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GIRLS HOOPS: Carl Junction tops Lebanon for I-44 Classic crown; Bulldogs win 4th tourney title

By:
SoMo Sports staff reports

LEBANON, Mo. — Another tournament, another championship.

The Carl Junction girls basketball team defeated tourney host Lebanon 69-57 on Saturday in the championship game of the I-44 Lady’s Classic Basketball Tournament inside Boswell Auditorium.

“We’re excited about this one,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter told SoMo Sports. “It’s not easy to go on the road and stay in hotel beds and do what we were able to do against a team that got to sleep in their own beds. I’m just proud of them. Lebanon is awfully good. They have some really good pieces and Coach (Jacky) Payne does a great job with them.”  

Ranked first in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, the Bulldogs have now won four tournament titles this season— the CJ Classic, the Lady Mustang Classic, the Bill Hanson Memorial tourney and the I-44 Classic. 

“It feels good to win another tournament,” Shorter said. “Two of our goals for the season were to be in the championship game of every tournament we played in and then to win the championship in every tournament. We were able to do that in four of five tournaments, so that’s a testament to our kids and how tough they’ve been all season long.”

The Bulldogs were the runner-up at the Fort Smith Tournament of Champions.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs overcame an early deficit en route to the double-digit victory, as Lebanon held a 20-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“I think our legs might have got to us a little bit,” Shorter said. “We played really well the last two games and I thought we came out a little sluggish today.” 

The Bulldogs outscored the Yellowjackets 20-11 in the second period for a 38-31 halftime advantage.

Carl Junction held a 50-43 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The visitors outscored the hosts 19-14 in the fourth period for the final margin. 

“We stayed the course and got some things going in the second quarter,” Shorter said. “We weren’t hitting our shots like we were the first two nights, but that’s going to happen. We had to do it with our defense, we did that, and we were able to pull away from them. I thought we could have stretched the lead out a little more, but we had some pretty poor possessions. But we got it done.” 

The Bulldogs are now 18-1.

Senior guard Destiny Buerge led the Bulldogs with 29 points, while senior guard Klohe Burk scored 15 points, junior forward Kylie Scott had 14 and sophomore forward Dezi Williams added eight points.

Western Illinois commit Raegan McCowan scored a game-high 35 points for the Class 6 Yellowjackets, who fell to 12-6.

Ahead of the title game, the Bulldogs beat Warrensburg 94-37 and Lee’s Summit West 75-43 at the event. Both teams have winning records this season.

“All of these tournaments have made us better and will help prepare us for the postseason,” Shorter said. “They’ve also forced us to play three nights in a row and get into our legs a little bit against quality opponents. I think these tournaments have helped our team improve its toughness. We’ve been able to see a lot of different styles of play on short notice, and that’s helped our overall level of play.” 

Carl Junction doesn’t have much time to celebrate the tourney championship. The Bulldogs are at Joplin on Monday night, with the Central Ozark Conference clash slated for 7 p.m.

Shorter noted his squad still has work to do if they want to secure a conference title. 

“We’re ready to get back into COC play and we’re ready to work on another goal of ours,” he said. 

The Carl Junction Bulldogs pose after winning the I44 Lady’s Basketball Classic Tournament on Saturday at Lebanon High School. Courtesy photo.

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