Lady Knights capture third at GVVC conference tournament

NEVC senior Becky Jennings waits for a play to unfold during the Lady Knights 42-32 third-place victory over Ballard. (Photo by Matthew Resnick/Daily Mail)

The Northeast Vernon County Lady Knights topped Ballard 42-30 in the Golden Valley Vernon County Conference third-place game, Friday night in Sheldon.

The fifth-seeded Lady Knights opened the tournament Monday evening with a 40-32 defeat of fourth-seeded Miami. The Lady Knights followed up Wednesday night with a hard-fought battle against No. 1 seed Bronaugh, falling 52-42.

Against Ballard, NEVC led 7-5 after one quarter of play. Led by senior Becky Jennings 10 second quarter points, NEVC jumped on top 19-10 at the half. The Lady Knights took added momentum into the locker room, as Jennings sunk a half-court shot at the buzzer.

The Lady Knights outscored Ballard 9-5 in the third quarter, to take a 28-15 lead heading in the fourth. In the fourth quarter, Lady Knights freshman Makinsey Conner dropped in seven points as NEVC was able to finish off Ballard. Jennings finished with a game-high 23 points, followed by Conner with nine.

"We came out playing good defensively and handled their post presence well," NEVC head coach Joel McDuffey said. "We've made a lot of progress since day one. We're a young team, and the girls have done a fantastic job with taking what I've given them and running with it."