LEBANON, Mo. — Propelled by a barrage of 3-pointers, Carl Junction advanced to the championship game of the Lebanon I-44 Lady’s Classic Basketball Tournament by beating Lee’s Summit West 75-43 on Friday night inside Boswell Auditorium.
Ranked first in Class 5, the Bulldogs will meet tourney host Lebanon in the championship game at 3:30 on Saturday.
The Bulldogs, now 17-1, hit 15 3-pointers in the game.
Carl Junction put together a 15-2 run late in the first quarter to pull ahead for good.
During the surge, Klohe Burk made a trey, while Destiny Buerge hit a trio of 3-pointers and also converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to give her team a 23-13 lead.
The Titans scored just before the buzzer to trim their deficit to eight entering the second period.
The Bulldogs knocked down four 3-pointers in the second quarter, one apiece from Burk, Buerge, Dezi Williams and Hali Shorter, and CJ took a 39-24 halftime lead.
Carl Junction hit 10 3-pointers in the first half.
Treys from both Burk and Buerge, along with Kylie Scott’s hoop and free throw, made it 55-34 in the third quarter.
Buerge then buried 3-pointers on three straight possessions to extend CJ’s advantage to 64-34.
The Bulldogs took a comfy 68-39 lead into the fourth quarter, and there was a running clock in the final frame.
Buerge, a Pittsburg State signee, scored 32 points for the Bulldogs. Buerge made eight 3-pointers.
Burk scored 17 points and hit five treys. Scott, who missed most of the first half due to foul trouble, also reached double figures with 12 points. Williams added nine points, Shorter had three and Anna Burch chipped in two points.
Bailey Burns scored 13 points for the Class 6 Titans.
Lebanon defeated Troy Buchanan 57-47 in the other semifinal.
