CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction nearly erased a 16-point deficit in the second half, but the spirited comeback attempt fell short.
Despite a valiant effort, the Bulldogs suffered a 70-59 setback to Nixa on Monday night in Central Ozark Conference girls basketball action.
In their regular season and home finale, the Bulldogs found themselves trailing by 16 in the third period to the league-leading Eagles.
But Carl Junction didn’t quit. Instead, the Bulldogs put together a furious 15-0 surge to pull within one with just over five minutes to play.
However, Nixa never relinquished its lead, as the Eagles closed the game on a 24-14 spurt.
Bulldogs coach Brad Shorter was definitely pleased with his team’s tenacity.
“I love how our girls didn’t give up,” Shorter said. “They just kept fighting. They did everything they could to stay in the ballgame. We started making plays and I loved how our kids kept fighting. That’s going to help us down the road.”
Ranked seventh in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Carl Junction ends the regular season at 19-7 and 6-3 in the COC.
Junior guard Destiny Buerge poured in 27 points to lead the Bulldogs. Buerge, who has already surpassed 1,500 career points, made eight field goals, including two 3-pointers, to go with nine free throws.
Sophomore forward Kylie Scott added 13 points, while freshman forward Dezi Williams contributed 11 points and junior guard Hali Shorter had nine points on three treys.
Ranked fourth in Class 6, Nixa hiked its record to 21-4 and 8-0 in the COC.
Four players scored in double figures for the Eagles, as Macie Conway scored 23, Norah Clark had 17, Ali Kamies scored 15 and Rhianna Gibbons contributed 12.
The Eagles can complete an undefeated run through the COC with a win against Neosho on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs hung tough early, as the hosts trailed 16-15 at the end of a fast-paced first quarter.
Nixa’s aggressive full-court pressure defense took its toll on the Bulldogs in the second period. The Eagles forced CJ into numerous turnovers and outscored the hosts 17-3 in the game-changing frame to take a 33-18 halftime advantage.
Carl Junction played a large part of the second quarter without Buerge, who went to the bench with two fouls.
“The second quarter definitely hurt us,” Shorter said. “When Destiny is off the floor we turn it over more. The frustrating part is we didn’t do a very good job of running our press-breaker. Once we did, we were able to get some easy buckets. But Nixa’s defense is awfully strong.”
The teams traded hoops for a large part of the third quarter, and Nixa went up 46-30.
But that’s when the Bulldogs got going.
Carl Junction scored the final eight points of the third quarter, as Buerge scored in the lane, Hali Shorter drilled a 3-pointer and Williams contributed a hoop inside and a free throw.
Nixa’s lead was 46-38 entering the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs rattled off the first seven points of the final frame, as Buerge buried a trey, scored on a strong drive through the lane and made 2-of-4 foul shots.
Buerge’s free throw cut her team’s deficit to one with just over five minutes to play.
Nixa’s Kamies stopped the run by knocking down a 3-pointer.
Buege hit two more shots at the charity stripe to keep it a one-possession game, but the Eagles went on an 8-2 run to gain enough separation to hold off the hosts down the stretch.
Carl Junction kept coming, as a trey from Shorter cut Nixa’s lead to 62-57 with 39 seconds remaining.
The Eagles went 8-for-8 at the foul line late in the game.
“We just couldn’t close it out,” Coach Shorter said. “That’s something we have to continue to work on. When we have a lead or when we’re down by a few, we need to be able to get the possession that we want. It’s going to be possession basketball from here on out. But it’s great for us to be in games like this against a quality team.”
DISTRICT TOURNEY AWAITS
Carl Junction is the No. 1 seed for the Class 5 District 6 tournament.
The Bulldogs take on No. 8 Hillcrest at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Willard High School.
With a win, Carl Junction would meet either No. 4 Parkview or No. 5 Neosho in the semifinals on Feb. 28. As far as a possible matchup in the title game, Willard is the No. 2 seed, with Webb City seeded third.
Under Coach Shorter’s direction, Carl Junction has earned a district championship in six straight seasons.
The Bulldogs would love to extend the streak to seven this winter.
“Games like this and games in the COC prepare us for the district tournament,” Shorter said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do…one game at a time and all those cliches. But that’s how we look at it. We have to get ready for Hillcrest. We have to clean up some things and keep fighting. I’m proud of our kids. They’ve worked hard and they’ve gotten better this season. And they’re really fun to coach. Hopefully we can make a push in the postseason.”
