EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
Kylie Rhine couldn’t miss. Well, almost.
Rhine connected on seven of eight three-point shots to dominate from the outside, and Maliyah Mullens owned the lane in the second half to help the Lady Redskins earn a 65-51 win Friday over the Pratt Lady Greenbacks.
Rhine helped the Lady Saints jump out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter by knocking down three threes including a long-range bomb at the end of the quarter. Shamari Lewis scored eight in the first period to go along with a Madysen Hammond basket and a Rubi Alvarez three, and the Lady Redskins jumped out to a 22-12 lead.
The Lady Redskins struggled to score in the second quarter, but the Lady Red defense kept the pressure on the Lady Greenbacks as well which kept Pratt from being able to cut into the Liberal lead.
Maliyah Mullens hit an inside basket to go along with a Lewis drive to the basket, and Rhine dropped two more threes to give the Lady Redskins a 32-21 halftime lead.
Rhine didn’t score in the third quarter, and Lewis only landed a pair of baskets to go along with another Alvarez three. But Mullens dominated in the third quarter, including a breakaway basket after forcing a steal. Mullens scored 13 points in the period while the Lady Greenbacks were shut down by the Lady Red defense. Pratt only managed two baskets and a free throw in the third, and the Lady Redskins had a 52-26 lead.
Despite the Lady Redskins flirting with a 30-point lead to enact the running clock, Pratt was able to keep the lead less than 30 and used five different players to score in the final quarter to cut into the Liberal lead.
Pratt racked up 25 points in the final quarter while Liberal coach Brandi Fowler experimented with different line-ups on the floor. Rhine capped her 22-point night by adding two more threes and a free throw in the fourth to go along with a basket and a free throw from Lewis and three free throws from Mullens, and the Lady Redskins moved to 10-2 on the season with a 65-51 win.
The Lady Redskins are currently second in the Class 6A West Division behind 15-0 Wichita Heights.
“We didn’t put four quarters together, but we found a way to win, so we will definitely take it,” Fowler said.
Liberal was playing after missing three games in Tonganoxie because of the inclement weather.
“We were excited to play a game,” Fowler said. “We love practices — I do probably a little more than the girls. It was a long time without a game. To come out the way we did and find a way to win, we are proud of that.”
And Rhine’s seven threes paved the way.
“I had no idea how many she had,” Fowler said. “The one she hit at the end of the quarter, she was feeling it.”
Rhine scored 22, Mullens had 18, and Lewis scored 17.
Liberal travels to Hooker, Okla., tonight and hosts Great Bend for a Western Athletic Conference game Friday.
