Look up "getting off to a bad start" in Webster's dictionary and you will find the McDonald County Lady Mustangs first eight minutes in their 51-41 loss to the Hillcrest Lady Hornets Tuesday night in the Missouri class 4 Basketball Sectionals at Branson High School.
With all-stater Kelsie Cleeton scoring 11 first quarter points, Hillcrest scored the game's first 12 points before McDonald County's Cendy Garcia hit a short jumper at the 4:40 mark to make the score 12-2.
But Hillcrest continued the onslaught over the final four minutes with a 6-0 run to close out the quarter with an 18-2 lead.
"It's amazing what nerves can do," said coach Blake Short. "It had to be all nerves because everything we did wrong were the things we focused on for the game. They are a good team and they didn't miss a shot in the first two minutes."
As bad as the Lady Mustangs' first quarter was, the second was almost as good.
Dakota Bunch opened the second quarter with a basket before Preslea Reece hit a pair of free throws and short jumper by Coley Ickes. Baili Nelson's basket with 5:28 left in the quarter cut the lead to 18-12 and forced a time out from Hillcrest.
Cleeton hit one of two free throws before a basket by Reece and a pair of free throws by Bunch cut the margin to 19-16. McDonald County had a chance to cut the deficit to one at halftime, but a miss and a half court buzzer-beater by Cleeton gave the Lady Hornets a 22-16 lead at intermission.
"For our girls to respond the way they did against a team like that with an all-state player who is just really good, I was just as proud as when we won some of our games," Short said. "That's tough to do, being down 18-2 and coming back from that against a state-ranked team is not a position you want to be in."
Trailing 26-18 early in the third quarter, Ickes scored four straight points and Nelson grabbed her own missed shot and scored to cut the lead to 26-24 with 1:55 left in the quarter. Nelson was fouled on her shot, but missed a chance for a three-point play.
Hillcrest's Laurnea Jarman got loose for a basket after a Lady Mustang turnover cost McDonald County a chance to tie the game and then Cleeton grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on her putback attempt with .07 seconds left in the quarter. The 5-7 senior guard hit both charities to give the Lady Hornets a 30-26 lead entering the fourth period.
"They are small, but they rebound very well," Short said. "If we rebound in the first half, and the whole game for that matter, we win. We didn't offensive rebound in the first half. Defensively was not good either. They killed us on the boards. If we rebound and don't have those silly turnovers for layups, it's a whole different game.
Hillcrest jumped out to a 36-28 lead early in the fourth quarter and McDonald County could get no closer as the Lady Hornets hit nine free throws, five by Cleeton, in the final 3:30 to seal the win.
"I thought our defense got back to what it normally is and we had every opportunity to get back in the game," Short said. "We missed some bunnies and missed some wide-open people under the basket. Ultimately they hit some shots, but we put ourselves in position and I am really proud of the girls for doing that."
Ickes finished with 10 points to lead a balanced McDonald County scoring attack while Nelson had eight, Garcia seven, Ree BB 3-12-151ce and Bunch six and Cheyenne Greenup and Caitlyn Sedillos two each.
Cleeton lead all scorers with 24 points for while Kaycee Gerald added 15.
McDonald County ends the season with an overall record of 20-8.
Sports on 03/12/2015