ANDERSON, Mo. — A bid for a second tournament championship in three weeks came up short for the Carl Junction girls basketball team.
Early foul trouble contributed to a double-digit halftime deficit, and a spirited second half surge was not enough for the Bulldogs, as Bentonville West claimed a 57-45 victory over Carl Junction in the championship game of the Lady Mustang Classic on Wednesday night at McDonald County High School.
The Bulldogs, who trailed 27-13 at intermission, played a large part of the first half without Destiny Buerge and Kylie Scott, as both players picked up two early fouls.
“In two of our three losses that’s happened,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said of early foul trouble. “It’s something we have to get figured out. There have been games when Destiny and Kylie have scored 40-50 points for us. That’s a huge piece for us. But I was very proud of our kids on the floor. They were able to maintain a three-point lead for a while, but you could see that they were all tired. Our fatigue showed when they went on that big run before halftime.”
Carl Junction was in a tournament championship game for the third time in three weeks.
The Bulldogs won the CJ Classic two weeks ago before falling to Farmington in the Lady Eagle Classic’s title game this past weekend.
On Wednesday, Carl Junction played its sixth game in seven nights.
“These girls haven’t complained once,” Shorter said. “And you look back, we’ve played the late game, the 8 or 9 o’clock game, every time in three straight tournaments. But our girls are tough. They’ve never complained. They play really hard and I love them. They’re a fun group to coach.”
A junior guard, Buerge scored a game-high 26 points for Carl Junction. Buerge and Klohe Burk were named to the all-tourney team.
Scott added eight points, Ellie Lawson and Anna Burch chipped in four points apiece for CJ, while Hali Shorter added three points.
Senior guard Marybeth Dyson scored 19 points to lead Bentonville West, while Savannah Rangel added 14.
Scott and Buerge both picked up two fouls apiece in the first quarter and Carl Junction trailed 8-7 entering the second period.
The Bulldogs went up 13-10 after hoops from Lawson and Burch, but the Wolverines finished the first half on a game-changing 17-0 run.
Many of Bentonville West’s points during the surge came on transition layups after CJ turnovers. The Wolverines also hit a trio of 3-pointers late in the half.
“We were forced to put kids into positions they don’t play,” Shorter said. “Destiny always brings the ball up and Kylie has a presence out there. It put us in a bind. We’ll learn from it and continue to get better.”
Carl Junction outscored Bentonville West 22-20 in the third quarter, with Buerge scoring 17 points in the frame. Still, the Wolverines led 47-35.
After trailing by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, the Bulldogs trimmed their deficit all the way to seven with 3:35 to play after a trey from Hali Shorter, a hoop in the lane from Buerge and two free throws from Scott.
But Bentonville West closed the game on an 8-3 run.
Despite the loss, Coach Shorter noted he was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I thought our kids came out and fought,” Shorter said. “That’s one of the things we talked about…playing smart and playing hard. We matched their intensity in the second half. We talked about the old Rocky speech. When you get hit in the mouth, you have to withstand it and keep fighting. I’ve learned this group does not like to lose. And we know we can certainly get better.”
Ranked fourth in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Carl Junction is now 7-3. The Bulldogs are off until January 3.
WEBB CITY 54, MCDONALD COUNTY 34
Webb City outscored Mac County 32-6 in the second half to capture seventh-place honors.
Led by eight points from Samara Smith, the Mustangs led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Webb City briefly took the lead on Ripley Shanks’ old-fashioned 3-point play, but the Mustangs closed the first half on an 11-2 run.
Nevaeh Dodson and Smith both hit treys during the late surge, while Anna Clarkson converted a steal into a layup, giving the hosts a 28-22 lead at the break.
The Cardinals knocked down five 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the third quarter, with three treys from Kate Brownfield, to go up 37-30. Webb City outscored Mac County 18-4 in the third period for a 40-32 lead.
The Cardinals scored the first 13 points of the fourth quarter to go up by 21 at 53-32.
Brownfield led the Cardinals with 18 points, while Lopez added nine. Shanks added seven points and Malorie Stanley contributed six.
Smith scored 15 points to lead the Mustangs, while Carlee Cooper added six.
OTHER ACTION
Springdale defeated Ft. Smith Southside 65-47 for third place and Frontenac beat Alma 57-46 for fifth.
LADY MUSTANG CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Heather Arnett, Frontenac
Hattie Pyle, Frontenac
Aubri Wilson, Springdale
Jordan Gramlic, Alma
Sierra Smith, Ft. Smith Southside
Destiny Buerge, Carl Junction
Klohe Burk, Carl Junction
Laynee Tapp, Bentonville West
Marybeth Dyson, Bentonville West
Samara Smith, McDonald County
