Tishomingo coach Boyd Houser had every right to be concerned with Kansas’ inside presence. The Comets had two players taller than 6 feet who’ve helped them to the No. 1 ranking in Class 3A.
Friday night, their outside presence was even more noticeable — and carried them to the state championship game.
Kansas hit 6-of-8 3-point baskets in the first period and kept No. 5 Tishomingo in check all game long in a 61-46 semifinal victory at State Fair Arena. Kansas beat Millwood 66-57 for the championship Saturday night.
“We matched up a little better with Kansas than I thought we would,” Tish coach Boyd Houser said. “We handled (Brooke Panther 5-foot-9 post) on the boards, but we let (Kortni Kendrick, 6-1 forward) go on the outside.”
Kendrick, Kansas’ all-time leading scorer, made the Indians pay. She nailed three 3-point baskets and led all scorers with 19 points.
“When they were hitting threes, it was because we didn’t have anyone assigned to them,” Houser said.
Tish (25-3) came off its first state playoff victory in seven years, a 31-27 win over Prague on Thursday. Kansas beat Tish in the 2003 semifinals.
The Indians tried to pull off a comeback for the second straight night, but only got within eight points after trailing 22-8 early in the second period. Forward Lacey Dickerson led the Indians with 17 points, scoring 12 of them in the second half.
Tish found itself trailing 21-8 after Courtney Cowan nailed back-to-back 3-point baskets in transition. Hardly any of the Comets’ 3s in the opening quarter were contested as the Indians stayed in a tight zone, trying to keep the ball out of the post.
“I think they got lost in transition,” Kansas coach Steve Odle said. “I didn’t expect them to not contest our shots.”
Tish switched to a man-to-man defense in the second period and kept Kansas (26-1) without a field goal for more than 4 minutes, getting three steals and a block during the span. Guard Kayla Jo Wood knocked down a pair of 3s to pull the Indians within 24-19, but Kendrick scored two short-range baskets in the final 2 minutes to put Kansas up by nine. The Comets led 28-20 at halftime.
Tish had four 3s and struggled at the free throw line, hitting 6-for-15. Kansas was 17-for-20.
Kansas all but knocked out Tish with a trio of 3-point plays to start the second half and take a 37-22 lead. Kendrick had nine of her game-high 19 points in the period, as the Comets built a 49-28 advantage going into the final 8 minutes.
