Unblemished through two games of Kansas Jayhawk Conference play, the Neosho County Panthers women won a thriller over the Fort Scott Greyhounds, 51-49, on Saturday afternoon at home.
“I knew this was going to be a war,” Neosho County head coach J.J. Davis said. “They’re big and physical. They don’t beat themselves. They value the ball. If you don’t stay aggressive and play downhill, you’ll struggle against them.”
The lead changed hands eight times and knotted up another seven in Saturday’s rematch of the first round of the region tournament a year ago, which Fort Scott won.
“We’ve had freshmen that were leading us,” Davis said. “But some of our sophomores stepped up. They defended at a high, high, high level to get us where we needed to be.”
Facing a team that played seven players for the second straight game, the Panthers raced out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter before Fort Scott began chipping away.
“It’s been that way. We’ve been on a rollercoaster,” Davis said. “Sometimes it comes down to the maturity of a group. There’s not an alpha dog on this team. We’re learning to take hard shots. That’ll help us get better. And we’re still learning our rotations.”
Dagmara Kacprazak led Neosho County with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
“She’s been good for us,” Davis said. “She’s been steady. She’d been down on herself but she’s always a vocal leader.”
However, Neosho County’s offense as a whole was limited to 28% shooting from the floor, including 24% (7-of-29) on threes.
“We’re rushing shots,” Davis said. “But I know we’ll shoot better and play better.”
Hailie Edmondson led Fort Scott with 14 points.
Neosho County improved to 12-7 overall and 2-0 in conference play with the win.
“Part of our struggle shooting the ball today was my approach,” Davis said. “This one was personal for me. I put extra pressure on them. But the girls responded. My intensity level was up. I’ve got to be better.”
Up next
Neosho County heads north for a derby against Allen on Saturday.
“Whoever did our schedule gave us Labette, Fort Scott and Allen. Those are all our rivals,” Davis said. “So it’ll be another war.”
