Kirby routs Sacred Heart in opener

NASHVILLE—Kirby’s defense forced Sacred Heart into nine of its 25 turnovers in the first eight minutes to grab a 63-28 victory Friday in the first round of the Class 1A girls basketball state tournament.

Kirby (36-2) will play in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Sunday against the winner of Friday’s late contest between Jasper and Viola.

As the Lady Trojans’ defense forced the Lady Rebels (21-18) into a steady stream of turnovers, senior Megan Stinson was cashing in offensively.

Stinson scored on a fast break for an early 4-0 lead, then added six more points as Kirby extended to a 20-8 lead after the first quarter.

“It’s the first game, so you never really know what to expect, especially after being postponed for two days,” Kirby Coach Robert Tucker said.

“Our kids really came out ready to play. Our intense pressure had a lot to do with them struggling offensively. I think our getting into transition really made them play faster than they wanted to.”

Sacred Heart had only two second-quarter turnovers, but the Lady Rebels still struggled to score.

Sacred Heart’s Taylor Usery drilled a three-pointer and Madeline Beck made a free throw to cut the deficit to 20-12, but Kirby re-established itself behind four Lauren Ray points and six more by Stinson for a 30-12 advantage.

The 30-14 halftime lead moved to 44-16 as Stinson scored eight of her gamehigh 22 points, and the teams cleared their benches during a running clock in the final period.

“We didn’t really shoot the ball well today, so when you don’t shoot it good you’ve got to find other things that you do good to compensate for it,” Tucker said.

“We did a good job of that. Getting some inside play helped, but getting out in transition really made a big difference.”

Ray aided Stinson offensively with 10 points and 7 rebounds. Usery led Sacred Heart with 8 points.