MONETT, Mo. — Destiny Buerge poured in 29 points in just three quarters and Klohe Burk scored 18 points in her second game in a Carl Junction uniform, as the pair of sophomore guards led the Bulldogs to a dominating 66-34 victory over the Monett Cubs on Monday night in a non-conference girls basketball clash.
Ranked seventh in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Carl Junction improved to 11-4.
The Bulldogs never trailed and used a 17-0 run in the first quarter to pull away for good.
“Even with everything that’s gone on and with it being such a weird year, we have really improved in a lot of areas,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “I felt like in the Pittsburg game we saw a lot of things starting to click. We saw some really good things out of our girls offensively tonight. From here on out, our biggest key is going to be rebounding.”
BUERGE’S BIG NIGHT
The 5-foot-6 Buerge made 11 field goals, with five 3-pointers.
Buerge scored 24 of her 29 points in an impressive first half. She had 15 points in the first quarter alone and sat out the final frame.
“She shot it well,” Shorter said. “She’s obviously very capable of filling it up like that. I thought she was real efficient tonight. It wasn’t like she took a ton of shots. She shot at a high percentage. And she spread it around nicely with several assists. When she can do that, it’s good for us offensively.”
NEW ADDITION
Burk, a 5-6 shooting guard, is a recent addition to the Carl Junction roster. Burk, who transferred from College Heights after her family moved to Carl Junction, made six shots, including four 3-pointers.
Shorter noted Burk’s addition gives the Bulldogs more firepower in the backcourt.
“The addition of Klohe has been a big help,” Shorter said. “She can handle the ball and she’s basketball savvy. She’s picked things up really fast. She works really hard. She’s getting more accustomed to what we’re trying to do here at CJ, offensively, defensively…set plays. And she’s fitting in really nicely with our group of girls.”
Of course, Burk was one of College Heights’ top performers throughout the first half of the 2020-21 season.
Before the holiday break, Burk had a number of big games for College Heights. She scored 26 points against Diamond, put up 23 points against Lockwood and had 20 against New Covenant.
Burk’s older sister Kaynahn is a senior and decided to finish her final year of high school at College Heights.
Klohe Burk scored nine points in her CJ debut last week against Pittsburg.
Of course, Burk is still getting accustomed to her new teammates and coaches.
She said it’s been a smooth transition.
“Honestly, it’s been a really good experience,” Burk said. “Coach Shorter has helped me a lot. So have all the players. Everyone has been really welcoming. I really enjoy it (at CJ) and I’m having a lot of fun playing with these girls.”
GAME RECAP
After scoring 17 unanswered points, Carl Junction led 25-7 by the end of the first quarter.
The Cubs turned it over nine times in the opening frame against Carl Junction’s pressure defense.
The visitors outscored the hosts 25-8 in the second quarter, and a pair of treys from sophomore guard Hali Shorter gave the Bulldogs a comfortable 45-15 halftime advantage.
Burk buried three treys in the third quarter and the Bulldogs were up 59-27.
In addition to Buerge’s 29 points and Burk’s 18, junior guard Jessa Hylton scored 10 points for the Bulldogs before leaving with an apparent ankle injury. Hali Shorter chipped in six.
Carl Junction played without Kylie Scott. Shorter said the 6-1 freshman forward missed the game due to an injury.
Natalie Turner scored 16 points to lead Monett (0-12).
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Bulldogs are at Parkview on Tuesday night.
