Sanders sinks Kennedy in overtime

CEDAR RAPIDS - Molly Sanders will continue her basketball career at the U.S. Naval Academy. Saturday, in overtime, she sank Cedar Rapids Kennedy's proverbial battleship.

Sanders scored 14 of her game-high 26 points after regulation as Ames came from behind, then pulled away from the Cougars, 67-58, as part of Rivalry Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'She kicked our butt when she was a sophomore, and she got us again today,” said Kennedy Coach Tony Vis.

Ames (5-5) chipped away at a 14-point first-half deficit.

'Coach (Joel Sullivan) always says there's no such thing as a 12-point play,” Sanders said. 'In the past, we've tried to make the big play when we've been down. Instead, you need to get a stop, score and stop. Stop, score and stop.”

The Little Cyclones rallied to take the lead late in regulation, but Linden Runels' last-ditch drive got the Cougars (8-4) even at 52 and forced overtime.

And overtime belonged to Sanders.

'We had a lot of kids step up all game,” Sanders said. 'Kids like (Haley) Melby and (Amara) Lipsey, they decided we weren't going to lose.

'I felt I hadn't done everything I had to do in regulation. I needed to get back to this team.”

Sanders opened OT with a 3-pointer, then followed with conventional three-point play to put Ames in front, 58-52.

The rest of her damage came from the free throw line. She made eight straight foul shots to hold the Cougars at bay.

Kennedy was without junior standout Lela Sellers (family commitment), but played extremely well early. Freshman Hailey Dolphin scored seven points in a 12-0 run that gave the Cougars a 30-16 lead.

It was 32-20 at intermission.

'Are we getting better? Absolutely,” Vis said. 'All of our energy, all of everything was outstanding in the first half.”

But Ames chipped away, got within six points by the end of the third quarter, then surged ahead midway through the fourth.

Dolphin and Stephanie Botkin scored 14 points apiece for the Cougars. Botkin grabbed 12 rebounds.

Runels added 10 points.

AMES 67, CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY 58 (OT)

At U.S. Cellular Center

AMES (67): Ryan Weiss 1-5 4-4 7, Emily Frisk 3-4 0-0 7, Hannah Mumm 1-2 0-0 3, Haley Melby 2-2 4-5 10, Molly Sanders 6-17 11-14 26, Amara Lipsey 4-6 2-4 11, Natalie Grodnitzky 0-0 0-0 0, Kelly Friedrich 1-7 1-2 3, Adriana Alvarez 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-44 22-31 67.

CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY (58): Sydney Hayden 3-6 0-0 8, Abby Hellweg 1-6 2-3 4, Linden Runels 4-9 1-1 10, Stephanie Botkin 5-12 4-4 14, Katelynn Dye 2-2 0-0 4, Hailey Dolphin 6-11 1-2 14, Ashley Hamilton 2-7 0-0 4, Brinley Milbrath 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 8-10 58.

Halftime: Kennedy 32, Ames 20. End of regulation: 52-52. 3-point goals: Ames 9-31 (Weiss 1-5, Frisk 1-1, Mumm 1-1, Melby 3-13, Lipsey 1-3, Friedrich 0-6), Kennedy 4-16 (Hayden 2-4, Hellweg 0-3, Runels 1-3, Dolphin 1-2, Hamilton 0-4). Team fouls: Ames 15, Kennedy 22. Fouled out: Hellweg. Rebounds: Ames 30 (Lipsey 6), Kennedy 38 (Botkin 12). Assists: Ames 11 (Frisk 7), Kennedy 14 (Hayden 5). Steals: Ames 1 (Sanders), Kennedy 1 (Hellweg). Turnovers: Ames 8, Kennedy 7.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com