Doniphan Weekly Sports Round-Up

The Doniphan Donettes won their last two games of the season in convincing fashion with a 70-26 home win over Poplar Bluff and a 61-41 road win over the Aurora Lady Houn Dawgs.

Those wins gave the Donettes a 23-2 regular season record, extended their winning streak to seven games, and sends them into the Class 4 District 1 playoffs sitting at third in the state Class 4 rankings.

“It was a great senior night for our girls,” said Donettes head coach Adam Epps. “I’m super proud of them, and they have left a lasting legacy on our team. We played great on both ends of the floor.”

The Donettes dominated the Lady Mules at Senior Night on Friday, February 28, jumping out to a 22-6 first quarter lead that grew to a 38-11 lead at halftime. Doniphan outscored Poplar Bluff 32 to 15 in the second half.

Carsyn Hagood led the Donettes in scoring with a game-high 18 points; teammates Sarah Owen and Ellie White also notched double figures, 15 and 12 points respectively.

Doniphan took on the 21-4 Aurora Lady Houn Dawgs on Saturday, March 1 and came away with a 61-41 victory. This was the first time the two teams had met, and it was on a neutral court at Mountain View.

The Donettes are the top-seeded team in the district tournament, which will be held in Kennett. Doniphan has a first-round bye, which means they will take on the winner of Tuesday’s quarterfinal game between #4 Kennett and #5 Saxony Lutheran.

“We are playing pretty good at the right time,” Epps said.

The Doniphan Dons boys varsity basketball team split a pair of home games last week the finish the regular season with a winning 14-12 record as they prepare for the Class 4 District 1 tournament.

“I’m feeling really confident with how the team is playing heading into districts,” said Doniphan head coach Hunter Dilbeck.

We had a bit of a wake-up call against Mountain Grove but definitely came ready to play Thursday against Kennett,” he said. “It was a really good game for us and should give us quite a bit of momentum headed into our match up against Fredericktown.”

The Dons lost 74 to 55 on February 25 at home to the Mountain Grove Panthers. Emmitt Jones scored 20 points for Doniphan, the only Doniphan player in double digits. Mountain Grove had three players score in double digits, with two shooters over 20.

Mountain Grove dominated the first half, leading 52-23 at the break. Doniphan did manage to outscore the visitors 32-22 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the first half deficit.

The boys closed out their regular season on Thursday with a 68-49 win at home over the Kennett Indians. Jones scored a game-high 24 points in the victory, with Corey Hagood scoring 14 points and Tyler Lowery scoring 13.

The Dons will open district tournament play in Fredericktown on Monday night, taking on the fourth-seeded Fredericktown Black Cats. Doniphan is the number five seed.