LEBANON, Mo. — After building a big lead by halftime, the Joplin girls basketball team put the game away in the third quarter with a 64-21 win over Milan in the third-place game of the Lebanon I44 Lady’s Classic basketball tournament on Saturday.
“I’m extremely proud of the girls and their performance this week at Lebanon,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “Against Milan, we came out and got after them defensively, especially in the first and third quarters. Offensively, we had a balanced attack. The girls did a great job of sharing the ball. I’m extremely proud of the girls for earning third place in a very tough tournament. Hopefully this will build our confidence heading into the heart of our conference schedule.”
Joplin took control of the third-place game from the early onset, building a 10-point advantage by the end of the first quarter. The Eagles held a 31-13 lead by the intermission and put the final touches on the win by outscoring Milan 27-3 in the third quarter.
Nine players scored for Joplin, with Brooke Nice and Ella Hafer leading the way with 11 points each. Emma Floyd added nine points, while Izzy Yust and Riley Kelly both scored eight points. Brynn Driver finished with seven points and Scarlett Floyd scored six.
Cady Pauley led Milan with six points, while Gracie Dickson finished with four points.
