By DOUG MAGILL/THE MORNING SUN
CHEROKEE — The Southeast girls basketball team held Baxter Springs scoreless for the final two minutes and improved to 2-0 on Tuesday night in Cherokee.
Chaney Fox and Mandy McGuire both scored a team-high 13 points for the Lancers, while freshman Lanina Spence led all scorers with 18 for the Lady Lions. The Lancers won 44-40.
“We recognized in warm-ups that she had a great looking shot,” Southeast head coach Nikki Webster said. “We didn’t do a very good job defending her early on. Then she stepped up and hit some big shots later to keep them in the game.”
Spence hit shots that tied the game or gave the Lady Lions the lead three times in the second quarter and then scored nine points in the fourth.
In contrast, McGuire scored 11 points in the first half.
“She had a great first half,” Webster said. “She usually comes out a little over eager but finishes stronger, tonight it was just the opposite. We’ve talked about that and worked on that, just coming out relaxed and playing well. She was able to do that tonight.”
Fox took over the second half, scoring nine in the second. Six of those nine came in the fourth quarter.
The win helps the Lancers improve to 2-0, noticeable improvement over last year’s 0-2 start.
“We all knew each other (last season) but they didn’t know me as a head coach,” Webster said. “There were a lot of adjustments, and they adjusted great but we didn’t have the experience and the maturity that we have now. It’s like we extended our season from the summer and last year and picked-up right where we left off. That’s exactly what you want.”
The Lancers host Colgan on Friday. Tip off is at 6 p.m. Baxter Springs is off on Friday before playing Colgan on Tuesday.

Southeast boys fall 45-42
Baxter Springs outscored Southeast High 14-8 in the fourth quarter en route to 45-42 win in Cherokee on Tuesday night.
Jake Thompson led all scorers with 16 points for the Lancers while Ty Rowe scored 15 for the Lions. Tyler Underhill followed with 13 points for Baxter Springs. Andy Brennon added 11 points for the Lancers while Dalton Powell chipped in another 10.
After going into halftime with a 26-25 lead, the Lancers struggled offensively in the second half, scoring just 16 points.
“That was the case in our first game too,” Southeast head coach Luke Witt said. “I think it’s just matter of getting our kids experience, getting them to settle down and still be as confident as they were in the first half.”
The Lancers led 14-9 at the end of the first quarter, before the Lions caught back up before the end of the first half.
“I thought we did some good things,” Witt said. “We definitely had some improvement over Friday which is what we’re looking for. Hopefully we can keep getting better.”
The Lancers (0-2) host St. Mary’s Colgan on Friday. Baxter Springs (1-1) is off on Friday before playing Colgan on Tuesday.
“We talk to them all the time about how at this stage of the season, we’re just trying to get better,” Witt said. “We’re just trying to make improvements, limit mistakes and correct the ones that we do make. I think they’re definitely doing it. From game one to game two we made some definite improvements.”

Southeast girls 44, Baxter Springs 40
Baxter Springs 8 11 12 9 — 40
Southeast 9 11 10 14 — 44
Baxter Springs (40) — Lanina Spence 18, Alayna Von Moss 6, Kayla Von Moss 5, Whitney Cheater 4, SkyLeigh Bingham 2, Alexis Haase 3, Tasha Wampler 2.
Southeast (44) — Chaney Fox 13, Mandy McGuire 13, Lauren Thompson 6, Christine Bone 5, Bobbi Smith 4, Micah McCready 1.
3-point goals — BSHS 3 (Lanina Spence 2, Kayla Von Moss 1), SEHS 1 (McGuire)

Baxter Springs boys 45, Southeast 42
Baxter Springs 9 16 6 14 — 45
Southeast 14 12 8 8 — 42
Baxter Springs (45) — Ty Rowe 15, Tyler Underhill 13, Weston Taconis 6, Colton Krokroskia 5, Austin Karnes 4, Nick Kellum 2.
Southeast (42) — Jake Thompson 16, Andy Brennon 11, Dalton Powell 10, Bryce Burdette 5.
3-point goals — BSHS 3 (Underhill 2, Rowe 1), SEHS 6 (Brennon 3, Thompson 2, Burdette 1).