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GIRLS HOOPS ROUNDUP: Carl Junction tops Branson; Neosho, Carthage, Webb City fall in COC play

By:
SoMo Sports staff reports

CARL JUNCTION GIRLS 71, BRANSON 56

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — After a close first half, Carl Junction outscored Branson 22-7 in the third quarter to pull away for good on Thursday night in Central Ozark Conference girls basketball action.

Ranked first in Class 5, Carl Junction hiked its record to 22-1 overall and 6-0 in the Central Ozark Conference.

Up 21-17 at the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs were clinging to a 33-28 lead at intermission.

But Carl Junction dominated the third period and built a 55-35 lead heading into the final frame.

Standout senior guard Destiny Buerge scored 25 points to lead the Bulldogs, while junior forward Kylie Scott had 23 points and senior guard Klohe Burk added 12 points.

Taylor Foster paced Branson with 18 points.

The Pirates slipped to 9-10 overall and 1-3 in the COC.

Carl Junction hosts Neosho on Tuesday in the team’s final home date.

 

OZARK GIRLS 49, NEOSHO 42

NEOSHO, Mo. — Ozark led by three heading into the final eight minutes of action and held off Neosho for a Central Ozark Conference and district win on Thursday.

The Tigers (11-10, 4-1 COC) went into halftime up three and the lead was the same as both teams entered the fourth quarter. Ozark got the first bucket of the fourth and kept that pace down the stretch. The Tigers pushed the lead to six early in the period before the Wildcats (10-11, 1-3 COC) cut it back to three with three minutes left. Unfortunately, that would be as close as Neosho got before Ozark pushed the margin out to seven and held on to the final horn.

Ozark’s Jordyn Foley started the final period off with a 3-pointer from the top of the key before Karlee Ellick scored on the inside for Neosho.

Ellick earned a steal for a layup on the break by Autumn Kinnaird the other way to trim the lead back to three, 41-38, with 3:11 to left in regulation.

After a pair of free throws from Sydney Hampton, Molly Rushing earned a steal for a fast-break score with 2:15 to play to give the Tigers a 45-38 cushion and essentially put the game out of reach.

Ellick led the Wildcats in scoring with 15 points, while Meredith Baldwin and Courtney Thomason each scored seven points. Raine Harris finished with six and Kinnaird closed with five. 

Neosho is at Carl Junction on Tuesday.

Ozark hosts Republic on Monday.

Webb City’s Malorie Stanley drives to the hoop against Republic’s Alex Price on Thursday night inside the Cardinal Dome. Photos by Derek Livingston.

REPUBLIC GIRLS 66, WEBB CITY 53

WEBB CITY, Mo. — The Webb City girls basketball team hung tough with Class 6 No. 3 Republic for a large part of the night, but the Tigers rode a strong third quarter to a COC win over the Cardinals on Thursday inside the Cardinal Dome.

Webb City’s Sami Mancini scores inside against Republic on Thursday night.

After a close first half, the Tigers outscored the Cardinals 23-7 in the game-changing third period to take control.

Webb City fell to 14-8 overall and 4-2 in the COC. 

Sophomore post player Sami Mancini scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Webb City. On Wednesday, Mancini announced on Twitter that she’s received an offer from Vanderbilt.

Kate Brownfield added 10 points for the Cardinals, while Mia Robbins and Kirra Long added seven points apiece.

Republic improved to 19-3 and 4-1 in the conference.

Missouri State commit Kaemyn Bekemeier led Republic with 22 points and 10 rebounds. A senior guard, Bekemeier has scored more than 2,000 points during her prep career.

Lauren Chastain added 15 points for the Tigers.

Webb City took a three-point lead after Mancini’s hoop inside and Long’s trey, but the Tigers reeled off five straight points to take a 15-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Tigers began the second period on a 13-6 run to go up nine. During the surge, the Tigers were able to force the Cardinals into a number of turnovers with their full-court press.

Webb City’s Robbins hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to cut her team’s deficit to 28-22 at halftime.

Ignited by their pressure defense, the Tigers used a 16-2 run in the third quarter to pull away for good. 

By the time the third period ended, Republic held a comfortable 51-29 lead.

The Cardinals had one last run in them. Brownfield scored eight straight points and Mancini hit the second of two foul shots, cutting Webb City’s deficit to 11 with 4:20 left.

But the Tigers wouldn’t be denied.

Webb City is at Joplin on Monday night.

 

NIXA GIRLS 68, CARTHAGE 37

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Nixa held a seven-point lead after the first quarter and expanded upon it over the remaining three quarters en route to a conference and district win over Carthage on Thursday.

The Eagles (16-5, 3-2 COC) outscored the Tigers (9-13, 1-5) by 14 in the second quarter to push the lead more than 20 by the intermission. Nixa held pace in the second half on the way to victory.

Sadie Conway had 13 points to lead Nixa, while Norah Clark finished with 12. Laila Grant added 10 for three players in double figures.

Carthage’s Kianna Yates led the Tigers with 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Lexa Youngblood added seven points, while Maggie Boyd and Lauren Choate each finished with five in the loss.

Carthage hosts Branson on Monday on Senior Night.

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