CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — For the second time this week, the Carl Junction girls basketball team passed a significant test with flying colors.
With a strong overall performance, Carl Junction knocked off Nixa 56-43 on Thursday night in a key Central Ozark Conference clash at CJHS.
And for the second time in as many games, the Bulldogs topped a state-ranked Class 6 conference foe.
Thursday’s statement victory over the Eagles, who entered the night ranked sixth in Class 6 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, comes after the Bulldogs topped Class 6 No. 3 Republic 50-48 on Monday in what could be described as another signature win.
“Looking at our schedule when it came out, I saw Republic and Nixa in the same week and thought, ‘Oh boy, that’s a heck of a week,'” Bulldogs coach Brad Shorter said. “But we beefed up our schedule early in the season and I think that’s helped us. We played two really good teams this week and our kids fought hard in both games, so I’m super proud of them. It’s a good win for us.”
Led by its suffocating defense, which forced more than 20 turnovers, Carl Junction never trailed on Thursday.
Up seven at halftime, Carl Junction built a 12-point lead by the end of the third quarter and went up by 22 points in the fourth period en route to victory.
“We stayed with our game plan, and I thought we did a really nice job defensively,” Shorter said. “We pressured their guards a little bit and I think we made them uncomfortable. And we can score. We spread the floor and I think it gave them fits. We rebounded the ball well tonight.”
Ranked fourth in Class 5 by the MBCA, Carl Junction hiked its record to 12-1 overall and 2-0 in the COC.
Although the conference slate has just begun, it’s safe to say the Bulldogs have now taken a big step forward in the quest for a COC crown.
“I think these two wins put us in a good spot,” Shorter said. “But we know it’s a battle every night in the COC. We still have games against Ozark, Carthage, Webb City, Neosho…all of the remaining games on our schedule are going to be tough, so we’ll have to be ready to play.”
FIRST HALF
The Bulldogs got off to a great start, as the hosts scored the first seven points of the night and jumped out to a 12-2 advantage.
The Eagles had turnovers on their first five possessions against CJ’s active 2-3 zone.
But the Eagles received a pair of 3-pointers from sophomore Karis Ferguson to stay within striking distance.
A hoop from sophomore Dezi Williams and four free throws from senior standout Destiny Buerge gave Carl Junction an 18-9 cushion before Nixa’s Norah Clark scored to trim her team’s deficit to seven at the end of the opening frame.
The Eagles began the second quarter on a 6-3 run to pull within four, with Hali Shorter knocking down a trey for the hosts.
After the two teams traded points, Buerge made one free throw and then converted Klohe Burk’s steal into a transition layup, giving Carl Junction a 26-19 halftime advantage.
SECOND HALF
The Bulldogs used a 10-2 surge, capped by free throws from both Kylie Scott and Buerge, to take a 36-26 lead.
A 6-3 junior, Scott picked up her fourth foul during the third quarter and had to go to the bench.
The Bulldogs finished the third period on a positive note, as Burk buried a corner trey before Buerge scored on a spin move in the post just before the buzzer sounded to give Carl Junction a 43-31 advantage heading into the final frame.
The Bulldogs started the fourth quarter on an impressive 10-0 burst to take a commanding 22-point lead at 53-31.
During the early spurt, Buerge turned a steal into a layup, Burk made one of two shots at the charity stripe, Buerge knocked down a pair of free throws, Burk drilled a 3-pointer from the wing and Scott scored inside on a feed from Buerge after a Nixa turnover.
After a timeout, Nixa put together a 12-0 run, but it was too little, too late, as there were only 34 seconds remaining with the Bulldogs still up 10.
Late charities from Buerge and Jadyn Howard accounted for the final score.
NAMES & NUMBERS
A Pittsburg State recruit, Buerge poured in a game-high 30 points. She made nine field goals, all 2-pointers, and converted 12-of-15 attempts at the foul line.
“Buerge was Buerge tonight,” Coach Shorter said. “I thought she also had a lot of good steals up top.”
Scott had eight points and seven rebounds.
“Even though Kylie didn’t score a lot tonight, she made some really good passes to open shooters,” Shorter said. “When we can hit those shots from the outside, she’s going to get freed up inside. I’m proud of her effort.”
Burk added seven points, Hali Shorter had six and Williams chipped in four. Just a freshman, Howard contributed seven rebounds and one point off the bench.
“Klohe is dynamite from the outside when she’s open,” Coach Shorter said. “Jadyn got some huge rebounds for us when Kylie got into foul trouble and I thought Dezi did a nice job of crashing the boards, offensively and defensively.”
Senior forward Norah Clark scored 15 points to lead the Eagles, who fell to 11-3 overall and 1-1 in the COC.
MCDONALD’S ALL-AMERICAN NOMINEE
Buerge was announced as a McDonald’s All-American Nominee on Wednesday. She’s one of eight girls from Missouri to be nominated.
“She’s definitely deserving,” Coach Shorter said. “She’s scored 2,000 points. She has a great work ethic. She’s put in so much time in the gym. We hope the voting goes her way for sure.”
Overall, there are 722 girls and boys from across the nation nominated to play in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game, which will be held on March 28 in Houston. The list will be narrowed down to 24 girls and 24 boys on Jan. 24 on ESPN.
The eight girls from Missouri are Buerge, Republic’s Kaemyn Bekemeier, Ellington’s Kaylee King, Grain Valley’s Grace Slaughter, Jefferson City’s Hannah Linthacum, Vashon’s Raychel Jones, Lutheran High’s Megan Aulbert and Westminster Christian Academy’s Julia Coleman.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Carl Junction will compete at next week’s Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament in Pittsburg, Kansas.
The Bulldogs take on the host Purple Dragons at 5:30 on Thursday night.
