ADAMS — The Southland girls basketball team opened its season with a defensive onslaught as it forced 40 turnovers in a 62-48 win over Chatfield in Adams Tuesday.

The Rebels (1-0 overall) trailed 38-30 early in the second half and they responded with a 20-5 run over the next seven minutes to take over the game. McKendry Kennedy, who finished with 23 points, three rebounds and three assists, converted a steal into a lay-up to put Southland up 41-40 with 8:35 left and the Rebels never trailed again.

“We kept our heads in it and we didn’t freak out,” Kennedy said. “Our main focus is being on the ball defensively and being really aggressive.”

Kennedy teamed up with her back-court teammate Kaysie Allen to make life difficult for the Chatfield ball handlers. Allen finished with 16 points, 11 steals, eight rebounds and four assists.

“We’re trying to be the best defensive team we can be this year,” Allen said. “We we want to be way better than last year. This gives us a lot of confidence.”

Kennedy said that she has grown accustomed to playing with Allen over the years.

“We’ve been playing together a really long time and it’s like we can read each other’s mind,” she said.

The first half saw the Gophers (0-1 overall) and Rebels battle back and forth as no team led by more than four points. Chatfield took a 26-25 lead to the break when Krya Dokken hit a runner to beat the halftime buzzer.

Southland head coach Dean Bendtsen liked what he saw from his team in some areas, but the Rebels are hoping to keep improving.

“We had some good leadership from McKendry and she kept her head. We’ve still got some room to grow,” Bendtsen said. “We wanted to challenge to their ball handlers because we didn’t know what they had.”

Chatfield 26  22  —  48

Southland 25  37  —  62

Southland scoring: McKendry Kennedy, 23; Kaysie Allen, 16; Allison Bottema, 9; Lexi Smith, 6; Brianna Johnson, 4; Kassidy Kirtz, 2; Lily Riddles, 2; free throws: 63 percent (17-for-27); rebounds: 33 (Johnson, 10); turnovers: 17