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Donettes pull away to beat East Carter
DONIPHAN — Two familiar foes faced off on Monday in a much-anticipated matchup, with one attempting to keep its winning streak alive and the other seeking revenge for a previous loss.
The Doniphan Donettes hosted the East Carter Lady Redbirds (10-2) as they battled to determine who was the best test in the area. Though tested in the first half, the Donettes did what they normally do and exploded in the second half to capture a 61-50 win over the Lady Redbirds.
Freshman Ellie White would be the spark he Donettes needed to rally past East Carter. White led Doniphan with 25 points , including 15 in the third quarter to help her team extend the lead.
“I feel really good about the win because we did not play very well in the last matchup,” White said. “It definitely felt good for all of us to come back together to get the win and play like we’re supposed to.
“Whenever I step on the court, I try to erase what I did in the previous quarter and just try to go out there and start fresh.”
White said she didn’t know the reason for her explosive performance in the third, but said the talk the team received from head coach Adam Epps at halftime motivated them to lock in and finish the job.
This is the season’s second matchup between the Doniphan and the Lady Redbirds. Both teams met in the finals of the Lady Royals Christmas Classic, where the Donettes reigned supreme with a 54-43 victory. The Donettes entered the game with a 25-game winning streak over East Carter. They would need to execute every play to perfection in order to keep the streak rolling.
It was a packed house as both teams took the court, and they stayed evenly matched during the first few minutes of the game as each team tried to build a solid lead. The Donettes quickly began a strong run to finish the first quarter with an 18-8 lead.
The Lady Redbirds didn’t stay down for long as they made some key plays inside the post to close the gap. East Carter outscored the Donettes 13-7 with some big plays around the perimeter and managed to cut the lead down to four points (25-21) at the half.
With multiple players in foul trouble, the Lady Redbirds needed to play with a little more control in the second half for a chance to keep their strong presence inside the paint. The game remained neck-and-neck for most of the third, but the Donettes captured their biggest lead of the game by applying full-court pressure on the Lady Redbirds, which resulted in an 18-point margin at the end of the third.
Though the Donettes held a comfortable lead in the fourth, the game between both teams was still intense. The Donettes continued to showcase their solid second-half performance and coasted to their 12th win of the season.
Epps was happy with the team’s performance and gave a lot of credit to East Carter with how they challenged his squad.
“East Carter is a tough team when they are healthy because they give us a lot of trouble inside the post,” Epps said. “I’m proud of the effort the girls showed tonight, and once again, we had some freshman step up for us. Ellie stepped up and made some big shots for us, and Kenzie (Redus) will always be there to lead us, so that’s never a surprise with her.
“Overall, I’m really proud of our effort. We executed a lot better on offense this time than the first time when we played them. It’s a good win. This is going to be a tough month for us, but this is a good way to get started by winning against a high-quality team like East Carter.
Kenzie Redus finished with 18 points, while Carsyn Hagood had 11, Madilyn Redus had four and Kensey Killian had three.
Breanna Dohleman recorded her 1000th point and led the Lady Redbirds with 19 points. Parker Golden and Anna Crowley finished with nine points each, while Dylan Price added eight.
The Donettes will travel to Greenville next for a matchup against the Lady Bears, while East Carter takes on Naylor on the road.