ALL-OZARK 7 CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM 2022-23
Co-Players of the Year: Kyndall Scott, Golden City; Libby Fanning, College Heights Christian
Coach of the year: Jeremy Scott, Golden City
FIRST TEAM
Jayli Johnson, College Heights; Teagan Warner, Golden City; Kloee Williamson, McAuley Catholic; Gabbi Hiebert, Thomas Jefferson; Allison Whitman, Wheaton
SECOND TEAM
Kylee Scott, Golden City; Lily Black, McAuley Catholic; Lannah Grigg, Thomas Jefferson; Jaicee Carrasquillo, Verona; Raelyn Buckhannan, Wheaton
HONORABLE MENTION TEAM
Maddy Colin, College Heights; Ava Lett, College Heights; Maggie Reed, Golden City; Elizabeth Renfro, Golden City; Kendall Ramsey, McAuley Catholic; America Castillo, Verona; Jacyi Park, Wheaton.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Fair Grove got hot from the perimeter early to build an early double-digit cushion and held off Diamond’s late rally in a 62-52 win in the Class 3 sectional round of the state tournament.
The first basket of the game was a 3-pointer by Fair Grove (25-4) and the Eagles went on to finish with four triples in the first quarter while building a nine-point lead in the process. Diamond trimmed the lead to single digits, 30-23, by the intermission before Fair Grove pushed the margin back to double digits to end the third quarter. A quick surge by the Eagles extended the lead to 18 early in the fourth before the Wildcats fought to cut it to 10 by the final horn.
ALL GOOD THINGS
Diamond finishes the season with a 22-6 record after reaching the sectional round for the first time in nearly 40 years. The Wildcats graduate lone senior Ashlyn Daniel.
GAME ACTION
Camdyn Hart knocked down a 3-pointer to start the scoring for Fair Grove. Hart sank another shot from the perimeter near the midway mark before Ashton Bell buried back-to-back 3-pointers inside the final two minutes for a 20-6 advantage.
Bell opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and Abbey Green added an inside buck to push the lead to 14 before a 12-3 run by the Wildcats fueled by 10 points from Grace Frazier—including a pair of 3-pointers—cut the Diamond deficit to two possessions, 28-23, with 2:20 left in the half.
Frazier added another perimeter bucket to open the second half to get the Wildcats within four, 30-26.
Seven straight points by Fair Grove—including a 3-pointer from Bell—put the Eagles on top by 10, with the advantage at 12 to start the fourth quarter.
Fair Grove used 3-pointers from Emma Padgett and Brooke Daniels as part of a 9-3 run to open the fourth to push the lead to a game-high 18.
Frazier did her best to help Diamond whittle the lead to 10 by the final horn with 17 fourth-quarter points, but it wasn’t enough as the Eagles staved off the comeback bid.
SCORING LEADERS
Bell sank six 3-pointers on the way to a team-high 26 points for Fair Grove, while Daniels finished with 16 points in the win.
Frazier led all scorers with 40 points, 23 coming in the second half. She made a game-high seven 3-pointers and was 5-of-7 shooting from the charity stripe.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — College Heights girls basketball saw its season come to an end after the Cougars fell 57-41 to Fordland in the Class 2 sectional round of the state tournament on Tuesday at Carthage High School.
College Heights senior Jayli Johnson pulls up for a jumper during the Cougars’ sectional matchup with Fordland on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
The Cougars trailed by five heading into the second period before the Eagles (21-8) started the quarter on a 10-0 run and ultimately took a 16-point lead into the intermission. College Heights fought to cut the lead to 10 to start the fourth before the Eagles pulled away down the stretch.
“We watched a lot of film on Fordland but their guards were a lot quicker than what I could see on film,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “We struggled in our man-to-man defense tonight, which we don’t normally do. We shifted to a triangle-and-two, and that was very effective. It allowed us to get back into the game a little bit. … but we still struggled shooting.”
ALL GOOD THINGS
College Heights closes the season with a 17-12 record after going to the sectional round of the state playoffs for the third time in school history. The Cougars graduate seniors Jayli Johnson, Addie Lawrence and Lauren Ukena.
“We were here in 1998 and then there was a long dry spell,” Blankenship said. “We have been to five straight district championships and won two out of those five. There has been a lot of consistency over the last five or six years with our athletes and our program, which is exactly the direction we want to head in. It is a special group of kids who are very united. I love these seniors to death. They are all great kids and great athletes. It’s not the way we wanted to finish, but we are grateful to have had the opportunity to get back here.”
Libby Fanning puts up a shot from inside against Fordland on Tuesday night at Carthage High School. Photo by Israel Perez.
“They’ve set the bar high,” Blankenship added about his trio of seniors. “They come in and work hard every single day in practice. They lead by example and are very encouraging. They’re great role models for our underclassmen, and I hope they pick that up next year. We wouldn’t be where we are without these seniors. They’ve played in four straight district title games and been to sectionals twice. They’ve accomplished so much and have a lot to be proud of.”
GAME ACTION
College Heights trailed 16-11 heading into the second quarter when Fordland scored 10 unanswered points out of the break to boost it’s lead to 26-11 with less than two and a half minutes expired.
Mikah Suter had a pair of baseline scores inside for the Eagles, while Emma Trotter added a pair of scores off the drive during the surge.
CHC junior Maddy Colin shoots a jumper during the Cougars’ sectional loss to Fordland on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Fordland used a 3-pointer from MacKenzie Haskins with 1:22 to play in the first half to push the lead to 20 for the first time, 37-17.
College Heights closed the first half with baskets from Johnson and Libby Fanning to trim the deficit to 37-21 by the intermission.
The Cougars spent the third quarter whittling the lead down to 10 points, 41-31, on a score in the paint at the buzzer by Maddy Colin.
College Heights was unable to find the momentum on offense in the final eight minutes of action.
After Fordland and CHC traded baskets in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, the Eagles used a 3-pointer from Katlyn Fries before Shelby Thomason had back to back buckets inside to push the lead to 17, 50-33, midway through the fourth quarter. Fordland carried that pace to the finish line.
SCORING LEADERS
Trotter led Fordland with 15 points, while Haskins and Thomason each finished with 10. Suter scored eight.
Fanning led College Heights with a game-high 17 points. Colin and Lawrence each finished with six, while Johnson had four.
CHC senior Addie Lawrence connects from long range in the Cougars’ sectional loss to Fordland in Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
