The West Prairie/Southeastern girls basketball team fell behind early and were never able to rally in losing to Illini West 52-29 Thursday evening at Carthage.
WP/SE slipped to 13-13 overall, 1-2 in Prairieland Conference South Division play. Illini West improved to 9-13 overall, 3-0 in Prairieland South contests.
The host Chargers bolted to an 18-4 lead after the opening eight minutes of play.
The Cyclones cut into the deficit in the second quarter, outscoring Illini West 7-4 to head into halftime trailing 22-11.
But the hosts outscored WP/SE 15-8 in the third period, building a 37-19 advantage heading into the final frame.
Alivia Barkley topped WP/SE with 14 points. She also added five rebounds and three steals for the Cyclones.
Madelynn Sullivan was next with seven points, also adding six rebounds.
Josie Hodges and Ashlynn Kelley chipped in four points apiece for the Cyclones. Kelley also recorded a team-leading 10 rebounds and handed out two assists.
Emily Martin also had three rebounds and two steals, while Addy Stanberry added two rebounds for WP/SE.
The Cyclones finished just 10-of-42 shooting (23.8 percent) from the field including just 1-of-19 (5.3 percent) from 3-point range.
Illini West finished 22-of-38 from the floor (57.9 percent), including 3-of-14 (21.4 percent)from 3-point range.
The Cyclones finished 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from the free throw line, compared to 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) for Illini West.
The Chargers held a 36-27 rebounding advantage, including a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass.
WP/SE has a busy week ahead with three games, all on the road, starting with Tuesday’s contest at Camp Point Central (8-13).
On Wednesday, the Cyclones will head to Cuba to face North Fulton (7-15) before returning to Prairieland South Division play Thursday against South Fulton (4-16, 0-2) at VIT High School.
