Opening KJCCC play on Wednesday night, the Neosho County Panthers’ line changes overwhelmed the shorthanded Labette Cardinals women as the Panthers won, 81-69.
Labette dressed seven players while Neosho County played 14.
“We knew this one was going to be hard,” Neosho County head coach J.J. Davis said. “They’re super talented. I know they don’t have the depth. But those seven kids are super talented. They played the same non-conference schedule we did. They’re ready for this conference. Our depth wore them down and that’s how we play.”
Labette has eight on its roster but guard Tierra Bargeman was out with a shoulder injury.
“We’ll be OK,” Labette head coach Gabriella Cortez said. “We’re a talented seven. When we get Tierra back, we’ll have eight. Neosho County is the only team to throw that many kids at you. I thought we did OK. I think people thought Neosho County would run us out of the gym. But we fought.”
Sophia Mireles led Neosho County with 24 points, albeit on 9-of-25 shooting, to go along with four steals and seven rebounds.
“She’s a freshman who did well,” Davis said. “We need some other kids to find their shots. But our freshmen are good.”
Aubreyanna Yelverton posted a double- double for Labette with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“She’s the glue for this group right now,” Cortez said. “She’s all over the boards. She’s knocking down shots and starting to feel comfortable. Tonight was good for her. She’s a consistent key for us. We need her to keep doing what she’s doing.”
Jordyn Searles and Ahmani Klabunde led the Cardinals with 16 points apiece.
Chloe Parker added 10 points for the Panthers.
Neosho County led by as much as 21 and scored the first 12 points of the game.
“We had a slow start and we were fine in the other quarters,” Cortez said. “It was our first conference game, so we just have to adjust.”
Davis wasn’t pleased with his squad’s shooting as the Panthers hit 30% of their shots.
“They thought too much,” Davis said. “We put in some new stuff and they were thinking instead of just playing. We knew we’d have to run some motion offense down the road. We’ve been pounding that.”
Davis also dished out praise to Cortez, who revived the Labette program after it was shut down last year due to low roster numbers.
“I’m glad the rivalry is back,” Davis said. “It makes our conference a lot better. I’m so proud of her.”
Neosho County improved to 11-7 overall while Labette fell to 2-9.
Up next
Neosho County hosts Fort Scott on Saturday.
“They’re big and physical,” Davis said. “They’re an SEC-style team. They play big. It’ll be a big contrast of styles.”
Labette hits the road to face Allen in Iola. “We have to contain and protect the paint,” Cortez said. “We have to focus on turnovers and rebounding. I hate giving up offensive boards. But I know we can compete.”
