Lady Indians Tip-Off Classic: Du Quoin finishes solid week with 4-1 record
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Two years ago-in the opening game of the Du Quoin Lady Indians Tip-Off Classic-sponsored by the Du Quoin Jaycees-the host team dropped a forgettable 70-point decision to Murphysboro.
Tuesday night, as the 7th annual event ended, the Lady Indians turned the tables on their longtime rivals.
Du Quoin pulled away for a convincing 55-41 win over Murphysboro, winning second place in the tourney with a 4-1 record. The Lady Red Devils, 3-2, took third as Johnston City repeated its championship with a perfect 5-0 mark.
"That's just a great way to finish," Du Quoin coach Shawn File said. "The second half tonight was probably the best we've played all season long."
In a rough-and-tumble affair, the Lady Indians fashioned an early lead and held on. Ahead 24-17 at halftime-and despite foul troubles to top inside threats Rebekah Maddox, Heather Cavins and Keawna Anders, the Lady Indians continued to build on the early advantage.
Early in the final frame a six-point spurt, all of which started with dandy passes from Jessica Hirsch (nine assists), pushed Du Quoin ahead 45-30 and the floodgates opened. Murphysboro could get no closer than the final 13-point advantage the rest of the way.
Hirsch led Du Quoin with a game-high 19 points. Maddox (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Cavins (13 points, eight boards) weren't far behind.
Chelcie Gillespie topped Murphysboro with 11 points.
Maddox-who led all scorers with 86 points-joined Hirsch on the all-tourney team. Alyssa Sturgeon and Nykeisha Dowell were picked from Murphysboro.
JOHNSTON CITY 38, CHESTER 33
The Lady Indians repeated as Tip-Off Classic champions, sweeping the slate with a 5-0 record.
Notching that 5-0 mark, however, proved to be anything but an easy task. Chester (1-4) jumped to a 10-2 first quarter lead as Johnston City went scoreless for the first five-plus minutes.
A three-pointer by tournament Most Valuable Player Marissa Montgomery gave Johnston City (5-1) its first lead, 17-14, in the
closing minutes of the first half.
J'City briefly opened a 10-point edge before Chester rallied to within three points at 36-33 when Allison Miller marked on the baseline with 46 seconds left.
Carley Bunting- another all-tourney choice, pushed the lead back to four. After a Chester turnover, freshman Allison Smiley
added another foul toss for the final five-point edge.
Smiley had a dozen points with Bunting and Montgomery adding 11 apiece. Hilary Best was the lone Lady "Jacket to reach double digits, netting 11 points. Miller had eight. Best represented Chester on the all-tourney group and Smiley was the final J'City pick.
STEELEVILLE 53, ELVERADO 29
First-year program Steeleville won its second game in less than 24 hours to open Tuesday's session.
A 16-4 second quarter blitz, with all but one of the points scored by the trio of Jill Winkelman, Alex Gale and Natalie Ruebke proved to be the difference as Elverado finished the tourney with an 0-5 record.
The Lady Falcons went nearly six minutes without a basket in the second quarter and endured another long scoring drought in
the second half.
"We just need to hit some shots," Lady Falcons coach Lance Bedar said. "It's been that way all week.We've just really struggled with our shooting."
Elverado was just 10-for-41 from the field. Courtney Morse led the way with 11 points. No other Lady Falcon could manage more than five points.
Megan Lalis topped Steeleville (2-3) with 15 points. Jill Winkelman (13) and Kassee Theobald (11) also reached double figures. Ale Gale (nine points) just missed.
Elverado's last lead came as the first quarter ended when Morse sank a 16-footer at the horn.
Winkleman and Ruebke also made the all-tourney list.