Chaffee GBB handles Sikeston 48-40 in Red Devil Invitational semis

CHAFFEE — It's easy to see why Chaffee girls’ basketball has some lofty aspirations this season, even if the Lady Devils are just beginning to work out the kinks.

Power forward Kiersten Arnold had 16 points, sophomore Carlyanne Cossou dropped nine and Chaffee beat Sikeston 48-40 in the Red Devil Invitational semifinals on Monday night.

“I think we came out with great intensity,” Arnold said. “We played our game like we can and really just had the energy and the shots falling for us.”

Leading 23-21 at halftime, Chaffee sophomore Bailey Robertson’s corner 3 lifted the Lady Devils to a six-point lead with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. Sikeston kept within striking distance, though, as junior Landri Hammontree, who was on fire in the second half after logging eight points in the third quarter, drained back-to-back 3s before the frame came to a close.

With 3:40 remaining in regulation, Chaffee (3-0) began to pull away when Arnold hit a crisp second chance layup to make it 43-35, giving the Lady Devils their biggest lead of the game. Sikeston (2-3) tried to mount a late comeback behind a handful of Hammontree free throws, but a wide-open Chaffee sophomore Jordynn Brown banked home a layup with 50 seconds remaining to make it a nine-point game, as “start the buses” chants echoed from the Red Devil student section.

Hammontree anchored the Lady Bulldogs’ offense with a game-high 21 points. Junior Marlie Crook also reached double figures with 12 on the night.

“I was ecstatic,” Arnold said. “I'm very proud of our performance. We walked in the locker room after the game and the energy was there.”

Led by Arnold and Cossou, the Lady Devils return a handful of pieces from last season’s team that won 16 games. Even more good news: they have reliable production to compliment their star sophomores.

Bailey Robertson dropped eight points Monday, including a pair of 3s, while freshman Jersie Lynn and sophomore Malinah Robertson also proved to be a factor with six and five, respectively — rounding out a seven-player rotation that gave the Lady Bulldogs fits all night in the paint.

“Control the things you can control, and effort is one that you have control over every single night,” first-year head coach Kennan Elfrink said. “Sure you may not be able to control what the referee calls or whether a shot falls, but you can control how hard you play and what kind of effort you give. Obviously it’s only my third game and first year here, but these kids play hard, and so that's easy for a coach to coach when you got kids that play like that.”

While Chaffee lacked quality experience last season by having just one senior on the team (Kaylynn Tuttleton), Eflrink said the overall chemistry and player leadership has impressed him so far.

“They lead by their effort,” he said. “I demand a lot and they bring it every day to practice, and they're learning. I told them in the locker room, ‘it takes all 11 of you on this team to be successful.’”

Arnold said that the undefeated start has been sweet, but knows that the road will get tougher pretty quickly on Thursday night against Class 1 powerhouse Delta.

“We’re going back to the gym tomorrow to get better,” she said. “We worked on Sikeston for two days and now we're going to go focus on Delta and see what they do and prepare for them.”

Elfrink believes it’s a perfect opportunity for his team to embrace the moment and showcase their big potential.

“I know Delta’s got a great tradition and Coach (David) Heeb does a great job over there,” he said. “It’ll be a good atmosphere for them. It’s a process. We got this one tonight, but hopefully we’ll come back on Thursday and give this type of effort again and come out with a win.”

Chaffee will face the Ladycats in the Red Devil Invitational Championship on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at Chaffee High School.