The Lady Panthers took third place at the Glacers Edge Tournament in Emporia with a 50-33 win over Wichita Heights on January 28.
After a loss to the Topeka Seaman in the semifinals, coach Dan Harrison was interested in seeing how his team fared under adversity and was pleased with the performance.
The Lady Panthers showed signs of some tired legs in the first quarter as the Falcons took a 10-8 lead, but Derby responded with a dominant performance the rest of the way using youngsters off the bench.
Sophomores Carsen Carpenter, Maliyah Lansang and Kallie Rickords came out of the pine tree and delivered quality minutes. Both Carpenter and Lansang scored six runs as Rickords helped hit the ball.
The usual suspects of Addy Brown and Destiny Smith led the Lady Panthers in scoring with 17 and 14 points, respectively. The duo led on the goalscoring front all weekend but manager Harrison was buoyed by the youngsters who produced for the side over the weekend.
“It was exactly what you want in a midseason tournament,” Harrison said. “We were challenged and played against different styles. We tried some new pieces and they made a strong contribution. We can use that depth moving forward.
W. HEIGHTS 10 10 9 4 – 33
LORD PANTHERS: Brown, 17; D. Smith, age 14; Carpenter, age 6; Lansang, age 6; Wilson, age 5; Rickords, 2.
HAWKS: Jackson, age 14; Mayberry, 10; Brown, 3; Mosquito, 3; Gilbert, 3.
The derby fails in a 45-39 loss to the Topeka Seaman
Foul problems and turnovers hampered Derby in their 45-39 loss to the Topeka Seaman on 27 January. The Lady Panthers were hit with a lot of offensive pressure, something they hadn’t seen all season. It took some time to adjust to the pressure and Derby had the opportunity to get back into the game but failed to gain the drive to take a commanding lead.
The foul problems escalated, especially in the second half, which put the Lady Vikings at the free throw line. Topeka Seaman went 21-of-27 from the line in ballplay. Maddie Gragg led all scorers with 14 points for the Lady Vikings, while Destiny Smith finished with 12 points for the Lady Panthers.
“We just didn’t match their intensity,” Harrison said. “We were hit with a lot of pressure on our guards early in the game. It took some time to adjust and we reacted, but we just couldn’t get the shot we needed.”
T. SAILOR 13 12 7 13 – 45
LADY VIKINGS: Gragg, age 14; T. Stallbaummer, age 10; Becker, age 8; Gormley, 4; Schumann, 3; J. Stallbaummer, age 2; William, 2; Molden, 2
LORD PANTHERS: D. Smith, age 12; Brown, 11; Wilson, 6; Demel, 3; Kelly, 2; M. Smith, age 2; Rickords, 2; Lansang, 1.
The Lady Panthers dominate in the opening round
The Lady Panthers had to withstand a Shawnee Mission East finisher in the opening round of the tournament with a 61-43 victory on January 26.
Brown and Smith nearly outscored Shawnee Mission East in combined for 42 points. Brown finished with a consistent 22 points, while Smith was hot-handed with 20 points and three crucial 3-pointers to keep the gap on Shawnee Mission East.
Derby were in control for most of the match and the defense held the Lancers to 13 points in the first half. After being held to three points in the first half, Abigail Lang took over for the Lancers, finishing with a 21-point game.
LANCERS: Lang, 21; Kessler, age 7; Stanfield, 6; Birch, 5; Holzbeierlien, 3; MacQuire, 1.
LORD PANTHERS: Brown, 22; D. Smith, age 20; Wilson, age 9; Demel, 4; Rickords, 3; Ka. Demel, 2; M. Smith, 1
Cody Friesen is the sports editor of the Derby Informer. Contact him with sports advice at [email protected] and follow @Derby_Sports on Twitter for the latest updates.
