Sweet 16: Kassing scores 30 on her birthday as Hornets gain measure of revenge with win over Saukees

MT. STERLING, Ill. — Brown County sophomore Kenzie Kassing could have gotten her driver’s license on Thursday, but she chose to wait until Friday.

She wanted as few distractions as possible from what awaited her Thursday night — a third crack at Pittsfield.

“I had to lock in for the game today,” Kassing said.

On her 16th birthday, Kassing dropped 30 points and led the Hornets to a 65-54 victory over the Saukees at The Nest.

“This is a big deal,” Kassing said. “One, I’m turning 16 so I can get my license, obviously, but this win against Pittsfield is a huge thing. We’ve been wanting to get this win all season.”

The Hornets avenged two tournament losses to the Saukees earlier this season — one in the Lady Hornet Classic championship game two months ago, and the other in the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic semifinals on Dec. 28.

Kassing’s jubilant reaction at the final buzzer and the wide smile she flashed said everything about what this victory and performance meant.

“It was one of the most exciting things,” Kassing said. “It was almost better than a regional championship win for us. Hopefully this year is the year, but it was really exciting.”

Brown County coach Dave Phelps could not help but smile either while watching Kassing enjoy herself so much.

“She was probably the happiest person, not just because it was her birthday, but because she really wanted this (win),” said Phelps, whose team is among those receiving votes in the Associated Press Class 1A state poll. “She was probably the most upset after we lost in our tournament championship game against them.”

Kassing tossed and turned Wednesday night thinking about the Hornets’ third showdown of the season with the Saukees, who are receiving votes in the Class 2A state poll.

“I was up so late last night like, ‘What are we going to do? We have to really get locked in for this game. Everyone’s got to be there emotionally,’” Kassing said.

The Hornets (18-7) were, jumping out to a 21-8 lead after the first quarter. Kassing committed a double dribble violation on Brown County’s first possession of the game, but the Hornets scored on their next five trips down the floor to open up a 10-2 lead and never trailed.

A little positive reinforcement from Hornets senior forward Ashlee Markert helped get Kassing past that double dribble.

“I was like, ‘Kenzie, it’s one time. We have like 50 more times. You’re OK,’” Markert said.

Kassing scored 12 points in the first quarter and had 15 in each half. She used her 6-foot frame to score several times on post-ups.

“My post work was a big thing,” Kassing said. “I noticed when I had a mismatch, and I was able to post them up and get a few layups.”

She also used her speed and quick first step to beat her defender off the dribble.

“Kenzie’s a unique matchup problem for teams because she can play both inside and outside,” Phelps said. “She’s got a litany of moves to score on you, and if you want to guard her outside, she can take you to the basket.”

After the Hornets’ lead swelled to as large as 42-20 in the third quarter, the Saukees chipped away and got as close as 60-51 with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to freshman guard Reese Ramsey catching fire — she had 20 points and went 7 of 12 from the field with five 3-pointers in the second half after going 3 of 12 from the field with seven points in the first half — but the Saukees (21-3) never got any closer.

“One thing about most of the girls on this team is their confidence never falters,” Saukees coach Noah Mendenhall said. “Not for one second do they think they’re out of it. That’s really cool, and that’s something that’s hard to coach, so I’m glad that they have that.

“Tonight isn’t a great showing of who we are as a basketball team and how our season has been going. It’s kind of like I said back when we took our first loss. One win, one loss doesn’t define you. You just have to stay hungry and stay driven.”

Markert had just five points, but her 17 rebounds and five blocks made life difficult for the Saukees offensively, especially in the first half.

“She was a rim protector tonight,” Phelps said. “She’s one of those unique players. She’s 6-1, but she’s the fastest girl on our team and just an incredible athlete. She played like that incredible athlete tonight and was a difference-maker.”

Sophomore Maggi Henry played one of her better games, scoring 10 points and grabbing five offensive rebounds.

“She’s starting to come out of her shell and blossom,” Phelps said. “She’s just a great, great kid, and I loved for her how well she played tonight to show people, ‘Hey, this is what I can do.’”

Lena Anderson also had 10 points for the Hornets off the bench. Combined with Kassing’s 30 points, Markert’s domination on the boards, Henry’s contributions, and a double digit victory, all of that came together to make an awfully sweet 16 for Kassing.

“Really, really sweet,” Kassing said.