BOLIVAR, Mo. — For the second straight season, the Carl Junction girls basketball team fell one win short of the Final Four.
Second-ranked West Plains knocked off seventh-ranked Carl Junction 55-46 on Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the MSHSAA Class 5 state tournament at Southwest Baptist University’s Meyer Wellness Center.
Carl Junction led by two at halftime, but the Zizzers outscored the Bulldogs 30-19 in the second half.
West Plains (25-4) advances to the semifinals on Friday against Smithville (21-8) at JQH Arena in Springfield.
Carl Junction ends a stellar season with a record of 22-8. The program captured a seventh straight district championship under Brad Shorter.
This was the third straight season these two teams met in the postseason.
West Plains defeated Carl Junction in last year’s quarterfinals en route to a runner-up finish.
The Bulldogs upended the Zizzers two years ago in a Class 4 sectional. That year the Bulldogs later improved to 28-0 with a quarterfinal win over Sullivan before the state tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
GAME RECAP
A 3-pointer from junior guard Klohe Burk, a hoop inside from sophomore forward Anna Burch and a pair of treys from junior guard Destiny Buerge gave Carl Junction a 16-15 lead late in the opening period.
Ashton Judd’s old-fashioned three-point play gave the Zizzers an 18-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The Bulldogs began the second quarter on a 10-0 run to go up 26-18, with Buerge scoring nine during the spurt and freshman Dezi Williams contributing a free throw.
West Plains finished the first half on a 7-1 run, with all seven points from Judd, trimming Carl Junction’s lead to 27-25 at the break.
The momentum shifted to West Plains after intermission.
The Zizzers outscored the Bulldogs 12-4 in the third quarter for a 37-31 lead. Simply put, the Bulldogs struggled offensively during the period.
Judd hit four straight free throws early in the fourth quarter to give the Zizzers a 10-point cushion.
Carl Junction kept coming. A trey from junior guard Hali Shorter, a hoop from Buerge and a three-point play by sophomore forward Kylie Scott cut CJ’s deficit to five with two minutes to play.
But the Zizzers closed the game on a 6-2 run to secure a spot in the semifinals.
NAMES & NUMBERS
A senior who is headed to Mizzou, Judd scored a game-high 27 points for West Plains. A 5-foot-11 forward, Judd was recently named the Ozark Conference’s Co-Player of the Year.
Olivia Lawson added nine points for the Zizzers, while Georgia Osborn had eight.
A junior guard, Buerge led Carl Junction with 24 points. Buerge, the 4-States Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year, scored 18 of her points in the first half.
Burk and Scott contributed seven points apiece for the Bulldogs. Shorter and Williams added three points apiece and Burch rounded out the scoring with two.
The Bulldogs went 14-for-16 at the foul line, while West Plains hit 17-of-21 free throw attempts.
The Bulldogs said goodbye to three seniors, Jessa Hylton and Ellie Lawson. Hylton missed the entire season due to a knee injury she suffered during the volleyball season.
Carl Junction will return four starters (Buerge, Burk, Scott, Shorter) and several other key performers next winter.
