Kell Swept by Douglas County

dropped two region basketball games Tuesday at Douglas County High School. The Lady Longhorns fell to the third-ranked Lady Tigers 75-46. The Kell boys team lost a heart breaker to Douglas County 86-78.

The Kell girls made a valiant effort but eventually fell to the region’s top team, dropping the Lady Longhorns’ record to 9-6 (3-2 in region). Junior Arnetha Marks led Kell with 16 points and senior Caitlane Fricia chipped in with eight.

The Lady Longhorns fell behind early when the Douglas County pressure caused Kell to turn the ball over. Kell kept the game from being a blowout early by connecting on long-range jumpers including three, three-pointers by Marks.

However, Douglas County’s senior guard Monique Wells scored 13 of her game-high 20 in the second half. Kell made their run in the third quarter matching the Douglas County output 22-22, however they could not match the late pressure and outside scoring of Wells and the inside dominance of Christin Mercer, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

“We played a really good team but I’m proud of our girls," said Kell head coach Craig Hines when asked about his teams 75-46 loss. "We played hard and played aggressively.”

The Kell boys team lost a hard-fought game against the Tigers, dropping their record to 7-8 (2-3 in region). The freshman duo of Grant Bryant and Jonathon Twine led the Longhorns with 21 and 20 points respectively. Senior Jordan Bagwell added 15 points and seven rebounds.

In a fast-paced game, both teams came out pushing the ball on offense and attacking the rim. Douglas County’s early pressure was countered in large part by the ball handling of senior point guard Nick Baumann, who scored 11 points. Along with a strong second quarter by Bagwell -- scoring nine of his 15 points -- the Longhorns kept pace with the offense of Douglas County and only trailed by one at halftime, 39-38.

In the second half the Longhorns’ advantage in the lane switched from Bagwell to the Bryant. As Kell continually beat the Douglas County press causing the defense to adjust, Bryant found himself open for layups and he did not miss the opportunity, scoring 10 of his 21 in the third quarter. Kell’s offense began to tire against the constant pressure of Douglas County’s full court pressure and despite two late three-pointers by Twine, the Longhorns lost by eight points, 86-78.

Even though the Longhorns dropped under .500 in region, the future of the team is bright, considering the play of the fabulous freshmen Twine and Bryant.

Kell’s next games are scheduled for Friday, Jan. 21 at home against Chapel Hill High School.