Douglas County Sweeps Region Rival Kell

took two important regional basketball games at home against Kell High on Tuesday night. The Lady Tigers kept their perfect season alive with a 75-46 win, and the boys held on 86-78.

The Lady Tigers, ranked third in the state in AAAA, improved to 15-0 overall and 5-0 in Region 5-AAAA. Senior guard Monique Wells paced Douglas County with 20 points, and Christin Mercer chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Douglas County's early pressure set the tone and led to a double-digit lead midway through the second quarter.

Kell kept the game from being a blowout early by connecting on long jumpers, including three 3-pointers by junior Arnetha Marks (16 points) in the third quarter.

But Wells scored 13 of her game-high 20 in the second half for Douglas County. She also set game's pace by continually beating the Lady Longhorn press and spreading the ball around to her teammates.

Late defensive pressure by the Lady Tigers and Wells’ outside shooting allowed Coach Chet Forsch to rest his starters for the final few minutes.

“I have to put it on the line and get their attention sometimes, but I’d do that no matter what our record is, 0-15 or 15-0,” Forsch said about keeping his team focused.

Boys: Douglas County 86, Kell 78

The Douglas County boys fought off a late Kell surge to raise their overall record to 11-4 (4-1 in the region). Junior Vantrail Commings led the Tigers with 21 points, and Jaumonee Byrd controlled the lane with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Kell’s freshman duo of Jonathon Twine and Grant Bryant led the Longhorns with 20 and 21 points, respectively.

In a fast-paced game, both teams came out pushing the ball on offense and attacking the rim.

Kell senior point guard Nick Baumann largely handled the Tigers' early pressure, but aggressive play by Douglas County junior Richard Kelley (19 points, 11 rebounds) kept the Tigers in front. Two late 3-pointers by junior Matt Magee helped Douglas County cling to a one-point halftime lead, 39-38.

After a slow start in the third quarter, the Tigers extended their lead to 55-53 heading into the final quarter. Douglas County came out in the fourth quarter with a man-to-man press that led to several fast-break points. Kelly scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth, many of them from the free-throw line.

Kell’s Twine hit two 3-pointers, but the Tigers held on for the eight-point win, 86-78. When asked about his team’s up and down performance, Head Coach Joby Boydstone said,

“If we can get everybody on the same page at the same time, we are going to make some noise," Coach Joby Boydstone said. "Right now we’re doing the things to scrap out W’s.”

Douglas County’s next games are scheduled for Friday at Hiram High.