December 28, 2024
#1 Kirkwood Wins Opener at Cougar Holiday Tournament
Kirkwood 116
Kankakee 38
Cougar Holiday Tournament
Tis the giving season & top-ranked Kirkwood was in the giving spirit in the opening round of the Cougar Holiday Tournament, as they dished out 30 assists in their 116-38 victory over Kankakee Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore Lizzy Puot got the Eagles rolling early on the offensive end, as she scored nine points in the first 3:10 of the game to help Kirkwood jump out to a 12-2 lead.
The Eagles (13-0) would own a 31-7 lead after the first quarter of play and continued to build on it in the second quarter, as the bench got into the scoring act as well.
Kirkwood would take a 55-18 lead into the locker room at halftime, with the Eagles' bench scoring 28 first-half points led by sophomore Shyla Moore's nine points.
The beginning of the second half resembled the start of the game, as Kirkwood used an 18-4 run to take a 73-22 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Eagles built their lead to 89-29 after three quarters.
Kirkwood saw 14 players notch their name in the scoring column, led by Puot's game-high 21 points on 10-11 shooting from the floor.
Four other Kirkwood players finished in double figures as well. Sophomores Kaliyah Sain and Ellah Kissell both finished with 14 points, while sophomore Jenna Twedt and freshman Eva Steffenson added 10 points a piece.
Moore, who scored all nine of her points in the first half, also finished with a career-high six steals to lead the Eagles defensively.
Sophomore Jariah Harris added seven points, while sophomore Sam Veto and freshman Kennedy Blakely finished with six points each.
Sophomore Kora Alesch, who saw her first action of the season after coming off an injury, recorded five points.
Sophomore Ella Pritchard and freshman Chudear Mach both finished with four points and freshman Malayna Dille-Starks rounded out the scoring for the Eagles with two points.
Kirkwood forced Kankakee into a season-high 31 turnovers and outscored the Cavaliers 58-14 in the paint.
The Eagles do not have long to savor the victory, as they have a quick turnaround tomorrow and take on #12 Palm Beach State (FL) at 2:00 pm in the semifinals.
Link to Box Score:
