Ernst keys Lady Tigers' win over Kennett

KENNETT — The Neelyville Lady Tigers bounced back from a loss in the finals of the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament finals by defeating the Kennett Lady Indians 64-50 on Monday night.

According to Lady Tigers head coach Becky Hale, their main focus for this game was defense. Despite their efforts and the win, Hale said there were a lot of things her team could have executed better on both ends of the floor.

“We were just trying to stop No. 1 for Kennett,” Hale said. “We came out kinda flat and I think we got fired up for nothing. We got up by 20 (points) but we couldn’t hold them. We were just trying to win a ball game.”

Kennett’s “No. 1” is Alyce Edwards. She had 17 points in the first half, keeping her team close with the Lady Tigers as Neelyville only gained a 10-point advantage through two quarters.

Kennett finished the half down 31-21.

Although Edwards was doing her part for the Lady Indians, junior Parker Ernst was doing everything she could to make sure Neelyville stayed on top. She led the Lady Tigers through the first half, scoring 18 of their 31 points.

The battle between Edwards and Ernst continued through the third quarter as they both matched each other with 10 points, but the Lady Tigers extended their lead to 47-32 by the start of the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Kennett trailed by as much as 20 points before the Lady Indians began to mount a comeback.

Edwards put on a 12-point barrage to reel the Lady Tigers back in but ran out of time. The Lady Tigers held on for a 14-point victory as Ernst put up nine points in the fourth quarter.

Ernst finished with the second most points on the floor for the night at 37, while Edwards walked away with a game-high 39 points.

Edwards also got a double-double, grabbing 11 steals during the game.

Neelyville improved to 19-5 with the win and is slated to play at Kelly on Thursday before beginning Class 2 District 2 Tournament play next week at Van Buren. The Lady Tigers are seeded first in the district.

“This is a crucial time of the year,” Hale said. “You don’t want to just be playing good, you want to be playing your best at this time of the year and we have some work to do to get there.”