White, Lady Cardinals rally late, beat Lady Comets

For Miller coach Ryan White, there is always a little added motivation when the Comets come around. White, who was a part of Marionville’s class of 2014, has been very successful against his alma mater to the tune of zero losses. In fact, Miller has won the last 11 games against their next door neighbor dating back to January of 2015 for the last Marionville victory, and with an average margin of victory of 30 points.
It was Senior Night in Miller where the Lady Cardinals honored three seniors who have been one of the winningest classes in school history. Alexis Bailey, Kendall Neely and Kaylee Thom have been a part of 84 wins (and counting) and three quarterfinal appearances.
“Kendall (Neely), KT (Kaylee Thom), and (Alexis) Bailey do the things that go unnoticed. They have never been the stars and don’t get the clout but we wouldn’t be where we are without them. Without them, we wouldn’t win the district championship last year. I am just so proud of them for sticking it out because everyone else quit and they did a lot of waiting to get on the floor and now it’s their time to fill a role and they do it.” Coach Ryan White said of the seniors.
Against Marionville, Miller jumped out early thanks to a three ball from junior Loghann Leivan on the first possession of the game to set the tone. The major threat coming into the game for Marionville was star sophomore Lanie Stokes but the defense on her was superb and she was held to just two points as Miller led 10-6 after one quarter.
Miller really struggled hanging on to the ball in the second quarter as turnovers and uncharacteristic poor shooting allowed Marionville to take over the game. Two free throws from Layni Johnson and a basket from Leivan was all the offense for Miller. Turnovers led to 14 points for Marionville and the Lady Comets took a 20-14 lead going into the break.
Miller struck first in the third quarter with a bucket from Kendall Neely, however, the defense continued to be the story. The game would sit at 20-17 for about three minutes until Anna Bright hit a three to double the lead for the Comets. Marionville went on a run to close the third quarter but a Leivan bucket in the final moments of the period cut the deficit to 31-25.
The defense of Miller stepped up early in the fourth quarter but Miller still found themselves down six at the five minute mark. Junior Ashlynn Helton decided to change that as a three from the wing cut the deficit to just three. After a free throw from Stokes, Helton struck again to cut the deficit to just 34-33. Miller took their first lead since the first quarter a minute later when Leivan found fellow junior Rachel Nunez for an and-one with 3:15 left. The teams traded baskets but Miller got the big shot to fall from freshman Layni Johnson as a three with just over a minute left extended the lead to 41-37. Nunez ultimately put a nail in the coffin on the Lady Comets and secured the comeback with a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left, as Miller finished the comeback for the 44-40 victory. 
Miller was led by Leivan with 16 points, followed by Rachel Nunez with 12, and Ashlynn Helton with 11. Layni Johnson added five and Kendall Neely had two.
The Lady Cardinals improve to 16-7 as they conclude the regular season and they await the winner of Jasper and Greenwood when they open district play Thursday at 6 p.m. in Ash Grove.