BASKETBALL: Lady Indians share Tip-Off title
A big first quarter by Sadie Day and a huge game by Kate Smith helped lift Du Quoin to a 61-57 victory over Murphysboro in the finale of the Lady Indians Tip-Off Classic at DHS on Saturday night, earning the tournament hosts a share of the championship along with the Lady Red Devils and Johnston City.
Day had 8 of her 17 points in the opening frame where the Lady Indians built a 14-5 lead, and Kate Smith poured in a team-high 27 points for Du Quoin including 13 in the third quarter. Tournament MVP Mikayla Brasel matched the 27-point effort, but it wasn't enough for Murphysboro.
"With some of our injuries we wanted to get out and run a little more, we pressed a little bit," said DHS head coach Shawn File. "Defense is what is going to key everything. We knew Brasel has been getting to the line, she ended up with 27 to match Kate's 27. So both big guns were big guns, but Sadie Day had 17 and we had several girls in the book. That's how we have to play."
"We know that Kate's going to run the offense for us, but it's all about trusting the process. When we ran offense, we got good open looks. We got Murphy out of their comfort zone, they had a really physical game with Johnston City (on Saturday morning) which did not hurt one bit."
The Lady Indians had a ten-point lead late in the second quarter, but the Lady Devils scored the last four points of the half to trim the lead to 27-21. Day had a team-high 12 points for DHS in the first half.
"We've stressed, because of the injuries with (5'8) Mackenzie Jackson and (6'0) Grace Haney, it's a collective effort," File said. "Everything we do has to be together. We talked before the game about everyone filling their role, and Sadie Day got a lot of put-backs and stuff around the rim. That's where she's got to be comfortable scoring, and she did. We had to finish around the basket tonight."
Kate Smith took over after the break, though, hitting a pair of three-pointers as well as converting a three-point play with just 4.2 seconds to go in the third quarter. Du Quoin led 46-35 heading to the fourth.
Day, who was in foul trouble most of the second half, picked up her fourth personal on a three-point play by Murphy's Kayla Walker with 5:22 to play and had to come out. Those three points cut DHS's lead to six.
But despite their only active player above 5'8 being on the bench, and despite going 7-for-16 at the line in the final period, Du Quoin held it together and the Lady Devils never got within a single possession after the half. The Lady Indians were 14-of-27 from the free throw stripe for the game.
"We weren't exactly putting on a clinic (at the free throw line), but we were better than the 7-for-17 the other night," File said. "Part of it is growing up, we're not freshmen and sophomores anymore, we're juniors and seniors. Every timeout our girls were very focused, they executed down to the end and made just enough free throws."
Kate Smith was joined on the All-Tournament team by Tarynn Mays, who had a big three-point play in the fourth quarter to help keep the Lady Indians in front. Mays finished with 7 points, Alaina Caldwell had 6, Jordyn Bullar and Katie Smith each finished with 2.
Eight different Lady Indians got into the scorebook in Saturday morning's 54-22 rout of Elverado. Hannah Baxter led the way with 10 points, Kate Smith had 9, Day 8, Katie Smith, Mays and Kat Robison each had 7, Chloe Hill 4, and Bullar 2.
On Friday night, Du Quoin pulled away with a 20-4 second quarter on their way to beating Woodlawn 48-22. Kate Smith had 17 points in that game to lead DHS. Katie Smith added 8, Mays 7, Baxter 5, Day 3, and Caldwell, Robison, Bullar and Hill each had 2.
Du Quoin (4-1) is off until December 1 when they travel to Carterville.