LADY INDIANS LOSE BATTLE OF RANKED TEAMS

JACKSON, Mo. -- Two state-ranked teams met and, on this night, the Doniphan Donettes proved their ranking is no fluke with a 63-48 victory on Thursday.

Eighth-ranked Jackson (13-4), coming off a big win over No. 1 Poplar Bluff, fell behind early and could never catch Doniphan, the eighth-ranked team in Class 3A.

"We've been a little low the last few days," said Jackson coach Ron Cook, on a possible letdown by his team after the Poplar Bluff win, "but you can't use that as an excuse."

Doniphan (19-1) came out of the opening tip with fullcourt pressure that obviously rattled the Lady Indians. Forcing turnovers and converting steals, the Donettes jumped to an 11-3 lead.

The Lady Indians, however, regrouped and trailed by only three points, 23-20, by the end of the period. Both teams shot exceptionally well from the field in the fast-paced first quarter -- Doniphan was 10 of 15, while Jackson was 9 of 16.

In the second stanza, the pace remained quick, but the execution stagnated. The Lady Indians could manage only six points on chilly 1 for 11 shooting. The Donettes also cooled, but scored 12 points to take a 35-26 lead at the half.

Jackson never got closer than eight in the second half as Doniphan hit 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to ice the win.

Andrea Koeper paced the Lady Indians with 18 points, while Jenna Leet and Whitney Werner tallied 10 each.

Doniphan won despite the absence of point guard Kristi Kennon, who was hospitalized earlier this week.

"We have tremendous respect for their program," said Doniphan coach Jimbo Blackwell. "We wanted to play them because we knew it would make us better and I can't say enough about how we stepped up tonight."

Career scoring leader Bethany Orendorff led the Donettes with 22 points.