March 7, 2020
Eagles face No.1 NIACC in regional finals
Sunday, 08 March 2020 05:59 Metro Sports Report MSR - About MSR
Kemera Watson
Kirkwood enters the regional finals with a 29-3 record, with two of the losses to NIACC (31-1).
The fourth-ranked Eagles earned a spot in the championship game by topping Southeastern, 78-59, in the semifinals Saturday. Kirkwood led 37-32 at halftime, then used an 8-0 spurt to begin the third quarter for a 13-point cushion at 45-32. The lead grew to 23 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Kemara Watson shot 8-for-9 from the field and led the Eagles with 20 points. Paige Bradford was 8-for-10 and netted 17 points.
Emma Knipe scored 18 points for Southeastern (19-13).
SOUTHEASTERN (59): Shaniya Caldwell 2-10 2-2 7, Emma Knipe 3-7 10-12 18, Kianna McWhite 3-8 1-2 7, Destiny Trujillo 3-6 2-2 10, Aryn Kindig 0-1 0-0 0, Sasha Saccheus 0-6 0-0 0, D'Shanna Schuster 5-8 4-8 17, Tylinn Patrick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-46 19-26 59.
KIRKWOOD (78): Paige Bradford 8-10 1-3 17, Tatiana Hodges-Johnson 4-8 1-1 9, Ju Gaston 1-10 0-0 2, Amara Lipsey 0-3 0-0 0, Marissa Metz 2-6 1-2 7, Delani Harris 0-4. 2-2 2, Jheda Kennedy 3-4 0-0 6, Kortney Drake 2-4 0-0 5, Addison Rath 1-1 0-2 2, Natalie Tomaszewski 1-5 6-6 8, Kemara Watson 8-9 4-4 20. Totals 30-64 15-20 78.
Halftime - Kirkwood 37, Southeastern 32. 3-point goals - Southeastern 8-19 (Caldwell 1-4, Knipe 2-3, McWhite 0-2, Trujillo 2-2, Kindig 0-1, Saccheus 0-4, Schuster 3-3), Kirkwood 3-19 (Gaston 0-3, Lipsey 0-3, Metz 2-6, Harris 0-3, Kennedy 0-1, Drake 1-2, Tomaszewski 0-1).
