NEOSHO, Mo. — With solid contributions from up and down the roster, the Carl Junction girls basketball team bounced back nicely from last week’s disappointing setback at Parkview with a convincing 68-34 victory over Neosho on Monday night in Central Ozark Conference action.
The Bulldogs, who improved to 12-5, led from start to finish en route to the lopsided victory, putting last Tuesday’s loss at Parkview in the rearview mirror.
“I think we bounced back,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “We’re in a situation where our group is so young and a number of things can get their confidence down. When Kylie Scott went down with an injury, it was a tough blow for our kids. We may have to change our style a little bit, but the kids showed they can do it tonight. I’m very proud of them.”
Sophomore guard Destiny Buerge led the Bulldogs with 26 points. She made 10 field goals, including two treys.
“Destiny got us going early,” Shorter said. “I thought she played a heck of a game.”
Sophomore guard Klohe Burk added 17 points, junior Jessa Hylton had 12 and sophomore Hali Shorter added nine points on three 3-pointers. Burk went 11-for-12 at the charity stripe.
Coach Shorter noted junior guard Ellie Lawson, senior post player Hannah Lee and his daughter Hali all made huge contributions to the win.
“We had a number of kids who really played well,” Shorter said. “I thought Hali really stepped up and hit some big shots for us. Ellie Lawson was also big for us. Ellie did a fabulous job of guarding Olivia Hixson. She did a great job on her and limited her to six points in the first half. I thought that was big. And Hannah Lee was super active in the middle of our defense. And Hannah really rebounded the heck out of the ball too. I’m really proud of those three kids.”
A senior guard, Hixson led the Wildcats (9-7) with 11 points, while sophomore forward Karlee Ellick added seven and senior guard Michelle Lindsay had four.
Both teams were missing key performers.
Carl Junction is without Scott, as the freshman is out indefinitely with a wrist injury. Neosho played without sophomores Baylie Bowers and Raine Harris.
Neosho head coach Ryan Madison missed the game due to an illness, with Karleigh Perkins acting as head coach for the contest.
Carl Junction raced out to a 16-2 lead and never looked back.
The Bulldogs led 18-6 at the end of the first quarter, with Buerge scoring 11 of those points.
A pair of treys from Hali Shorter extended Carl Junction’s lead to 30-14 with three minutes remaining in the first half.
Hoops from Hylton and Buerge, along with two free throws from Burk, extended the Bulldogs’ advantage to 36-14 at halftime.
The Wildcats had an 8-2 run late in the third period, as Jayden Adams, Hixson, Reagan McInturff and Lindsay all contributed hoops during the mini-surge.
But the Bulldogs answered, as Hali Shorter buried a 3-pointer and Buerge converted a steal into a buzzer-beating layup, giving Carl Junction a comfortable 52-26 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs pushed the lead past 30 early in the final frame to force a running clock.
Neosho hosts Ozark on Thursday, while Carl Junction entertains Willard on Friday.
