Kynah Steele Has Career Night as Tiger Girls Win Second

Kynah Steele had a career night with 25 points and Worth County got its second win of the year, a 57-29 win over South Holt Thursday.

The game looked like it might be a desperation game as both teams came into the game hungry for a win as the Tigers came in with one win and the Knights were winless. But the Tigers took control early with a putback from Kynah Steele and two from Kristen Tracy to go up 6-0. 

Steele picked up her second foul, but the Tigers continued to pull away in the first quarter as Tracy knocked one down in the high post and Rylee Ruckman scored five straight before Abby Sipes put the Knights on the board to make it 13-2 after one.

Kynah came back to start the second quarter and immediately started getting to the rim at will and drawing fouls, scoring eight straight for the Tigers and going six for six from the line during that stretch as the lead grew to 21-6. Riley Ridge hit two free throws, Ruckman hit her second 3-pointer, and then Kynah Steele and Kristen Tracy connected late to give the Tigers a 30-6 halftime lead.

South Holt kept fighting in the third quarter as Lexi VanHoutan got the hot hand for the Knights and hit two 3-pointers and scored a three and Olivia Prussman hit two outside shots. But Kynah Steele had the hot hand for Worth County in the third quarter, starting with a backdoor look and a dish to Rylee Ruckman. Riley Ridge added a backdoor layup, and Bridgette Hightshoe, back from a knee injury, hit a 3-pointer at the end of the period to make it 46-18 after three. 

Kambree Briner scored four straight to start the fourth quarter and make it 50-18, but then South Holt went on an 11-0 run as Sipes scored four, Chloe DeBee got four, and VanHoutan got her third triple of the half. That made it 50-29 at the 2:44 mark. Worth County put Steele back in, and she scored four straight and Bridgette Hightshoe added her second 3-pointer as the Tigers answered with a 7-0 run of their own.

Kynah Steele had 25 points. Rylee Ruckman had 10, Kristen Tracy 8, Bridgette Hightshoe had a career high with 6, and Riley Ridge and Kambree Briner had 4 each.

The rebounding woes that have beset the Tigers for much of the year went away for one night as they collected 39 rebounds for the night while only giving up 9 offensive boards to the Knights. Kynah Steele had 11 to complete a double double, while Kristen Tracy also had 11. Riley Ridge had 6, Rayleigh Smith and Rylee Ruckman 4, and Bridgette Hightshoe, Keira Hardy, and Kambree Briner had 1. 

Kristen Tracy had 5 assists. Kambree Briner had 4, and Kynah Steele, Keira Hardy, and Rylee Ruckman all had 3 each. 

Kambree Briner had 5 tips, as did Kynah Steele. Keira Hardy had 4, Rayleigh Smith 2, and Rylee Ruckman and Riley Ridge had 1.

Kambree Briner and Riley Ridge had 3 steals each. Kynah Steele and Kristen Tracy had 2, and Rayleigh Smith had 1.