Portageville wins girls Bootheel Conference championship over Malden

MALDEN - The Portageville Lady Bulldogs Varsity basketball program rocked its way into the Bootheel Conference Championship final and rolled home with a win.

Head Coach Kellye Fowler, in her 11th season at the helm, was just as excited about her 17-3 team's win as were her players.

"They came out and boxed in Taryn Irby a little bit," Fowler said of the Lady Green Wave team. "That kind of threw us off our offense a little bit.

"I feel like the other girls really stepped up," she added. "Laney Stone hit a couple of big threes and Janiya Smith had a great game for us inside."

True. Stone dropped a trio of three-point shots during the game that contributed to her 22 points on the night.

Smith scored seven points in second-period action alone.

"But really, this win was a complete team effort," Fowler noted. "We picked it up on defense and were able to get some steals. I just felt like after that first quarter we really turned it on and played a lot better."

The coach's observance was spot on. The Lady Bulldogs held Malden to four points scored in the second period, 10 in the third and just one goal in the fourth.

Portageville was up every period, 18-14, 37-18, 47-28 and the final, 60-30.

With the score 45-26 in the third, Lady Bulldogs Stone drew a foul on her way storming toward the goal, and dropped the foul shot, 46-26.

Lady Green Wave senior guard Sydni Halliburton played an honorable game against the Lady Bulldogs, reaching out to swat down a sure Portageville goal with the score at 49-28 and deflecting the ball into the next zip code.

Although a fine defensive move, it was answered by Stone, who responded with a three-point bomb that was nothing but net, 52-28 with 6:28 left in the game.

Lady Bulldog guard Gloriah Farmer sank two foul shots that stretched the lead 54-28 before Malden's Hestania Jackson battled under the board and scored the lone fourth-period Malden goal, 54-30.

Malden's Angela Dobbins played a fine game for the Lady Green Wave, scoring nine of the team's 30 points. 

"We just came in the game and tried pulling it out," Halliburton said. "We lost to Portageville like, twice.

"We watched film on them and came in ready to play to win," she added. "At least that was our mindset."

Portageville subsequently gained control of the ball, maintained control, ran out the clock to slam the door on the outing and take home the win.

Malden started Angela Dobbins, Mariah Loya, Carson Cohen, Sydni Halliburton and Hestania Jackson.

Portageville started Laney Stone, Gloriah Farmer, Aubrey Greenwell, Taryn Irby and Janiya Smith.

The Lady Bulldogs take on Charleston, 2-16, at home for Senior Night on Monday, Feb. 5.