PITTSBURG, Kan. — Carthage girls basketball held Cassville to single-digit scoring in every quarter while building a big lead early on the way to a 63-29 win to open the Bill Hanson Memorial basketball tournament on Thursday at Pittsburg High School.
The Tigers (7-9, 0-2 COC) were led by point guard Kianna Yates, who finished with a game-high and career-high 34 points in the win. Yates, who had 19 first-half points, converted six times from the perimeter. Maggie Boyd knocked down three 3-pointers on the way to nine points for Carthage.
Pittsburg was led in scoring by Riley Morris, who finished with 13 points. Sharayah Seymour closed with eight points in the loss.
“Kianna Yates had an amazing 34 points tonight as she scored inside and outside against Cassville’s zone,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said to SoMo Sports. “When she’s on fire, there isn’t much the other team can do to stop her.
“However, it was our total team defense that set the tone for this game for 32 minutes. Our full-court press and overall ball pressure kept Cassville from running any semblance of offense, which is what our goal is every night.”
Carthage advances to play conference rival Carl Junction in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. in the main gym on Friday.
“We now need to refocus our energy and prepare for Carl Junction tomorrow,” Moore said. “We had a close, tough game with them a week ago. So, our girls should be mentally and physically ready to battle them again tomorrow.”
