Round 1: Italy vs. Kerens:

Corsicana — Participating in the 2010 Kiwanis Classic at the Navarro College campus, the Italy Lady Gladiators met the Kerens Lady Cats in round one.

A rematch of last years Kiwanis Classic Lady’s Championship game, Kerens came prepared to defend their tournament championship title while Italy was hoping to outpoint Kerens for the second time this season.

Kerens led 13-11 after the first quarter but then distanced themselves in the second and took a commanding 32-15 lead into intermission. The Lady Gladiators struggled to find any rhythm offensively while the Lady Cats’ scoring machine purred like a kitten.

Kerens continued to lead 45-24 after three quarters of play. Despite three 3-pointers from Italy’s Megan Richards, in the final two quarters, Kerens outscored Italy 31-21 in the second half to achieve a huge first round win, 63-36 over the Lady Gladiators.

Lady Gladiators’ scoring:
Megan Richards 13, Jimesha Reed 10, Kaitlyn Rossa 7, Shelbi Gilley 2, Chante Birdsong 2, Bailey Bumpus 2

Kerens’ High Scorers:
Nicole Kelm 15, Michell Jordan 13

Round 2: Italy vs. Rice – Semifinal:

The Lady Gladiators only led by 2-points at the end of the first quarter, 10-8. However, Italy picked up the pace in the second quarter and took a 23-12 lead into halftime. The Lady Gladiators extended their advantage in the third quarter and led 35-19 going into the fourth.

Kaitlyn Rossa led the Lady Gladiators’ scoring effort with 20-points along with 13-points from Jimesha Reed. Italy got the much needed victory by defeating the Lady Bulldogs 53-24. The lopsided win reserved a spot for head coach Stacy McDonald and her Italy Lady Gladiators’ squad in the tournament’s consolation championship game against Mildred.

Lady Gladiators’ scoring:
Kaitlyn Rossa 20, Jimesha Reed 13, Kyonne Birdsong 8, Jameka Copeland 6, Chante Birdsong 4, Megan Richards 2

Rice’s high scorer:
Kyra Hatley 9

Round 3: Italy vs. Kerens – Consolation Championship:

Italy’s Lady Gladiators (9-6) led 13-6 after the first quarter and then 29-22 at halftime but Mildred exploded out of the locker room going on a 9-0 run and eventually led 38-32 heading into the final quarter.

After knocking down her second 3-pointer of the fourth quarter, Megan Richards gave the Lady Gladiators a 45-43 advantage with less than a minute remaining.

However, with Italy trailing 47-45 in the games final seconds, a desperation 3-pointer by Richards dropped short of the rim and the Mildred Lady Eagles celebrated their Kiwanis Classic Consolation Championship win over Italy.

Lady Gladiators’ scoring:
Kaitlyn Rossa 18, Jameka Copeland 8, Megan Richards 6, Bailey Bumpus 5, Kyonne Birdsong 2, Jimesha Reed 6

Rossa averaged 15-points per outing over the course of three tournament games.

Mildred’s High Scorer:
Hanna Muncy 12

The Kerens Lady Cats won their 9th consecutive Kiwanis Classic Tournament Championship after a 55-28 win over the Hubbard Lady Jaguars.