Lady Panthers win back-to-back Fordland titles

The Mountain Grove Lady Panthers’ basketball team became back-to-back Fordland Invitational champions last week after defeating the host Lady Eagles in the finals for a second straight year. This time they used a pair of double-digit runs to help them cruise late to a 58-47 victory.
“...To replace three starters and come back to Fordland (to win) speaks to the effort (of our team,” said Mountain Grove head coach Mike Mallow. “I’m really proud of them.”
In the first half, the Lady Panthers’ length gave Fordland fits as Mountain Grove’s defense forced 17 turnovers.
Pacing the Lady Panthers’ early offensively was eventual tournament MVP Sadie Schober, who scored six points.
Landry Golden was dominating in the post with seven big points as she was solid on the boards to help Mountain Grove go up 15-9.
In the second quarter, the Lady Panthers had an 11-0 run to go up 13 points. Both Rowen Kelly and Raylee Stenzel made 3-point shots. A late Fordland run cut the lead to nine at the break.
The Lady Eagles did respond though in the third quarter as they put together a 10-0 run to cut the lead to just 30-27.
Stella Benson and Hadley Driskill each made a 3-pointer in response as part of a Lady Panthers’ 11-0 run to go back up, this time by 14 points.
“Landry was dominant in that stretch,” Coach Mallow added as he was complimentary of the leadership his seniors showed in the contest. He was also complimentary of the job Golden did on Fordland’s best player inside the paint throughout the contest.
With 23.9 seconds left in the game, Schober made a pair of free  throws that would be enough to seal the nine-point win.
Schober finished with 11 points, five rebounds, five steals and two assists.
Golden dominated the paint and finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Stenzel tallied 13 points, seven steals, five rebounds and four assists; All-Tournament selection Stella Benson had seven points and four steals; and Driskill had three points, one steal and one assist. and Kelly scored seven points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals.
As a team, Mountain Grove’s defense forced 33 turnovers.
In the first round of the tournament, the Lady Panthers crushed Conway, 70-27.
Mountain Grove led 23-0 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back in their win over the Lady Bears.
Schober finished with 16 points; Benson had 15; Gabby Miller scored nine points; both Lyla Golden and Landry Golden had eight points; Driskill scored six points; and Kelly had four points.
In the semifinals, the Lady Panthers took on Greenwood and dominated their way to a 64-36 victory.
Mountain Grove put 30 points on the board by the end of the first quarter as Stenzel had two 3-pointers and 14 points.
Schober’s seven points paced the Lady Panthers in the second quarter as they led 46-19 at halftime.
Stenzel would go on to finish the contest with 18 points; Benson had 14 points with the help of two 3-pointers; Schober tallied 12 points; Landry Golden had nine points; Kelly scored seven points; Lyla Golden had four points; and Leah Brooome scored one point.