By Jordan Burton
Springfield, MO – At this point, nothing that Amanda Kearney does on a basketball court is surprising to Kip Bough; the longtime Branson coach has seen her do it all.
So, when the Harding signee exploded for 15 points in the second and third quarter on Tuesday it was yet another example of Amanda being Amanda.
“She just does it,” said Bough. “Sometimes in practices you just watch and say my goodness. She has a motor that doesn’t stop and because of her we’re used to seeing diamond-and-ones and other junk defenses but it’s impossible to replicate her energy level and she’s sneaky quick. I’m never really shocked by her anymore.”
Kearney finished with a game-high 27 points, leading Branson to a 62-41 win over unseeded Lamar in the opening round of the Pink and White Lady Classic.
That second and third quarter stretch saw Branson outscore Lamar 33-16.
“The film didn’t lie at all; she’s a good ball player,” said Lamar coach Dale Patton.
Lamar held an 11-8 lead late in the first, but the Lady Pirates strung together an 11-0 run at the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second to seize control of the game for good. The Lady Tigers hit just one field goal in the second quarter.
“We needed to convert offensively for it to be a better game,” said Patton. “We didn’t knock down some shots that we’ve been knocking down. I think we were our own worst enemy offensively today. They trapped out of their zone and we were prepared for that, but we’ve got to make shots.”
Long defensive rebounds allowed Kearney and Branson to get in transition and attack the basket. Tori O’Dell and Lauren Garrison were also able to take advantage of those opportunities, adding 11 and 10 points respectively.
Lamar was led by Katelyn Mooney’s 13 points. Lauren Morgan also added 13 points. The Lady Tigers will play Big 8 rival Aurora in consolation play of the White Division. Aurora fell to state-ranked Columbia Rock Bridge 56-29.
Rock Bridge is the No. 4 seed and has won four of the last five Class 5 state championship.
Despite being undefeated, Branson remains unranked in the Class 5 state polls and O-Zone Power Rankings. While Bough and Branson remain unconcerned with the opinions of others, they’re looking forward to the opportunity to challenge themselves against Rock Bridge.
“We return four of our five starters and I think our kids kind of look at the things being said and the competitive side of them takes offense to it,” said Bough. “We can’t control those things, we can only control our work ethic and our attitude, but I think our kids feel like they have something to prove.
“I think our kids just enjoy playing. I think they really want to feel like they’ve proved themselves. We’re going to step out there and we may win or we may not win, we aren’t concerned about that, just playing our perfect game.”
