NASHVILLE — The tale of two halves had a happy ending for the Collinsville Kahoks on Tuesday at the Nashville Girls Thanksgiving Tournament.
Senior Katie McCarthy scored four of her 14 points in the final minute of overtime to provide the difference as the Kahoks opened the season with a 51-48 win over Massac County.
"First game of the year and we go overtime. I can't take much more of this,'' a relieved Kahoks coach Lori Billy said. "It really was a tale of two halves tonight.
"I'm pleased at how we played in overtime. I thought we showed patience and we had some kids step up and make big plays. That (Massac County) was a good team we beat tonight.''
Sophomore guard Aubreeney Brady also added 14 points for the Kahoks while 5-10 sophomore Samanatha Buettner scored 13 points.
Buettner scored eight of her points in the second quarter to help Collinsville get back into the game.
Massac County, getting eight first half points from Lauren Bunting, led by as many as 11 points early in the second quarter.
But Collinsville, led by Buettner, cut its deficit to 20-19 at halftime.
Collinsville had to feel good about still being in the game after two quarters. Expected to be a big part of the Kahoks offense and defense all season, 6-foot senior Karla Halde picked up two quick fouls and wasn't much of a factor.
"What did we score? Three points in the first quarter? It didn't help any with Karla picking up two quick fouls,'' Billy said. "Then when she went back in I think she was afraid to pick up that third foul.
"Fortunately, we had some other kids come in and play well.''
Massac County retook control in the second half as it went out to a 36-25 lead.
Again, Collinsville rallied and showed their mettle.
Getting three steals and eight points from Brady and a huge offensive putback from McCarthy, the Kahoks tied the game at 39.
The Lady Patriots led 48-47 with under a minute remaining in overtime when Brady, again showing her quickness, stepped in the passing lane near midcourt and stole the ,
Brady missed the layup, but McCarthy got the rebound and gave the Kahoks the lead for good with 48 seconds remaining.
Jessie Douglas led the Lady Patriots with 13 points.
Nashville 60, Triad 11
Expected to be one of the top Class 2A teams in the state, the Hornettes didn't disappoint as they rolled past the overmatched Knights in their season opener.
Getting six points from junior Shawn Rennegarbe and four from senior Erica Brown, Nashville led 17-8 after one quarter.
But the story of the night was the Hornettes defense. Nashville held Triad without a point for over 12 minutes as it turned a 17-8 lead after one period into a blowout.
Triad (0-2) managed just three points in the final three quarters.
"You can't win without playing good defense and I thought we did a good job tonight," Nashville coach Wayne Harre said. "This was a good opener for us. We played well and we got some of the kids who normally don't get a lot of playing time a chance to play and get the experience of being out here in front of the crowd.
Sophomore Jordi Harre led the Nashville attack with 13 points, while Rennegarbe and Brown added 11 points each.
Harre, the coaches' daughter, also did a solid job of running the Hornettes offense from the point guard spot.
"Jordi did a good job. We've still got some things to work on, but I was pleased,'' Wayne Harre said. "I thought she did a good job of getting the ball to the open players and then they finished well. It was a good effort."
Contact reporter Dean Criddle at 239-2661 or dcriddle@bnd.com
