Leake cruises into tournament championship game

Southern Sports & Travel

The top ranked Leake Rebelettes improved to a perfect 36-0 after hammering sixth ranked Indianola 56-23 in Class AA North semi-final action yesterday at Leake Academy.

Senior point guard Anna Kat Nowell scored a game high 20 points and eighth grade post player Anna Evans added 11 as Leake advances to the title game where they will take on third ranked Oak Hill who defeated Prairie View 55-50 in the early game yesterday.

It was typical Leake brand basketball as Indianola quickly found out in yesterday’s second semi-final contest.

Anna Evans would turn a Lady Colonel turnover into a basket and Anna Grace Key’s fast break lay-in off another Indianola turnover got the defending state champions out to a 4-0 lead.

After Indianola’s Jessica Holmes hit on one of two free throws Leake capitalized on Indianola’s fourth turnover as Mary Grace Key canned two free throws to give Leake a 6-1 edge with 5:11 left in the first quarter.

(Above) Leake's Hannah Moore (#40) launches a jumper during the first half

Indianola would get their first bucket of the game at the 4:59 mark on a Patton Bradshaw 17 foot jumper but Leake answered with an 8-1 run to go up 14-4 with 2:10 to go in the opening quarter.

Leake would wrap up the quarter on Anna Kat Nowell’s offensive rebound and put back and with 13 seconds remaining Hannah Moore would serve up an assist to Anna Evans on a transition bucket to give the Rebelettes an 18-6 lead.

Indianola saw the deficit swell to 26-7 following a Mary Grace Key basket and after the Lady Colonels looked ready to grab some momentum with a Daylen Bills lay-in and a Shay Wraggs free throw Leake erupted with an 11-4 run to finish the half with a 37-14 advantage.

Indianola got an up close look at one of the best point guards in the MAIS to start the third quarter as Anna Kat Nowell turn the lights out on the Lady Colonels.

Nowell converted on three free throws after getting fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and drained a 17 foot jumper on the Rebelette’s next possession to extend the lead to 42-14.

Nowell drove baseline and scored and then delivered assists to Mary Grace Key and Hannah Moore on consecutive possessions as Leake went up 48-14 with 5:51 remaining in the quarter.

After Chloe Thaggard scored from down low Nowell ended her day with an offensive rebound and lay-in as the senior joined Hannah Peoples on the bench with the Rebelettes cruising along with a 52-14 lead.

Hannah Moore would join Nowell and Peoples after the senior went glass at the 1:38 mark to give the Rebelettes their biggest lead at 54-14 and capped a 17-0 Leake run.

Leake would outscore Indianola 17-3 in the quarter en-route to a 56-23 win.

Anna Kat Nowell led Leake with a game high 20 points, Anna Evans (Photo right) added 11, Hannah Moore and Mary Grace Key had 9 each, Hannah Peoples 3 and Chloe Thaggard and Shelly Dowell 2 apiece.

For Indianola (24-9) four players had 4 points each. Daylen Bills, Shay Wraggs, Angelique Dubois and Rivers Robinson, Jessica Holmes had 3, Patton Bradshaw 2 and Caroline McDaniel and Brantley Hill 1 apiece.

Indianola will take on Prairie View in today’s consolation matchup.