By Angelique McNaughton
In both of the Shawnee Mission North girls basketball team’s first two games, victory appeared well within the Indians’ grasp.
On Thursday, the Indians (0-2) were tied with SM South at halftime before falling, 53-43. And on Monday, SM North outscored SM Northwest 22-5 in the second quarter to take a 31- 24 halftime lead only to lose, 64-52.
On Thursday, junior Darian Dozier led the Indians with 11 points, senior India Johnson and junior Whitney Harvey had seven points apiece and senior Adriana Cruz added six points.
Harvey put up 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Cougars on Monday in SM North’s home opener, including six points in both the second and fourth quarters. But SM Northwest held the Indians to just 10 fourth-quarter points to seal a second straight disappointing second half for SM North.
“We didn’t hold our composure very well,” SM North coach Kelly Dennis said after Thursday’s game. “We got four seniors out there and when you’re playing four seniors they need to hold their composure. I think they played hard, though, and I was pleased with their effort. I thought they battled the whole game.”
On Thursday, SM South ignited a 10-0 run early on and held the Indians to just six points in the first quarter. The Cougars, meanwhile, jumped out to a 19-9 lead after the first quarter on Monday before the Indians stormed back behind hitting 6 of 8 from the foul line and two 3-pointers from senior Courtney Hughes. The Indians hit four 3-pointers on Monday and have so far not been shy shooting from long range this season. It was freshman Briana Farr’s 3-pointer that tied Thursday’s game, 25-25, with less than a minute left in the first half.
“We owned that (second) quarter and I expected to do that the whole second half,” Dennis said. “But we didn’t pick up where we left off.”
Dennis’ words could have applied to each of the Indians’ first two games. In each game’s second half, the Indians’ momentum quickly evaporated. The Raiders outscored SM North 10-8 in the third quarter and 16-8 in the fourth quarter. The Raiders also out rebounded the Indians, 44-38. On Monday, SM Northwest outscored the Indians 23-9 in the third quarter and 17-12 in the fourth quarter, although not without a fight from Harvey. Also on Monday, both Johnson and Farr scored 10 points, and Hughes added eight points — including two 3-pointers. The Indians will next host SM West at 7 p.m. Friday.
— Stephen Montemayor contributed to this story
Angelique McNaughton 