LADY HAWKS WIN THRILLER IN TWIN RIVERS TOURNEY

BROSELEY -- Kelly High's girls basketball team remained undefeated Monday, thanks in large part to freshman Dana Essner.

Essner stole a pass and went the length of the court for a layup at the buzzer as the fifth-seeded Lady Hawks slipped past fourth-seeded Ellington 47-45 in the quarterfinals of the Twin Rivers Holiday Tournament.

Kelly, now 9-0, will take on top-seeded Doniphan at 7:30 tonight in the tourney semifinals.

"It was a very exciting game, with a freshman making a huge play," said Kelly coach Curtis Finley. "I thought we played an overall good defensive game."

Bridgett Riley paced Kelly offensively with 19 points. The Lady Hawks played most of the fourth quarter without Marissa Essner and Audrey Burford, their top two scorers on the season who fouled out early in the final period.

"We had some other kids step up," Finley said. "Bridgett really took up the slack."

After leading 10-8 following the first quarter, Kelly fell behind 20-17 at halftime. Ellington still led 33-31 entering the final period.

Tonight, the Lady Hawks will face an extremely rugged test against tourney favorite Doniphan.

Meanwhile, Scott City was eliminated from the tournament Monday after suffering a 49-47 loss to Charleston in consolation play.

This game also featured a buzzer-beating shot as Charleston freshman Dreelle Mathis stole a pass and hit about a 10-footer to lift the Lady Blue Jays.

Alicia Rodgers scored 11 points to pace Charleston while Jodi Bledsoe had 10.

Scott City, which fell to 3-4, got a career-high 14 points from A.J. Bedwell. Jenny Pinkston added 10.

The Lady Rams have now lost twice on buzzer shots and once in overtime.

"We've lost some really tough games already, but the kids are playing hard," said Scott City coach Randall White.