The Bulldogs rallied to a 5-point deficit in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Class 5 District 8 championship round. Jayden Barnes scored 19 points and 14 more from JoJo Kutch weren’t enough to close the gap in the 50-45 loss to the Smithville Warriors.

Macy Hughes led the defense with 5 steals while Gracie Bomar and Jadyn Barnes each had 3 rebounds in a solid effort against the Warriors. Missed 3-point opportunities put Kearney 8 points behind with the score 23-15 at the half.

Macy Hughes scored on a late fourth quarter steal, cutting the Smithville lead to 5 points but the Bulldogs couldn’t overcome the Smithville offense.

*JoJo Kutch shoots from underneath, adding to her 14-point effort against Smithville*

Kenzi Kutch was 2 of 3 on 3-point attempts and JoJo Kutch was 2 of 8.

The Bulldogs finished the season with a 12-15 overall record. Junior, Jadyn Barnes and sophomore, JoJo Kutch were selected to the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Class 5 District 8, All-District Team.

Jayden Barnes and JoJo Kutch led the Bulldogs in total scoring this season with 217 and 215 points respectively. Ryleigh Van Emmerik had 113, Macy Hughes had 102 and Gracie Bomar rounded out the top 5 scorers with 86.

KPGZ Sports – Mike Davis and Brian Watts contributed to this story.