Golden Valley hoops tournaments underway

Matt Resnick/Daily Mail/ Northeast Vernon County Knights power forward Blane Jones (35), passes to a teammate after spinning out of a triple team Monday night applied by the host Bronaugh Wildcats. On the play, Bronaugh's J.R. Stratford (0) nearly gets his hand on the ball, while teammate Carston Gray (15) looks on. Also pictured: Kyle hendrix (14) and Kyle Harrell (21).

Nevada Daily Mail

The Golden Valley Vernon County Conference junior high boys and girls basketball tournaments are off to fast starts at Bronaugh High School.

Opening the tournament Monday evening, the Northeast Vernon County Lady Knights came away with a decisive 29-15 victory over the Sheldon Panthers.

Matt Resnick/Daily Mail/ Sheldon's Mahalia Swink in transition, Monday.

Sheldon trailed by only four points at halftime, due in large part to their ability to contain NEVC's top scoring option, eighth- grader MaKinsey Conner, holding her to just 1 point.

The second half was a different story, as Conner displayed her versatility scoring from the inside and out, while also overpowering Sheldon on the defensive glass.

During the game, Conner played both power forward and point guard.

Matt Resnick/Daily Mail/ NEVC's MaKinsey Conner brings the ball up court.

"She's a very smooth ball player," Knights head coach Brian Pommier said. "She can bring the ball down. She can run the offense. She can run the fast break, dribble and score. She really is a complete player."

The Panthers closed to within a point early in the fourth quarter when seventh-grader Madyson Bogart's offensive rebound and put back made the score 14-13.

Knights point guard Hannah Rogers aggressive baseline drive earned her a trip to the foul line, where she made 1-of-2 free throws. A steal leading to a fast break layup by Conner put NEVC up 17-13 with 4:35 remaining in the game.

Panthers point guard Mahalia Swink drained a 12-foot jumper from just beyond the free throw line, slicing the lead to 17-15 with 3:15 on the clock.

Finishing with a flurry, the Knights ended the game on a 12-0 blitz. The run was started after a short bank shot by Kelly Dade put the Knights on top 19-15. Both Dade and Conner added to their point totals before the final horn sounded.

When Conner played off the ball, Rogers was the primary ball-handler. Pommier said he was pleased with Rogers attacking style, which put pressure on the Panthers defense.

"Hannah is a very, very aggressive girl," Pommier said. "Sometimes we have to pull her back a little bit. We only have five girls, and she can sometimes find herself in foul trouble. She did a pretty good job tonight of moving her feet and going to the basket under control."

Pommier said he has been impressed with the overall play of his team this season.

"These five girls have really grown up a lot over the summer," he said. "And have really played well."

Boys game

In the second game of the night, the NEVC boys cruised to a 42-25 first round win over the Bronaugh Wildcats.

Bronaugh was unable to slow NEVC power forward Blane Jones, who did major damage offensively on the low block. The Knights held a commanding 29-10 halftime lead.

"We've got a lot of scoring options," Pommier, who also coaches the boys, said. "And Blane is far and away the No. 1 option. He's a big strong kid. And he has so many different ways he can score. He's hard to stop."

Although it wasn't enough, Bronaugh put forth a nice effort in the second half, outscoring NEVC 10-5 in the third quarter and 15-13 for the half.