heeb led Kennett with 21 points, and Aneike Farmer chipped in with six points.

Junior Kennedy Zgaynor led the Lady Mules with 13 points, and senior Adrianne Casey added with ten points.