CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The host Carl Junction Bulldogs repeated as CJ Classic champs.
But it was far from easy.
Using a furious late rally, Carl Junction came from behind in the fourth quarter to knock off Nevada 53-47 in the 46th annual event’s championship game on Thursday night.
The Tigers held a four-point lead with just over three minutes to play before the Bulldogs pulled ahead for good with a late surge.
“Nevada played terrific and they had a great game plan,” Bulldogs coach Brad Shorter said. “I’m sure our kids would tell you we didn’t play very well for three quarters. Nevada had a lot to do with that obviously, but our kids found a way to win. They kept fighting and they got the job done.”
It was the second straight season the two teams met in the tourney title game, as the Bulldogs earned a 60-41 victory a year ago. This year’s title game was much closer.
“I’m very proud of our girls,” Nevada coach Blake Howarth said. “Carl Junction is the third-ranked team in Class 5. This game shows how much our girls have improved since last year. It wasn’t much of a game last year. It was a great showing for our girls tonight and it shows how hard they’re working. Even though this is a loss, it’s a moral victory.”
Carl Junction junior forward Kylie Scott scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. The 6-3 Scott scored 17 of her points in the second half.
Senior guard Destiny Buerge scored 19 points and repeated as the tourney’s MVP. Also for the Bulldogs, sophomore Dezi Williams contributed seven points and nine boards.
Carl Junction improved to 3-0, while Nevada fell to 2-2.
Nevada senior guard Maddy Majors scored 15 points, while junior guard Clara Swearingen added 12. Also for the Tigers, senior Abbey Heathman scored 11 before fouling out and junior Katie Johnson chipped in nine points.
In addition to Buerge, Scott, Swearingen and Heathman were named to the all-tourney team.
On the first night of December, neither team could gain much separation.
Carl Junction led 9-3 before Nevada finished the first quarter on a 6-2 run, trimming CJ’s lead to two.
The game was deadlocked at 17 when a pair of hoops from Scott gave the Bulldogs a 21-17 advantage.
Nevada pulled within a single tally on Swearingen’s corner trey, but a bucket inside by freshman Jadyn Howard gave the hosts a 23-20 halftime advantage.
The Tigers won the third quarter 13-9 to take a 33-32 lead into the final frame.
Nevada’s Swearingen and Majors both knocked down 3-pointers on key possessions in the fourth quarter, and the Tigers held a 45-41 advantage with 3:25 remaining.
But that’s when the momentum suddenly shifted CJ’s way.
The Bulldogs reeled off nine unanswered points to take the lead for good, with Scott scoring five and Buerge and Williams adding hoops in the paint for a 50-45 cushion.
During the spurt, the Bulldogs crashed the offensive glass well, as Scott and Buerge both had putbacks.
“We went to a little bit of pressure out of our matchup zone,” Shorter said. “We got some turnovers and some easy buckets and that proved to be the difference.”
Down five, Nevada didn’t go away, as Majors hit a pull-up jumper in the lane to trim her team’s deficit to three with 50 seconds left.
Next, the Bulldogs were able to run just over 20 seconds off the clock before the Tigers were forced to foul.
Buerge, a Pittsburg State signee, sank one of two at the charity stripe to give the Bulldogs a 51-47 lead with 28 seconds to play.
The Tigers turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and Scott’s late basket accounted for the final margin.
“We can continue to get better and hopefully this game will help us down the road,” Shorter said.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR CJ?
The Bulldogs have two more tournaments on the horizon.
Carl Junction will compete at the Taco Bell Tournament of Champions in Fort Smith (Ark.) from Dec. 8-10. This is a new event for CJ, as the team had previously competed at Joplin’s Lady Eagle Classic.
The Bulldogs will also compete at the Mustang Classic at McDonald County from Dec. 12-14.
CLASSIC ROUNDUP
In the event’s third-place game, Springdale defeated Parkview 59-54.
Neosho beat rival McDonald County 46-35 for fifth-place and Seneca topped Mount Vernon 54-35 for seventh-place.
See a related story for more details on those games (CJ CLASSIC ROUNDUP: Neosho, Seneca end tourney with wins – SoMo Sports (somo-sports.com).
CJ CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Destiny Buerge, Carl Junction (MVP)
Kylie Scott, Carl Junction
Abbey Heathman, Nevada
Clara Swearingen, Nevada
Tara Masten, Parkview
Karlee Ellick, Neosho
Adriana Hernandez, Springdale
Charleen Hudson, Springdale
