Lady Rams trample Kelly

SCOTT CITY, Mo. — The Kelly girls’ basketball team traveled to Scott City with a short-handed roster and fell 66-47 on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

The Lady Hawks (7-8) overcame a sluggish start to battle back within striking distance in the second half, but the Lady Rams (11-5) proved too much in earning the Scott-Mississippi Conference victory.

“We dropped the ball in that first quarter,” said Kelly coach Matthew Blissett. “But we came alive and fought back. This team has a lot of potential on both ends of the court. We just have to be able to put together a complete game.”

Kristin Grogan runs in transition after grabbing a steal in the third-place game of the 2022 Scott-Miss Conference Tournament at Kelly High School. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

Scott County jumped out to a commanding 25-9 lead after the first quarter and led 41-29 at halftime. Kelly narrowed the lead down to six points about midway through the third quarter, but the Lady Rams’ strong transition game and the Lady Hawks’ miscues with their man defense proved to be the difference.

“We’re still struggling with our man defense a little bit but there’s definitely been improvement,” Blissett said. “Once we figure out that part of the game this group is really going to ban together. We’re getting better from the experience we get against these high-level teams like Scott City.”

Kayleigh Holman led Kelly with 16 points, while Jada Griggs added 14.

“The big thing for us is pushing that ball and getting up and down the court, “ Blissett said. We’re best offensively in transition. The girls are starting to realize that and buy-in. We’re seeing a lot of growth from players like Macy Burger and Kayleigh Holman. They’re starting to come into their own and find their shots. If we can get five players on the floor, who are threats, then it’s going to be hard to deal with us.”

Liza Dannenmueller and Lilyan Landis led the way for Scott City, scoring 28 and 21, respectively.

The Lady Hawks will host Oak Ridge (6-7) on Thursday, Jan. 19 for Senior Night.

Both teams will compete in the Scott-Mississippi Tournament, which begins Saturday, Jan. 21 at East Prairie High School.

Fourth-seeded Kelly will face fifth-seeded Chaffee (10-5) at 4:15 p.m., while third-seeded Scott City to take on sixth-seeded Scott County Central (7-7) at 12:30 p.m.

SCOTT CITY 66, KELLY 47

Kelly 9 20 14 4 — 47

Scott City 25 16 14 13 — 66

__Kelly (47) —__ Kayleigh Holman 16, Jada Griggs 14, Kristen Grogan 7, Aleya King 4, Gewn Essner 4, Jenna Essner 2. FG: 20. FT: 4-6. F: 13. (3-pointers: King 1, Griggs 1, Holman 1. Fouled out: none.)

__Scott City (66) —__ Liza Dannenmueller 28, Lilyan Landis 21, Mackenzie Lawless 8, Ramsey Spinks 6, Gracie Karenbrock 3. FG: 25. FT: 13-17. F: 8. (3-pointers: Spinks 2, Dannenmueller 1. Fouled out: none.)