CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — No. 6 Carl Junction built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and ballooned the margin to nearly 30 in the second half on the way to a 62-47 Central Ozark Conference and Senior Night win over Joplin on Tuesday
“I think Joplin has been play really well this year and Coach (Luke) Floyd has done a great job with that group,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “They play hard and have great size.
“We moved the ball well in the first half and Destiny (Buerge) got some great looks. She is a shot maker. When her and Kylie (Scott get that one-two punch going, they’re tough to beat.”
The Bulldogs (18-6, 5-2 COC) built an 11-point lead by the first quarter and pushed the margin to nearly 20 points by the intermission thanks to a monster first half from Destiny Buerge. Carl Junction pushed the lead to as much as 29 in the third period over Joplin (10-13, 1-6 COC) and held on down the stretch to send the Eagles to their fourth consecutive loss.
“They are a very good team and I felt like our game plan didn’t set our girls up for success coming in,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “We wanted to key on Destiny and Kylie, but I have to do a better job in getting us to rotate our defense to get girls like that covered.”
SENIOR NIGHT
Carl Junction honored seniors Ellie Lawson, Jessa Hylton and Loren Lee in Senior Night ceremonies after the game.
“What we talked about before the game is how much these seniors meant to the program, just from a commitment standpoint,” Shorter said. “They are dedicated to what we do and are model student-athletes. They’ve set the bar high for the rest of our girls and have done a great job of putting the work in every day and continuing to improve. I hate it that Jessa hasn’t been able to play this year [because if a knee injury], but she has had three really good years. But they are all great kids and will be successful after high school for sure.”
GAME ACTION
Carl Junction built an early cushion in the first quarter thanks to the play of Buerge and Scott, who put up seven and six points respectively to lead the Bulldogs to a 20-9 lead after the first eight minutes.
“If you are not able to jump out to an early lead like that, Joplin is in it and they are fighting and clawing because they are a tough team,” Shorter said. “It was important for our kids to come out and build an early lead and continue to fight.”
Buerge continued her torrid pace in the second period, scoring 16 of 18 points for Carl Junction as the catalyst.
Joplin’s Brynn Driver and Ella Hafer had back-to-back scores inside at the 5:35 mark before Buerge scored on the drive and added a 3-pointer in transition to push the lead to 27-13 with 3:11 to play.
Buerge added three more 3-pointers as the Bulldogs finished the first half on an 11-6 run to take a 38-19 advantage into the intermission.
“She comes down the floor and has 10 eyes on her,” Shorter said of Buerge’s first half of play. “She is just a complete player. She can score it and she can pass it. She is just a wonderful player.”
After the Bulldogs used a heavy dose of Buerge in the first half, Carl Junction went to work inside the paint with Scott in the third period. Scott scored three of the Bulldogs’ first five baskets, including a three-point play, as part of an 11-2 run to open the second half, pushing the lead to 49-21 with 2:33 on the clock.
“We are either looking to work outside-in or inside-out,” Shorter said. “It was important that we spaced the floor better tonight, moved it well and made sure those [inside] opportunities were there. Kylie was an animal in there offensively and defensively. When she gets going, she is tough.”
Carl Junction played with that pace be-fore Joplin’s Brooke Nice knocked down a 3-pointer near the 3:30 mark to trim the deficit to 20, 58-28. Joplin got baskets from Izzy Yust and Brynn Driver in the closing minutes but couldn’t make a run at the lead before the final horn.
“We just have to find the passion for the game again,” Coach Floyd said. “We have to show some toughness. At some point, you have to dig in your heals and say enough is enough. … The sooner we realize we can play with anyone, the sooner we can get back into the win column.”
SCORING LEADERS
Buerge closed the win out with a game-high 29 points, 23 of those points came in the first half. She knocked down five total 3-pointers in the win. Scott finished with 13 points, while Dezi Williams finished with 10 points.
Driver led Joplin with 18 points, 12 coming in the second half. Hafer finished with 14 points and Nice closed with 10 in the loss.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction is at Branson on Friday.
Joplin is at Willard on Friday.
