CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage jumped out to a double-digit lead early before blanking Lamar on the scoreboard in the third quarter on the way to a 59-29 win in the opening round of the Lady Tigers Basketball Invitational on Wednesday.
Sophomore guard Kianna Yates was the driving force for Carthage, finishing with a career-high 28 points to lead all scorers in the contest.
“Kianna had the shots falling tonight, which was great,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “A lot of us weren’t hitting shots tonight, so it was key for her to do that. We like having the ball in her hands. We ran a lot of ball-screen activity tonight to get her open, and if they were doubling off her or trying to switch, she did a good job of hitting the roller. … She makes so many good decisions as a sophomore point guard.”
Carthage, playing with just seven players, set the tone early in the win after jumping out to a 12-2 lead in the onset of the contest. Yates, Hailey Fullerton and Katie Crowe, who knocked down a 3-pointer in the run, all contributed to the early lead offensively.
“For us, we want to start fast,” Moore said. “We are going to get out and 55 press everybody, which is generated by our offense. We have to make baskets to get into our press, which frazzles teams. That’s how we want to play, so it was really important for us to jump out to that start.”
Lamar trimmed the lead to 17-12 by the end of the first quarter before adding a free throw early in the second to get as close as four. Then, Yates and the Tigers used a 7-0 run to get back to a double-digit lead. Yates, who scored seven total in the second, accounted for five of the points in the run and had the assist on Crowe’s fast-break layup. Carthage went into the intermission with a 26-19 advantage.
The Tigers put the game away in the third quarter, holding Lamar scoreless while putting up 23 points as a team to build a 49-19 lead, forcing a running clock in the fourth quarter.
“Lamar took advantage of our mistakes (early in the game),” Moore said. “We gave them open looks that we should normally shut down a little bit more, and I think you saw that in the second and third quarter.”
Yates scored 10 of the 23 points and Fullerton contributed seven points, including a 3-pointer.
“I equate her, when I think of NBA players, she is a Chris Paul to me,” Moore said of Yates. “I want the ball in her hand all the time. She makes lots of good decisions, but it also frees up the rest of our players to do what they do. … She is a really good player for us growing into a great player.”
Carthage finished with three players in double figures. Aside from Yates’ 28, Fullerton finished with 11 and Crowe with 10.
Lamar was led in scoring by Sierra White, who had nine, and Josey Adams, who had eight.
Carthage takes on Kickapoo at 7:30 on Thursday.
