Prep Hoops Round-up Lady 'Hounds pick up road win

KINGSVILLE -- The Sweet Springs girls' basketball team survived some serious foul trouble early in the game Tuesday for a 53-32 non-conference win at Kingsville.

Head coach Boyd Jones had to go to the bench after juniors Kristin Jones and Kathleen Tyler each picked up a pair of fouls in the opening five minutes, and three during the first half, but in the end the Lady Greyhounds enjoyed a 31-19 advantage in free-throw attempts -- although a lesser edge, 15-11, in those converted.

Leading by only six points at halftime, Sweet Springs got two buckets from Jones and a Tyler three-pointer to extend its lead during the third period. Sophomore Katie Brandt knocked down an outside jumper during the Lady 'Hounds' 21-point fourth quarter, sealing the victory.

Freshman Kaylee Herring led the Lady Tigers (6-16) with 15 points.

Junior Rachel Thornton had a strong game on both ends of the court with 12 points and 10 rebounds and senior Stephanie Krause contributed eight points and seven steals for Sweet Springs (11-13), which had lost four of the previous five games.

The Lady 'Hounds close the regular season Thursday with a non-conference tilt at neighboring Northwest of Hughesville.

Marceline 59, Slater 35

MARCELINE -- A 17-4 third quarter propelled Marceline to a 59-35 Lewis and Clark home win Tuesday against Slater.

The Lady 'Cats trailed by only six points at halftime, but couldn't overcome the absence of junior point guard Niki Kruger or their poor 18.9-percent field-goal shooting.

Senior Jordan Ewigman had a game-high 20 points for the Lady Tigers (18-6, 7-2 L&C), which will finish in second place in the league race after Salisbury defeated defending champion Westran, 65-37, Tuesday to claim the title.

Slater (16-9, 4-6) was paced by senior Rachel Gonzalez' 12 points, with junior Brittany Cornine collecting 12 rebounds.

The Lady 'Cats, who will finish no higher than fourth in the loop, open play Monday in the Class 2, District 12 Tournament at Sturgeon -- facing conference rival Westran, who lost all-state senior Becca Schemmer to a knee injury Tuesday, for the fourth time this season.

Southwest 63, Malta Bend 12

MALTA BEND -- Ninth-ranked Southwest of Ludlow ran off and hid Tuesday at Malta Bend, a 22-2 second-period spree giving it a 33-point halftime lead during a 63-12 non-conference victory.

Senior Sindy Chavez racked up 20 points and junior Brittany Tutt added 15 for the Lady Wildcats (22-2).

Sophomore Kelsey Forqueran had five points for the Lady Tigers (1-22), who will close the CCAA campaign Thursday at Otterville -- against which they have their lone win.

Boys

Kingsville 58, Sweet Springs 48

KINGSVILLE -- Junior Levi McKiddy scored 20 points off the bench as Kingsville downed the visiting Sweet Springs boys Tuesday, 58-48.

The Tigers led by only two points heading into the final frame, but McKiddy hit a pair of shots and the team converted 10 of 15 attempts from the free-throw line during a 14-6 game-ending run.

Senior Andrew Leehy added 16 points for Kingsville (16-8), which handed the Greyhounds their fourth straight loss.

Sweet Springs (10-14), which made only five of 29 three-point tries, got 15 points and 14 rebounds from junior Nick Peeples.

Marceline 68, Slater 16

MARCELINE -- Slater ended the regular season with its 14th straight loss Tuesday, a 68-16 beat-down at Lewis and Clark Conference foe Marceline.

"We just didn't come to play," head coach Mike Arnold assessed the Wildcats' lackluster performance, which saw them trail 20-4 after one period -- and then yield a 21-1 spree during the second period.

Junior Jeff Floray scored 22 points for the Tigers (10-14, 2-7 L&C), the league's fifth-place team.

Senior Zach Calhoun had four points for Slater, which made only five shots from the field while finishing a winless league campaign.

The prospects for the 'Cats (3-21, 0-10) are no brighter Tuesday, when they open the Class 2, District 12 Tournament against top-ranked Harrisburg -- the defending state champion.

Southwest 35, Malta Bend 33

MALTA BEND -- Senior Ryan Armstrong's final home game at Malta Bend was one he would likely prefer to forget.

With Armstrong's brother -- junior Tyler -- limited by injury, the Tigers didn't have the firepower Tuesday to beat struggling Southwest of Ludlow. Malta Bend dropped the 35-33 non-conference contest while scoring 11.3 points under its season average.

It was a different brother act which commanded the spotlight, the Larsons -- sophomore Brock and junior Kyle -- combining for 25 points to lead the Wildcats (4-16).

Ryan Armstrong led all scorers with 14 points for the Tigers (5-17).