Prep basketball: Ste. Gen Girls Garner Consolation Title
Ste. Genevieve’s Lexi Warren (13) drives toward the basket while Valley Caledonia’s Victoria Aldridge (34) defends during a consolation bracket game last Wednesday at Farmington High School Field House. (PHOTO BY ERIC VICCARO/Herald staff)
By ERIC VICCARO
eviccaro@stegenherald.com
POTOSI — The Ste. Genevieve High School girls’ basketball gained plenty of confidence last week.
And such belief yielded a Mineral Area Activities Association consolation championship on Saturday as the Dragons outlasted Kingston, 43-36, in overtime at Potosi High School.
Ste. Genevieve and Kingston played an overtime game for the second time this season, and the Dragons came out on top this time around.
Alli Byington scored five points in overtime and Ava Meyer also scored a key basket.
Ste. Genevieve now has won two straight games for the first time this season.
“I am super proud of the girls’ defensive effort (versus Kingston),” Ste. Genevieve head coach Jordanna Walk-Robison said. “They got a couple of big stops when it counted most.”
For sure, dangerous 5-foot-11 Kingston forward/guard Madison Nelson was kept in check to a season-low eight points.
What’s more, Walk-Robison wanted to discuss the Dragons’ winning streak.
“The girls always work hard (in practice), so it was nice for that hard work to pay off and win two in a row,” the coach commented. “Basketball is a long and grueling season, and I’m proud of the progress they made this past week.”
With the conference tournament so close to the playoffs, Walk-Robison said the recent event will help prepare the girls mentally for what’s ahead.
“It gives them a taste of pressure situations,” the coach added.
Ste. Genevieve stands at 4-17, with three more games to go — all at home — St. Vincent last night, Festus on Thursday and Perryville on Feb. 21.
The Dragons reached the consolation championship by virtue of Wednesday’s 67-40 victory over Valley Caledonia, which included a season-high point total.
Nine different Dragons scored at least one basket, with Byington netting a team-best 15 points. Kayden Huck also scored in double figures with 11 points. Ste. Genevieve canned seven 3-pointers in all.
Chloe Staffen coralled a game-best 12 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. She also posted two other highs with six steals and six steals. Regean Naeger and Meyer also contributed five rebounds each. Byington dished off four assists.
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