ALTON - Alton freshman point guard Kiyoko Proctor led all scorers with 20 points as the Redbirds defeated Springfield Southeast 71-34 to complete a three-game sweep of their own Tip-Off Tournament Saturday afternoon at the Redbirds Nest.
In the first game of the day, Breese Mater Dei Catholic used a balanced scoring attack to help defeat Jersey 49-32 to finish second in the round-robin tournament at 2-1.
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Against the Spartans, Alton jumped out to a 21-10 lead at the end of the first period, then extended the lead to 41-23 at halftime, then 63-32 after three quarters, outscoring Southeast in the final period 8-2 to take the 71-34 win.
Proctor also had eight assists and five steals in addition to her game-high 20 points, while Alyssa Lewis added 15 points, four steals and four assists for the Redbirds, Renee Raglin had 11 points, two assists and a steal, Laila Blakeny and Kahliyah Goree had six points each, Jarius Powers added on five points and 10 rebounds, Dachelle Carter and Talia Norman each scored four points and Berlynn Clayton had two points.
Coach Howard said she thought her young team learned some valuable lessons in the tournament.
"I thought the ladies showed a great deal of tenacity and in one of the games fought through foul trouble," she said. "They are young girls and are sponges. I see them as an opportunity to let them shine in areas where they are great, but expose areas where they are weak and hold them accountable, getting a little bit better every day, better students, better athletes, better teammates and better women, each day."
In the first game between the Knights and the Panthers, Mater Dei led from start to finish, taking an 11-4 lead after the first quarter, then extending the advantage to 23-11 at halftime, then went on to a 40-22 lead after the third quarter. Jersey did win the fourth quarter 10-9, but the Knights went on to their 49-32 win.
Tessa Crawford led the Panthers with nine points, followed by Elise Noble, who had eight points. Carly Daniels added six points, Maggie Gorman and Bria Tuttle had three points each, Avery Reeder had two points and Cate Breden scored a single point.
The Knights had four players --- Alexis Kampwerth, Alyssa Koerkenmeier, Kailynn Kruep and Maris Zurliene --- with nine points each, with Avery Trame adding on six points, Madison Eversgerd had five points and Madison Winkeler had two points.
Norman was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and was one of four Redbirds on the All-Tournament team, along with Raglin, Powers and Proctor. Joining the Redbird players were Mater Dei's Kruep, Daniels and Crawford from Jersey, Marisa Gant from Springfield Southeast and both Zurliene and Eversgerd from Mater Dei.
The Redbirds start out the year 3-0, the Knights are 2-1, the Panthers are 1-2 and the Spartans are 0-3. Alton takes a break for Thanksgiving weekend and hosts Ritenour of Overland, Mo. Nov. 30 before hosting Edwardsville in both teams' Southwestern Conference opener Dec. 2, with both games starting at 7:30 p.m. The Panthers play their home opener at Havens Gym on Tuesday against Columbia, then host Triad in the Mississippi Valley Conference opener Nov. 29, with both games starting at 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19 SPORTS ROUNDUP
GIRLS BASKETBALL
ALTON TIP-OFF CLASSIC
ALTON 62, BREESE MATER DEI CATHOLIC 49: Alyssa Lewis' game-high 24 points helped Alton break open a close game in the fourth quarter as the Redbirds outscored Mater Dei 25-16 en route to their second win in as many starts in the Redbirds' Tip-Off Classic Friday night at the Redbirds Nest.
The Knights led after the first quarter 13-10, with Alton coming back in the second to take a 28-26 halftime lead, which was slightly extended to 37-33 after the third quarter. The Redbirds then exploded to their big fourth quarter to produce the winning score.
Laila Blakeny added 14 points for Alton, with Jarius Powers scoring eight points, Kahliyah Goree had six points, Renee Raglin had five points, Kiyoko Proctor scored three points and Talia Norman had two points.
JERSEY 53, SPRINGFIELD SOUTHEAST 49: Jersey came from behind to outscore Southeast 12-6 in the final quarter to win a see-saw first game of the night at the Alton Tip-Off Classic for the Panthers' initial win of the new season.
The Spartans led at the end of the first quarter 17-12, but Jersey came back to take a 29-28 halftime lead. Southeast then came back to take 43-41 lead after three quarters, with the Panthers taking the fourth-quarter lead and eventually, the game.
Tessa Crawford led Jersey with 20 points, while Carly Daniels added 17 points, Cate Breden had 11 points and Elise Noble scored five points.Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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