In a game delayed a day by the inclement weather which kept most reasonable people indoors in the Panhandle, Canyon hosted West Plains on Saturday afternoon at Joe Lombard Gymnasium with sole possession of first place in the district at stake.
Despite Canyon’s myriad of state titles and only three varsity seasons at work for West Plains, the two Canyon ISD schools were both unbeaten in district play and the winner would leave as king of the hill to close the first half of district.
With that, as well as the prospect of the 20th win of the season on the line for both teams, it should have been no surprise who took the upper hand. The No. 6 Lady Eagles scored the first 11 points of the game and never trailed, as they cruised past the Lady Wolves 55-43 to solidify their perennial contender status.
It didn’t quite turn into a rout, but the Lady Eagles (20-4, 7-0 in district) appeared to be in control from the start and never lost it.
“I think the extra day just gave us one more day to mention a few things and I feel like the prep we had throughout the week was really good,” Canyon coach Tate Lombard said. “I think the kids were ready to play and you could tell by the way we started.”
What was different for the Lady Eagles, in fact, was who started at one spot. Brooklyn Kinsey, who plays as many minutes as any of Canyon’s nonstarters, started in place of Tai Wright, who was out of the lineup sick.
In helping Canyon burst out to a 16-2 lead in the first quarter, Kinsey scored six points. She ended up scoring all 12 of her points in the first half as the Lady Eagles took a 30-13 halftime lead.
“Going into it, it was about playing aggressive defense and getting some rebounds to get us going and the defense translated to the offense,” Kinsey said. “Having some momentum from getting a steal and some layups kind of led into that.”
It’s no surprise that Kinsey answered the call on the hardwood.
“She gives us a burst of energy,” Lombard said of Kinsey. “She’s a three-sport kid, so whenever we had this situation to go to, we knew she’d step in and thrive in that environment. She’s done a great job on the defensive and the offensive end for us.”
Kinsey still acknowledged the difference between being a key player off the bench and being called on to go out from the start and produce at both ends.
“It’s definitely a different mentality,” Kinsey said. “I’ve got to start preparing a lot sooner instead of watching and getting a feel for the game is going to be like. I have to start off the bat and do that within the first five seconds of the game.”
West Plains didn’t fold up shop in the second half, but the Lady Wolves were only able to cut the deficit below double digits once in the second half, midway through the third quarter. The Lady Eagles, though, regained momentum and got their lead back to as many as 20 points early in the fourth quarter.
Kambrie Graser actually led Canyon in scoring with 13 points. She got off to a slow start with a scoreless first quarter but helped the Lady Eagles pull away with 10 points in the second half.
Dane’ja Agu-White had a game-high 20 points, keeping the Lady Wolves within shouting distance with 16 points in the second half. Piper Patterson scored 13 points, nine in the second quarter.