Lady Indians fight but fall in battle with S-V-W

DU QUOIN -- Although the Lady Indians kept it close the entire game, Sesser-Valier-Waltonville never trailed in a 43-36 win over Du Quoin in a non-conference girls basketball battle Monday night.
Du Quoin's record dipped to 7-15 after giving the Lady Red Devils (18-4) all they could handle.
The game was tied at 8-8 late in the first quarter after a basket from Du Quoin freshman Lauren Heape, but S-V-W's Sami McCowen hit a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left and the Lady Red Devils led the rest of the way.
Du Quoin looked like it might pull in front after Katie Smith scored and it was followed by a shot from Bailey Harsy from an Elizabeth Bird assist to make it 13-12.
S-V-W answered with a 6-0 run before Bird hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key. McCowen hit two more treys before Heape drilled a triple with 12 ticks before halftime and cut the margin to 25-20 at the break.
Reagan Basso's 3-pointer gave S-V-W a 31-25 lead in the third quarter, but Bird scored to make it a four-point game going into the fourth.
Du Quoin looked like it had an opening after S-V-W junior center Carlie Page fouled out with 4:40 remaining. Smith made two free throws as a result and it was 36-31, but the Lady Indians couldn't get closer than a five-point spread.
It was 38-33 after Bird scored the last of her team-high 11 points with 51.6 seconds left and Du Quoin forced a five-second turnover, but then threw away the inbounds pass.
The Lady Red Devils iced it by going 6 of 8 from the line in the final minute.
Heape finished with eight points and both Smith and Harsy had five. Chloe Hill had three and both Ayanna Dunklin and Delaynie Dearmond had two.
Du Quoin seniors Morgan Bullar and Olivia Whitley did not play and senior point guard Meryn Gross played sparingly.
McCowen led all scorers with 13 points. Page had 10, all in the first half. Ella Zahm and Rylee Breeze both had seven and Micah Reynolds had five.
The Lady Indians hosted PInckneyville on Tuesday after the paper's print deadline and will travel to Sparta on Thursday.