Senath-Hornersville claims victory in unlikely rivalry game against East Carter

SENATH — There is light at the end of the tunnel for the 2022-23 basketball season, but one of the most anticipated regular season games of the year for Senath-Hornersville (15-8) and East Carter (10-11) came down to the final stretch.

With district tournaments in the back of everyone’s minds, a battle of the brothers commenced Monday night as Senath-Hornersville head coach Kurt Penn and East Carter head coach Jordan Penn went head to head resulting in the Lions securing a 73-58 victory to pad their momentum entering the postseason.

“It's a surreal feeling,” Kurt Penn said. “Everything I've learned about coaching has come from that guy. He took me in when I was just a young kid coming out of college and he taught me the ropes. The fact that I got to come out here and show what I've put together with this program with everything I learned from him was such a special moment. I'm glad we got to share that moment together.”

Jordan is ten years older than Kurt, and while Jordan may have been more of a role model than a best friend growing up, they still have a brother's rivalry.

“It's probably a little more in our family,” Kurt Penn said. “With most families it would just be a fun rivalry, but with our family and all the coaches it definitely comes up. That's bragging rights at Christmas and Thanksgiving. We're so competitive as a family, it's nice to have that win up on them for another year.”

East Carter took an early lead in the game after winning the tip off and Brenden Reynolds put in a layup. The Redbirds scored six unanswered points before Senath-Hornersville’s Rico Gonzalez found the net with a three-pointer that cut their early deficit to one point.

His play jump-started a successful run that saw the Lions up 15-14, which ended with a six-point series by the Redbirds. Lion shooter Pookie Garza scored one more three-point shot to cut the gap once again before the first quarter buzzer after which East Carter led 21-18.

East Carter extended their lead to nearly ten points in the opening minutes of the second quarter with back-to-back layups by Kasen McCarty, who scored 14 of the Redbirds' 21 points in the first quarter before defensive adjustments by Senath-Hornersville managed to largely contain his offensive pressure.

East Carter's Kasen McCarty (24) maneuvers down the court in the first half of Monday night's game against Senath-Hornersville.Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

A layup by Garza cut the Lions' deficit to two points, and a steal he pulled in on the following play, which he passed to Amador Luna for the basket tied the game 29-29 with just under three minutes until halftime.

Senath-Hornersville's Jaxon Layne put in a layup to pull ahead and Garza scored a three-pointer to strengthen the Lions' lead. The run ultimately led to Senath-Hornersville taking a 36-34 advantage at the break.

The Redbirds were far from out of the game, though, and Micah Thompson picked off a Lion pass and put in the layup to tie the game 36-36 on the opening drive of the second half.

While the third quarter saw intense action on both sides of the ball, the hosts outscored East Carter 17-11. The game-changer according to Kurt Penn was alleviating the threat of McCarty, which was done so effectively that they held the Redbird shooter to just two points in the third, both coming from free throws.

“We made some adjustments in the second half in our defense,” Kurt Penn said. “Kasen McCarty had a heck of a game, 18 at halftime, and we were able to contain him to just five points in the second half. And I think that was the difference maker – we got back to playing good Senath-Hornersville tough defense.”

A layup by Wyatt Chase actually cut East Carter's deficit to one point midway through the third quarter, but the Lions put up ten more points before the end compared to East Carter's three.

With a more substantial 53-45 advantage entering the fourth quarter, Senath-Hornersville maintained control until the end and outscored East Carter 20-13, never letting them within arms reach of a comeback.

“It's competitive – I wanted to come down here and beat him just as much as he wanted to beat me, but at the end of the day, we're just two good basketball teams competing against each other,” Jordan Penn said. “I'm proud for him, I'm happy for his guys, and we hung with them. We just didn't do enough to win late in the game.”

With a final dunked ball by Senath-Hornersville's Mason Williams that brought a roar over the entire gym, the Lions won 73-58.

Senath-Hornersville's Rico Gonzalez (24) puts in a three-pointer while he is guarded by East Carter's Micah Thompson (10).Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

Amador Luna and Jaxon Layne each scored 16 points for the Lions. Rico Gonzalez and Spencer Goff both contributed 11, while Mason Williams put up ten and Pookie Garza scored eight.

For the Redbirds, Kasen McCarty's steamroll of a start to the game earned him the game's high scoring honors with 22 points total. He was followed by William Baugus with nine, Micah Thompson with eight and both Brenden Reynolds and Wyatt Chase with seven apiece.

This was the second year the two teams have played one another, but it certainly won't be the last.

“Man, this is fun and it's a dream as an older brother to see my younger brother live out his dream,” Jordan Penn said. “They came up to us last year and got him, and they took care of business this year. His team just did what they needed to do late in the game and credit to them, they're a good team having a good year.”

The Lions most recently lost a remarkably close game against Kennett (8-13) last Tuesday. Senath-Hornersville hosts Gideon (3-19) Tuesday and travel to North Pemiscot (1-22) Thursday.

East Carter had most recently fallen in a matchup against Risco (13-10) last Saturday. The Redbirds host Eminence Tuesday and Portageville Thursday.