Chiefs hand Fort Madison girls first loss

No offense

The whole first half we didn't run our offense. I asked them at the half why and they didn't really have an answer for that.”

TJ Sargent, FMHS girls Head Coach

KEOKUK - It was clear pretty early that the Lady Hounds were in a battle with Keokuk in the growing cross-county rivalry.

The two teams played tough defense in the first quarter scoring just nine points combined, but it wasn't until the Chiefs put a little air in the game with a 9-0 run to end the first half that set the pace in Keokuk's 48-34 Southeast Conference win.

The loss is Fort Madison's first of the year and puts the Bloodhounds in a 4-way tie atop the conference at 2-1 with Mt. Pleasant, Keokuk, and Washington.

Fort Madison got two buckets in the first quarter - one each from Camille Kruse and Dayonna Davis, and trailed 5-4 going into the second. The Hounds would trail by five at 13-8, but a bucket from Kruse brought Fort Madison to within three.

Then the Hounds would go quiet the rest of the half commiting six turnovers, four in consecutive possessions, while spotting the Chiefs a 22-10 halftime advantage.

"We just had a lot of turnovers in the first half," said Head Coach TJ Sargent.

"I think we had 11 in the first half and we haven't done that all season. It wasn't their press honestly, it was us making poor decisions and execution.

"The whole first half we didn't run our offense. I asked them at the half why and they didn't really have an answer for that."

Fort Madison would miss their first four shots from the field in the second half and commit back-to-back fouls. Kruse, who finished with just 11 to lead the Hounds, would score to cut the lead to 10 at 22-12, but Keokuk would go on a 6-0 run capped by a bucket from Camryn Atterberg to make it 28-10.

Keokuk would extend the lead to 20 at 38-18 with :50 left in the third period on senior Kayde Martin's 3-ball.

The Hounds would then go into chase mode down by 20. They would cut the lead to 15 on a Taylor Johnson bucket inside and then whittle it to 13 at 47-34 on Irelynd Sargent's free throw, just before time ran out.

"They haven't looked like this all season as far as their passing. It was just like we weren't ready. We prepared hard all week but tonight wasn't our night," TJ Sargent said.

The Hounds play in a rare doubleheader tomorrow with a game early at Clark County High School against Centralia and then in the evening in Quincy against West Hancock at John Wood Community College.

"We have two big games tomorrow. We'll have three games in 24 hours and we can't dwell on this game. This is getting to be a big rivalry and I told the girls to come out of the locker room with their heads held high and be ready for tomorrow."

Sargent had eight points for Fort Madison while Dayonna Davis had five. Aija Jenkins and Halle Menke each had four points in the loss.

Atterberg led all scorers with 13 on the night.