Thunder open districts by routing Tigers
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Nodaway Valley junior Savanna Marriott goes up for a shot on Monday against Worth County in Stanberry.
STANBERRY, Mo. — Worth County came out on Monday with the season on the line, and with four points from Kynah Steele and a 3-pointer by Kambree Briner — the Tigers led Nodaway Valley 7-5 in the opening minutes in Monday’s Class 1, District 16 quarterfinals in Stanberry.
“We just talked about how we wanted to leave 110 percent out there,” Worth County coach Tiffany Bliley said. “I definitely think that they came out with that mindset that they were just going to leave it all out there. Unfortunately that all kinda lasted for four or five minutes. It didn’t last very long, but I was proud of what I saw. They came out and played care-free and just went for it. That was exactly what we asked of them.”
The rest of the night belonged to Nodaway Valley as the second seeds made a statement with a 54-16 win over the Tigers. The Thunder (22-4) advanced to Wednesday night’s semifinal in Stanberry against third-seeded Rock Port (18-6).
“We needed to pick it up a little more on defense,” Nodaway Valley junior Savanna Marriott said. “I picked it up when my girl had the ball, put a little ball pressure and we started getting our offense going after that.”
After the 7-5 start, Nodaway Valley responded with a 28-0 run which extended midway through the second quarter. The run was 14 2-pointers as Nodaway Valley attacked the paint and was able to play in transition.
“I got after them a little bit, barked at them and they turned it on,” Nodaway Valley coach Mitch Barnes said. “I thought that tonight they played some of the best defense I’ve seen them play, especially Savanna. That is what we are going to have to have moving forward.”
Junior Paidyn Linville had 10 points during the run as she was knocking down her mid-range jumpers. Ava Graham had eight points in the run while Marriott had six and Paige Hanson had four.
The lead was 39-9 at halftime and the run eventually got to 44-4. Both teams were able to get their benches district-tournament experience in the fourth quarter as the final margin settled in at 54-16.
“It is pretty exciting,” Marriott said of districts. “We only have one senior, so we are trying to get the win, get to the district championship and see where we go from there.”
Graham led Nodaway Valley with 14 points while Marriott and Hanson each had 13, and Linville had 10. Sydney Marriott added four points.
“We try to share the ball,” Barnes said. “I don’t pay attention to a lot of that stuff, but when I read your newspaper, and it has the Reign Physical Therapy thing in there and says ‘assists’ — I got four girls in there, so they really don’t care who gets the credit.”
Worth County was led by Steele with nine points, Briner with three, and Keira Hardy and Kristen Tracy with two each.
“Kynah is just one of those players that leaves an impact on you for the rest of your life,” Bliley said. “She knows sports and she is a leader who you can always talk to about the game. … She is so easy to coach. She listens, but she is also going to dish it right back at you from what she sees. That is one of those things that you definitely miss as a coach — having those players that care so much about it that they are willing to fight tooth and nail for it.”
