Kemper Academy nullifies Govero

By By Rocky Higginbotham / special to The Star
Feb. 12, 2004
LOUISVILLE With nearly every scouting report showing that Covenant Christian was a one-woman team, Kemper Academy coach Russell Cruise employed a simple game strategy to make freshman sensation Mary Kathryn Govero earn her points.
Apparently, those scouting reports were correct.
Kemper held Govero to 19 points, 15 below her average of 34, and the Lady Rams opened play in the Mississippi Private School Association's Central State Tournament with a convincing 71-29 win over Covenant Wednesday at Winston Academy.
Actually, Kemper dominated early, opening the game with a 23-2 run that lasted well into the second quarter.
In Wednesday's other opening-round Central State games, Rebul Academy topped Wayne Academy 41-29 in a girls' game, while host Winston drilled Tri-County Academy 73-39. Wayne surprised University Christian School 61-35 in boys' action.
The tournament resumes Friday with semifinal action, and all of the remaining teams will be back Saturday for consolation and championship contests. All remaining teams have also qualified for next week's MPSA Class A State Tournament to be held at University Christian.
Friday's girls' semifinals begin at 1 p.m. with Heidelberg Academy taking on Rebul, followed by Kemper Academy and Prentiss Christian at 2:30.
In a split session, the boys' semis begin at 6 p.m., with Heidelberg battling Christ Missionary and Industrial School. Winston gets Wayne in the finale at 7:30.
Kemper (girls) 71
Covenant 29
The Lady Rams were up 32-7 at halftime, and Cruise emptied his bench four minutes into the second half.
Three players scored in double figures for Kemper, and only one of them started.
Kasey Barnes came off the bench for 16 points, and Samantha Harpole scored 12. Eve Darnell added 11 points, and Leslie Beach had eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Darnell and Ashley Smith had four assists each, and Ashley George and Harpole had seven rebounds, apiece. Barnes had five steals.
Govero's final stat line read 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and three blocked shots. She scored all seven of her team's points in the first half, and teammate Abbie Covington tallied all eight of her points in the second half.
Covenant turned the ball over 21 times and was 0-for-18 from 3-point range.
Rebul (girls) 41
Wayne Academy 29
The Lady Raiders opened the second half with a 14-2 run to break a tie and take control in Wednesday's first girls' game.
Wayne and Rebul were tied at 20 at halftime, but the Lady Jaguars managed just two free throws in the third quarter and went more than 10 minutes without a field goal.
Caroline Blocker scored a game-high 20 points for Rebul, and she had all 12 of her team's points in the decisive third quarter. Courtney Robbins added 15 points.
Kristen Palmer led Wayne with 13 points. The Lady Jaguars finished 11-16.
Winston (boys) 73
Tri-County 39
The Patriots were up just 7-5 midway through the first quarter, but they coasted afterward in improving to 27-4 for the year.
Winston scored 30 unanswered points during a nine-minute stretch, going up 37-5 on its way to a 43-15 lead at halftime.
Brandon Jennings led four Winston players in double figures with 15 points. Taylor Paschal had 11 points, Patrick Peterson and Corey Hancock had 10, apiece, and Justin Eaves chipped in eight.
Tri-County got 17 points from Kendall Grant.
Wayne (boys) 61
University 35
The Jaguars, the No. 3 seed out of District 3-A, had a surprisingly easy time with District 4-A runnerup University Christian.
The Flames, one of the most reputable Class A programs in the state, trailed by six after one quarter but scored only five points in the second period and found themselves down by 17 at the half.
Daniel Zabaldano led University with 14, and Jordan Wagner tallied nine. The Flames finished with a 24-9 record.
Wayne, which improved to 17-11, eliminated UCS behind a game-high 21 points from Patton Stanley. Colby Beasley chipped in 14 for the Jags, and Greg
Kirkland and Jacob Fontenot scored six, each.