Lady Royals Christmas Tournament: Kennett goes 1-1, Malden chases consolation trophy

Sophomore Brooklynn Edwards from Kennett shoots a free throw in the second half against Doniphan.

Photo by Kaelin Triggs, Delat Dunklin Democrat.

BROSELEY, Mo. - The Kennett Indians girls basketball team had a strong start at the Lady Royals Christmas Tournament hosted by Twin Rivers.

Their holiday play began with a 56-43 upset over New Madrid County Central to make their way into the winner's bracket.

Sophomore guard Alyce Edwards led the Indians with 22 points while her sister Brooklynn Edwards finished with 16 points.

After winning their first match, head coach Erika Cobb hoped her team could build on this momentum.

“The Lady Royals Christmas Tournament is always competitive and this year is no different,” Cobb said. “We have to keep coming out hungry to build on this momentum.”

This win lifted Kennett to a 4-3 record and marks their third time beating NMCC this season.

According to Cobb, her plays had a significant size disadvantage compared to other teams. She has emphasized being aggressive in the paint to make up for this.

Ellie White drives into the paint for a bucket in Doniphan’s win over Kennett.

Photo by Kaelin Triggs, Delta Dunklin Democrat.

“We aren’t the biggest team so we have to work harder on the blocks to win the rebounding battle,” Cobb said. “We have to continue playing smart with the basketball and limit our unforced turnovers.”

Despite their efforts to reach the winner’s bracket, Kennett was pinned against the No. 1 seeded Doniphan.

Kennett kept pace with the Donnettes through the first quarter, as both teams finished with 15 points.

Once again, Alyce Edwards led in scoring with 13 of Kennett’s 15 points. However, Doniphan began to pull away in the second quarter. They went on a 23-4 run, creating a gap the Indians never made back up.

Senior Sarah Owens paced the Donnettes to a 72-35 win, putting up 25 of Doniphan’s points.

Including Owens, the Donnettes had four players score in double digits. Sophomores Ellie White had 12 points while Makenna Kirby scored 10 points and Carsyn Hagood finished with 16 points.

Alyce Edwards would finish with 20 while senior Aneka Farmer had 10 as the only two Indians to score in double figures.

Kennett will now move on to fight for a fifth-place trophy.

Malden freshman Kelsi German boxes out before grabbing a rebound during a free throw attempt.

Photo by Kaelin Triggs, Delta Dunklin Democrat.

The Green Wave got pushed to the consolation bracket after falling to Twin Rivers in the opening round.

However, head coach Tye Miller was able to coach his girls to a victory over Naylor while chasing the consolation trophy.

“Saturday was a tough loss [against Twin Rivers],” Miller said. “It was an 11-point game, but it felt a lot closer than that. We just wanted to come back and get in the win column, our girls like winning. It was important for us to get back in here, play hard and get that win.”

Following their 60-49 defeat, Malden beat Naylor 76-52.

Sophomore Carsyn Cohen was the team’s top scorer with 28 points.

Along with Cohen, freshman Myrena Thornton had another big scoring day with 13 points.

For Miller and his squad, he hopes this can turn Malden back on their winning streak.

“Our goal is to play all four days of this tournament, get as many games as we can here,” Miller said. “We are going to come back and just take care of business. That’s what I love about this group, I don’t need to energize or motivate them. They do a good job of keeping that energy level up and making it real fun to watch.”

The Green Wave, eliminating Naylor, will now move on to play Greenville on Friday, Dec. 27 at 1:30 p.m.