Lady Indians season ends as West Frankfort pulls away late
The Du Quoin Lady Indians were unable to keep their season alive Tuesday night, falling in the semifinals to the host Lady Redbirds, 53-41, who were led by senior Morgan Griffith.
Du Quoin got itself on the board early, with Tarynn Mays knocking down a free throw and a layup from Grace Haney giving them the early lead, 3-2.
The Lady Redbirds rebounded with a mid-range shot from Madison Freeman and pair of foul shots from Griffith to give them a 6-3 lead. Kate Smith tied the game up at six with a baseline three-pointer, but West Frankfort came right back, knocking down a three of its own and foul shot to regain the lead, 10-6.
Du Quoin sparked a rally to close out the first, as back-to-back baskets from Mays inside tied the game at 10 heading into the second quarter.
Mackenzie Jackson continued the Lady Indian momentum, knocking down a look inside the paint to take a 12-10 lead.
West Frankfort responded, with Griffith earning two trips to the charity stripe and knocking down all four to give her team the lead back, 14-12.
The Lady Redbirds added onto the advantage, as a three-point play from Griffith and putback from Cali Wright pushing them ahead, 21-14.
But, the Lady Indians battled back strong to close out the first half, ending on a 6-0 run with a putback at the buzzer from Mays pulling them within one, 23-22, heading into the third.
West Frankfort came out fast to open up the third, scoring the first six points, with two baskets coming off steals to extend its lead, 29-22, just a minute into the quarter.
Chloe Hill responded for Du Quoin, knocking down a corner three. Hill followed up shortly after with a mid-range look and Mays tacked on a transition basket to cut the deficit to two, 31-29.
But, Griffith closed out the third quarter with a pair of layups to give her team a 35-29 lead heading into the final quarter.
West Frankfort started to pull early in the fourth, stringing together a 7-0 run to open the quarter as a pair of free throws from Griffith pushed them ahead, 42-29, its biggest lead of the game.
Sadie Day managed to cut the deficit to single digits with five straight points as the Lady Indians trailed, 42-34, with a little over four minutes to play.
But, Du Quoin found itself in foul trouble, as West Frankfort entered the double-bonus with a little over three-minutes to play.
Griffith capitalized, closing out the game a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, as the Lady Indians couldn't cut the lead back to single digits the remainder of the game, ultimately falling 53-41.
Du Quoin closes out the season 11-15 and 4-6 in SIRR Mississippi division play.