By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Gainesville Lady Bulldogs took down the MV-BT/Liberty Eagles Thursday night in the Mountain Grove Girls Holiday Tournament, performing a seemingly impossible feat: silencing Liberty’s star player.
Gainesville limited Piper Francis, who has averaged 25 points per game this season, to just 16 points on the night. Coach Morris Jenkins noted his Lady Bulldogs are adept at causing trouble for rival teams’ most skilled players.
“We figured (Piper) would make some shots since she’s such a good player, but we wanted to make her work to get her points,” he said.
In addition to holding off Francis, Gainesville made their own shots fall.
“We came out and shot the ball well early and had some threes go in, and I thought that was going to be a big key, us starting off in a positive way,” said Coach Jenkins.
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Shelby Smith connected on two from downtown in the first quarter to propel the Lady Bulldogs to an 18-9 lead, and Gainesville was up by 11 at the half. But Coach Jenkins’ predictions proved correct, as early scoring was the key to his team’s victory. Scoring was separated by just one point in each of the final quarters, but Gainesville still finished with a 50-39 victory.
“Our offense this year has been inconsistent, but tonight we made shots and the girls competed hard, and I think we beat a good Liberty team,” said Coach Jenkins. “I’m proud of our team.”
Elizabeth Kinworthy’s steady scoring was clutch for the Lady Bulldogs. She led all scorers on the night with 18 points, and teammate Aspyn Britt added 11. Francis led the Lady Eagles with 16 points and Kinley Richards had 9.
Each team had pulled off an upset to make it to this point in the tournament; Gainesville, the sixth seed, topped third ranked Mansfield, and Liberty, seventh, beat Alton, second.
Thayer defends its top seed
Earlier in the evening, top seeded Thayer took down Van Buren, 55-38. Once again, an early lead proved to be the ticket for the winning team, as Thayer went to the half with a nine-point margin. Thayer widened the gap in the third, and the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Bobcats in the final frame, but their effort was not enough to overcome the early deficit.
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“We had some kids step up and make some shots,” said Thayer head coach Cecil Meyer. “We were real patient and did what we needed to do, and I was pleased with it. It was a good team effort.”
Jalynn Morgan led all scorers with 18 points for Van Buren. For Thayer, Angela Sorrell added 14 points and Caity Jones 9.
Thayer will attempt to preserve their undefeated season and to claim the tournament championship tomorrow night as they face Gainesville.
