Moniteau forward’s double-double lifts Warrior girls
CHERRY TWP — Moniteau forward Kendall Sankey admits her initial thoughts were not encouraging when she learned that teammate Davina Pry was lost for the year with a knee injury in the preseason.
“I thought it sucked because that left me as the only player underneath,” she said. “I knew it was going to be a lot tougher without Davina.”
A 5-foot-10 senior forward, Pry would have been counted on for rebounds and points inside. Her absence will make this season more challenging for the Warriors, but efforts like the one Sankey turned in Wednesday will help soften the blow.
The latter scored 15 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as the Warriors edged visiting Clarion, 42-39.
Last season, Sankey averaged seven points per game.
“I think she waited on others around her to score,” said Moniteau coach Dee Arblaster. “But now she realizes she’s being counted on for more and she’s stepping up.”
Sankey said work she put in during the offseason improved her confidence and it was evident against the Bobcats (2-3). Her basket with 2:18 left in the game gave the Warriors a 37-35 lead.
Less than a minute later, she rebounded a missed free throw from teammate Catherine Kelly and bucketed another two points for a 40-37 edge.
Sankey averaged nearly 10 boards per game last season. It appears as though she is ready to offer more points consistently.
“It’s nice to know I can get a big defensive rebound at one end, then score at the other,” she said.
Moniteau (4-1) also received 20 points from Kelly, but Clarion kept the outcome in doubt until its final possession (a missed desperation 3-pointer) in large part to 21 points from senior Taylor Alston. She scored 10 of her team’s 12 points in the fourth quarter. Her basket with 4:40 remaining gave the Bobcats a brief 33-31 lead.
Moments later, Natalie Durish gave Clarion its final lead at 35-33.
“We knew coming in that it was going to be a physical game and not every call was going to go our way,” said Clarion coach Sam Heeter. “I’m very proud of our girls for the way they battled.”
“It was ugly,” Arblaster said of the victory. “The biggest things we are missing with Davina out are her height and it really hurts our depth.
“But we persevered tonight. Kendall had some huge rebounds and we came up with some defensive stops at the end.”
The Warriors host North Clarion on Friday.
CLARION 39
Taylor Alston 10 0-5 21, Gia Babington 1 0-0 2, Sophie Babington 4 0-0 8, Natalie Durish 1 0-0 2, Marley Kline 2 2-2 6. Totals: 18 2-7 39.
MONITEAU 42
Catherine Kelly 8 3-7 20, Allie Pry 0 2-2 2, Kendall Sankey 6 3-6 15, Sophia Fleeger 1 2-4 5, Cheyenne Curl 0 0-0 0, Abbey Jewart 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 10-19 42.
Clarion 8 9 10 12 — 39
Moniteau 9 15 7 11 — 42
3-point goals: Clarion 1 (Alston); Moniteau 2 (Kelly, Fleeger).
Friday: North Clarion at Moniteau
