ANDERSON, Mo. — Destiny Buerge surpassed 1,000 career points and Carl Junction’s girls basketball team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Class 5 state tournament with Wednesday’s convincing 58-32 sectional victory over McDonald County.
Carl Junction is in the state quarterfinals for the fifth time in six years.
“That’s big for our program,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great kids and a lot of great assistant coaches. It’s a lot of fun. We have high expectations. The girls realize that and give me their best effort. And I’m going to give them my best effort. Hopefully we can get to the Final Four one more time.
“The expectations are high in our program,” Shorter added. “We understand we’re going to take everybody’s best shot and we want to give everybody our best shot. Our kids are growing up…a lot of sophomores and freshmen. They understand what we’re about. It’s a position we’ve been in before.”
With the win, the Bulldogs (18-8) will play at West Plains (26-3) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in an Elite Eight clash.
MILESTONE
Just a sophomore, Buerge entered the night needing 25 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone. She scored 28.
Buerge joined the 1,000-point club by knocking down a short runner late in the game. The CJ student section gave her a nice ovation and Buerge couldn’t help but smile as she jogged back on defense.
“It’s terrific to have a sophomore score her 1,000th point,” Shorter said. “It’s a great feat. She just continues to get better and better.”
A 5-foot-8 guard who started all of last year as a freshman, Buerge admitted she didn’t envision reaching 1,000 points as a sophomore.
“I really didn’t,” said Buerge, who made 10 field goals and eight free throws to go along with eight rebounds. “This is a big accomplishment for me. It feels really good, especially since my teammates are there supporting me all the way through it. It really means a lot. It means more because it’s in a sectional game, and there were a lot of people here to see what I’ve done and how much I’ve worked to accomplish things.”
MUSTANGS END SEASON
The Mustangs were in the sectional round for the first time since 2015. McDonald County (13-15) graduates three seniors — Sydney Killion, Kristin Penn and Caitlyn Barton.
“Our senior group had just three wins their freshmen year and now we’re in the sectional game of the state playoffs,” McDonald County coach Sean Crane said. “It’s a great way for our seniors to end their careers. They left the program in a much better spot than when they came in which is always a goal.”
Crane noted his younger players gained valuable experience this winter.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Providing a needed spark off the bench, Carl Junction sophomore guard Klohe Burk contributed 15 points on five 3-pointers.
Fellow sophomore Hali Shorter had seven points, while junior Jessa Hylton and senior Hannah Lee chipped in four points apiece.
McDonald County was led by Killion’s 12 points. Penn contributed six points and eight boards. Sophomore Samara Smith pulled down 12 rebounds to go with four points.
The Mustangs were plagued by cold perimeter shooting and costly turnovers. The hosts committed 24 turnovers, while the Bulldogs had 11.
GAME RECAP
Carl Junction took control early and never relinquished its lead.
Ignited by a full-court press, the Bulldogs led 11-1 and 18-5 at the end of the first quarter.
Getting shots from in close after a number of offensive rebounds, McDonald County used an 8-5 run to pull within 12.
But Buerge scored in the lane before Burk buried a pair of 3-pointers, giving the Bulldogs a comfortable 33-13 halftime advantage.
“We got out and pressured them a little bit,” Shorter said. “I think we got some really good looks at the basket. Klohe Burk hit some big shots for us. She knocked down four 3s in the first half and that kind of opened up some driving lanes. But the defensive pressure was big for us.”
The Mustangs had 13 points and 13 turnovers in the first half.
“They got off to a good start and we just could not score,” Crane said. “We didn’t hit one 3. We could not hit the broad side of a barn. If we could have shot a little better, it could have been a different story. But obviously, they’re a good team.”
By the end of the third period, Carl Junction was up 41-18.
There was little drama as the fourth quarter began. The visitors outscored the hosts 17-14 for the final margin.
WHAT’S NEXT?
A spot in the Final Four will be up for grabs on Saturday.
West Plains knocked off Willard 47-27 in their sectional contest. Shorter noted his team will face a talented opponent on Saturday.
“They’re really good,” Shorter said of the Zizzers. “It’s basically the same team we saw last year when we were 28-0 and had Katie Scott. West Plains is very well-coached. They’ve got some athletes. We’re the underdog. We haven’t been the underdog much the last four or five years. So we need to go out, play loose, have fun and see what happens.”
