Portageville swarms Twin Rivers, 50-17

Portageville's Taryn Irby (33) drives during a 61-25 win over Woodland in a MSHSAA Class 3 Sectional at the Sikeston Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 28, 2023 (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — The defense was a suffocating force in Portageville’s 50-17 win over Twin Rivers on Monday, Dec. 4.

The Lady Bulldogs (3-0) relentless pressure and double-teaming tactics held the Lady Royals (2-2) scoreless for long stretches, forcing turnovers and contesting shots with tenacious velocity.

“I was proud of the intensity of the girls tonight,” said Portageville coach Kellye Fowler. “Twin Rivers did a good job moving the ball and making our defense work, and we communicated well and rotated on the help side to continue to pressure them into the half-court. We were able to get a lot of deflections and force turnovers.”

Twin Rivers' zone defense forced Portageville to adjust their offensive strategy. The Bulldogs' guards responded by utilizing crisp ball movement and precise passing, finding open teammates and exploiting gaps in the zone for scoring opportunities.

“Overall I am happy with how we are playing,” Fowler said. “But we definitely still have work to do. We just want to come out every night play hard and keep improving.”

The Lady Bulldogs' offensive display was a collaborative effort, with Taryn Irby leading the scoring with 10 points, followed by Ja'Niya Smith and Aubrey Greenwell chipping in nine points each.

Portageville hosts Caruthersville (0-2), while Twin Rivers travels to Naylor (2-5) on Thursday, Dec. 7.

PORTAGEVILLE 50, TWIN RIVERS 17

Twin Rivers (17) — Maci Hockersmith 5, Layla Tompkins 4, Lilly Oliver 4, Raegan Null 2. FG: 8. FT: 1-8. F: 19. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none).

Portageville (50) — Taryn Irby 10, Ja’Niyah Smith 9, Aubrey Greenwell 9, Laney Stone 7, Jayla Weddington 6, Glo Farmer 5, Lily Beth Priggel 4. FG: 19. FT: 8-19. F: 16. (3-pointers: Irby 2, Greenwell 1, Stone 1. Fouled out: none).