DONIPHAN — In an atmosphere that felt like postseason basketball, St. Vincent found itself in a battle early.
But after hanging close through the first half, the Lady Indians couldn’t keep pace with Class 4 Doniphan in a 54-27 loss on Feb. 20. Doniphan improved to 22- 2, while Class 3 St. Vincent fell to 19-7 and carries a two-game losing streak into district play.
“We didn’t play good. We played a bad game,” St. Vincent coach Mel Kirn said. “But we played a really good team down there. We stayed with them the first half. The halftime score was 16-14, their favor. But we just couldn’t get no shots to go down.”
The Lady Indians trailed just 9-9 after the first quarter and stayed within striking distance throughout the second, heading into halftime down only two points. But the third quarter proved decisive.
Doniphan erupted for 20 points in the period while holding St. Vincent to just four, creating separation that the Lady Indians couldn’t overcome. Doniphan also added an 18-9 edge in the fourth to put the game away.
St. Vincent struggled offensively throughout the night, shooting just 30 percent from the field and averaging 0.50 points per possession against Doniphan’s defensive pressure.
They had some really, really good ball players down there, and we matched up good,” Kirn said. “We just didn’t make our shots.”
Lana Adams led St. Vincent with 10 points, while Kate Rubel and Rylee Robinson added five apiece. Doniphan was led by Carsyn Hagood, who scored 28 points to pace the Donettes.
The game was played in front of a large crowd, something Kirn said added to the playoff-type feel.
“It was an awesome atmosphere for sure,” he said.
St. Vincent, the top seed in the Class 3, District 2 tournament, received a first-round bye and opened postseason play Wednesday in Scott City.
