CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — In a matchup between a pair of state-ranked teams in their respective classes—each program boasting rosters loaded with talent—it was the Class 5 fourth-ranked Carl Junction Bulldogs who walked away with a 50-48 win over the Class 6 sixth-ranked Republic Tigers on Monday at CJHS to open Central Ozark Conference play.
“This is a huge win for us,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “Honestly, we had three, and it could have been four, starters on the bench the entire second quarter and part of the first (because of foul trouble). That was huge to be able to sustain and keep a lead going into the half. Those kids sitting that second quarter, I think, hurt our rhythm a little going into the third and may have been a little bit of a reason why they were able to come back. But, it’s Republic. They’re going to fight. This was two great teams battling it out. I am super proud of our kids for playing with a lot of heart and toughness tonight.”
Carl Junction (11-1, 1-0 COC) held a 48-45 lead with less than two minutes to play when a Bulldog turnover led to a game-tying 3-pointer at the top of the key from Republic senior guard Kaemyn Bekemeier to even things up at 48. CJ was again struck by the turnover bug on the next trip down the floor, but the Bulldogs’ defense forced a traveling call on Republic (12-2, 0-1 COC) near the halfcourt line for a change of possession with half a minute left.
“I think we surprised them a little bit,” Shorter said of the late defensive stand. “We stay in our matchups quite a bit. I have been telling our kids this entire year that we are going to have to play some (man-to-man) defense, even if it’s for two possessions. We ended up playing it for about six possessions, giving different looks out of it, but that was huge. On that particular possession, we got back into our zone and rushed out of it and tried to trap up top to force that turnover. That was huge.”
With Carl Junction in possession with 31.6 on the clock, Bulldogs guard Destiny Buerge drove to the hoop for a layup, but the attempt was no good. CJ grabbed the offensive rebound and one more shot at the win.
Shorter called a play for junior forward Kylie Scott, who caught the ball at the close wing before dribbling her defender into a Buerge ball screen near the top of the key. Scott took advantage of the separation and attacked on the drive to the right side, absorbing contact before her scoop layup kissed off the glass, touched the rim and dropped for a 50-48 lead with 10 seconds left in regulation.
“The ball screen by Destiny was terrific,” Shorter said. “Kylie coming off of that screen and finishing that shot—wow. That was so impressive. She has been nursing a mid-foot sprain that we’ve been watching real close. I think tonight she realized she can play through some of that. Gosh, I am so proud of her. I am proud of all the kids. What an exceptional job of staying with it to get this win.”
Bekemeier’s game-tying floater was short at the other end, preserving the win for the Bulldogs.
SCORING LEADERS
Scott finished with 21 points, while Buerge was right behind with 18 points in the win for the Bulldogs. Senior guard Klohe Burk finished with five.
Bekemeier finished with 13 points to lead the Tigers, while Alaina Norman finished with 10.
HOW THEY GOT THERE
Carl Junction took the momentum early after holding Republic to two field goals over the first eight minutes of action, leading to a 17-6 advantage heading into the second period.
Offensively, Buerge and Scott got going early. Buerge finished the first quarter with nine points, including a 3-pointer, while Scott accounted for five points in the opening stanza. Burk sent the Bulldogs into the first break with a double-digit lead after knocking down a 3-pointer in transition with time dwindling.
Buerge knocked down a corner 3-ball midway through the second quarter to give CJ a 21-10 lead before Republic countered with its first scoring run of the game, 8-0, to trim Bulldogs advantage to one possession, 21-18, with 3:30 left in the first half.
Carl Junction answered back with the final six points of the quarter, including a wing 3-pointer from guard Hali Shorter, to close the first half with a 27-18 lead.
“That shot that Hali hit right before half was big,” Coach Shorter said. “The lead went from six to nine and took a little bit of their momentum. That was big for us because we know we can do it with some of our kids on the bench who are normally our scorers. That was a good lift for us going into the second half.”
The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 14 midway through the third period off a corner 3-ball from Scott and bucket from Buerge to make the score 36-22.
It was all Republic to close the quarter, as the Tigers ultimately used a 17-1 surge to take a 39-37 lead into the fourth quarter. RepMo got four points from junior guard Misora Nambara, four points from junior guard Molly Blades and five points from senior guard Hope Schatz, including a 3-ball, to trim the CJ advantage to 36-35 before junior forward Molly Mason scoring inside to give the Tigers a 37-36 lead, which settled at 39-37 to start the final eight minutes.
Republic held a 45-41 lead with four minutes to play in regulation before Scott scored inside to cut the lead to two. Buerge grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback and drew contact to tie the game at 45s with 2:56 to play. Buerge missed the and-1 attempt, but Scott grabbed the offensive rebound, drew a foul and made both attempts at the charity stripe to put the Bulldogs in front 47-45. Burk added a free throw with two and a half minutes left to give CJ its three-point lead down the stretch.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction hosts Nixa on Thursday.
