Hovis' clutch three lifts Lady Raiders

By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer

BONNE TERRE — Although a chance to compete in the championship final would have been preferred on Tuesday, the North County girls basketball team still enjoyed a thrilling finish at its inaugural holiday tournament.

Senior guard Kassi Hovis capped an impressive week by drilling a clutch three-pointer with four seconds left, and the Lady Raiders captured third place by rallying past top-seeded Meadow Heights 67-66.

Hovis finished with 24 points and five assists to pace North County for the third straight game, while freshman Brittany Collins provided needed balance along the post with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Collins scored two key baskets on offensive rebounds after North County (6-4) entered the fourth quarter trailing 51-42. Sophomore Rilea Huff further fueled the comeback with nine of her 14 points occurring down the stretch.

Just seconds after scoring with a physical drive to the basket, Huff knocked down a baseline jumper in transition with 1:33 remaining to even the score at 59-59. Her three-pointer with 15 seconds left made it 65-64 after Meadow Heights had retaken the lead.

Hovis had the option of looking inside for a potential tying shot after Ashley Doublin split two free throws for the Lady Panthers, but calmly stepped back and fired the winning shot after gaining brief separation along the left wing.

Meadow Heights nearly stunned the home crowd at the buzzer when sophomore Heather Dietiker caught a deflected inbounds pass all alone, but her rushed 13-footer missed the mark.

Dietiker scored 17 points to match freshman teammate Whitney Welker, who completed a double-double with 12 rebounds. Hattie Cook added 14 points for Meadow Heights (5-3).

High intensity from both teams produced an entertaining pace from the opening tip. Strong shooting yielded nine ties during a frenetic first quarter that concluded with a 20-20 result.

Senior Jamie Bullock answered a Dietiker triple with a conventional three-point play as the contest remained tight throughout the second quarter. Meadow Heights carried a 33-32 edge into halftime.

Fourth-seeded Miller Career routed Lesterville 65-36 to claim the tourney title. Ciara Leak led the champion Phoenix with 20 points and seven steals.

Meadow Heights  20  13  18  15 - 66

North County  20  12  10  25 - 67

SCORING:

Meadow Heights - Dietiker 17, Welker 17, Cook 14, Sander 6, Kight 5, Doublin 4, Cureton 3. 3-point FG - Dieteker 2, Cook 2, Doublin, Cureton.

North County - Hovis 24, Collins 20, Huff 14, Coulter 4, Bullock 3, Bess 2. 3-point FG - Hovis 3, Huff 2.



Perryville 57, West County 36

BONNE TERRE — Perryville used its superior speed and pressure defense to create numerous early turnovers on Tuesday, and rolled to a 57-36 victory over West County in the fifth-place game at North County.

Junior Emily Hanquist scored 16 points in the first half and made a school-record 12 steals to lead the Lady Pirates (3-4). Ava Johnson netted 15 points and Alicia Kueker contributed 14.

Perryville never trailed after transition layups from Emily and Kueker sparked an instant 14-0 scoring run. Three-pointers from Johnson and Hilary Hemman continued a decisive first quarter that ended with a 25-10 margin.

Freshman Lauren Callahan provided a bright spot off the Lady Bulldogs’ bench with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Seniors Chelsie Kelly and Becca Adams scored eight points each.

West County (6-4) did not attempt a free throw during the contest and trailed 41-16 at intermission. Perryville finished 13-of-19 from the line.

Ellington edged Saxony Lutheran 58-53 for seventh place.

West County  10   6  10  10 - 36

Perryville  25  16   8   8 - 57

SCORING:

West County - Callahan 10, Adams 8, Kelly 8, Gettinger 6, Forshee 2, Neeley 2. 3-point FG - None.

Perryville - Hanquist 16, Johnson 15, Kueker 14, Hemman 7, Amberger 3, Schirmer 2. 3-point FG - Johnson.