Carsyn Hagood's record-breaking performance propels Doniphan to District Finals

KENNETT, Mo. - After making it past the first round of the Class 4 District 1 tournament, Kennett’s basketball season comes to an end.

The Doniphan Donettes halted the Indians' post-season run with a 69-44 victory in the district semifinal match-up.

With this win for Doniphan, their record extends to 24-2 for the season and they will return to the District Championship game for the sixth year in a row.

Last season, completing a near-perfect run, the Donettes went 25-0 before experiencing their first loss against Notre Dame for the District title.

This year has been about redemption for Doniphan and getting that District crown back.

Now, they are one game away from doing so.

“This time of year, we’ve learned if you don’t bring your best for one quarter or one half, you could be going home,” Doniphan head coach Adam Epps said. “There’s always a little nerves when those are the stakes.”

After almost a full week off from competition, the Donettes only held a two-point advantage over Kennett through the first quarter.

Epps said they started a little nervous and sluggish, but his team finally started getting into a rhythm in the second quarter. They would extend their 18-16 lead to a 41-20 lead, limiting the Indians to only four points in the back half of the first quarter.

Sophomore Carsyn Shipp-(Hagood) would help get things going for Doniphan, as she went on an 18-point run in the first half.

“She got loose offensively after that first quarter,” Epps said. “The exciting thing about this group is that we have others who can do that too. We haven’t even played our best yet, and that’s an encouraging thing for us.”

After her first-half performance, Hagood would come out of the break even more fired up. She had a record-setting third quarter, scoring 17 points and nearly matching her 18-point act in the first half.

She knocked down five field goals from downtown in the third quarter to etch her name in the Missouri record book for the 12th most made three-pointers in a single quarter. This is also the 14th most made three-pointers in a half by any girl basketball player in Missouri history, and she didn’t even play in the fourth quarter.

Her record-setting shooting led to a 35-point finish and a career high for the sophomore.

“She’s a great player, and a very unselfish player at that,” Epps said. “It’s kind of been a trail this season of, ‘We need you to shoot it.’ And her teammates sometimes have to tell her, ‘We want you to shoot it.’ She is such an unselfish player who can do so much more than just score, but it was nice to see her get a career high tonight and get loose. She eats, sleeps and drinks this sport, so it was fulfilling to see that from her.”

Along with Hagood, fellow sophomore Kensey Killian would put up 10 of Doniphan’s 69 points. Meanwhile, senior Sarah Owen finished with 11 points.

For Kennett, sophomore Alyce Edwards was the top scorer with 32 points.

Despite their efforts against the No. 1 seeded Donettes, the Indians will cap their season with a 12-15 record.

Now, Epps and the Doniphan squad will look to punch their ticket back to the Class 4 tournament after being denied last season. They are set to face off against the No. 2-seeded Fredericktown on Saturday, March 8.

Epps said his main goal through this tournament is to stay focused and not underestimate anyone.

“We’ll have a tough test for sure on Saturday afternoon,” Epps said. “They have a good coach over there, and I’m sure he’s gonna have a good game plan. We’ll have a handful of good players we will need to watch out for. We gotta rebound better, get in transition better and get some more people involved offensively. It’s tough, especially in Class 4, because we have that extra week of the regular season. Basketball is long and it’s hard to keep your focus, so as a coach, you are just constantly working on balancing rest and keeping them sharp. I think our girls are ready to go, we have seniors who have been in this situation all four years. Hopefully, we bring it.”

The game between Doniphan and Fredericktown is set for 2 p.m. at Kennett High School.