WALNUT GROVE, Mo. — McAuley Catholic girls basketball jumped out to a fast start before Walnut Grove rallied in the second quarter to build a double-digit cushion and pulled away in the second half on the way to a 66-44 win in the Class 1 quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Warriors built a seven-point lead by the end of the first period against the two-time defending state champion Tigers (23-4). Walnut Grove turned the tides in the second quarter, scoring the first 19 points to completely flip the momentum in the process of building an 11-point advantage by halftime. The Tigers put the game out of each in the third.
“I’m extremely proud of the heart and the fight that they showed to come out and prove some doubters wrong in the first quarter, showing that we are good enough to be here,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said of his Warriors in a phone conversation to SoMo Sports. “As the game went along, they’re deeper and took advantage of some of their mismatches and started knocking down shots. I give all the credit in the world to our team for coming out and getting to this point. I was super proud of their effort tonight. You just have to tip your cap to Walnut Grove.”
A YEAR TO REMEMBER
McAuley ends the season with a 20-9 record, advancing to the quarterfinals for just the third time in school history.
“If over the summer you would have told me we would be at this point, I would have called you a liar,” Howard said with a laugh. “We had a rough summer. I was thinking this was going to be a rough year, but that is just a testament to the hard work these girls put in over the course of the year. … At first, we were a little inconsistent, but you could tell we slowly got better every single game. Here by the end, we were really clicking. They’ve improved so much and I couldn’t ask for more from them as far as hard work and dedication goes. It’s not the finish we wanted, obviously, but they are proud and I am so proud of them for getting to this point where only two other teams in our history have gotten to.”
The Warriors graduate seniors Gliza Damaso and Carmen Colson.
“Carmen came to us this year and hadn’t played since eighth grade,” Howard said. “At first when she asked to play, I thought she was kidding. But she was serious, and I said absolutely because I would love to have her. And she was exceptional for this team, which is surrounded by a lot of quiet voices. When we needed a voice, she was the person to step up. … She was the vocal leader on that team. … I just loved having her on this team this year and we wouldn’t have gotten to this point without her.
“Gliza has meant a lot to this program. I couldn’t ask for a better kid on and off the floor. She is devoted, humble and she tries so hard. She never missed a day of weights, never missed a practice and never complained about the role she was in. She always stepped up and was a leader for this team. She will be sorely missed.”
GAME ACTION
The Tigers held a 7-5 lead midway through the first quarter before the Warriors came up with the game’s first momentum swing. McAuley outscored Walnut Grove 12-3 to close the first period with a 17-10 lead. Kennedy DeRuy highlighted the run with five points, including a pull-up 3-pointer from the top of the key with 18 seconds left. Abbey Cahalan added a 3-pointer, while Kayleigh Teeter and Lily Black each scored as well.
“We just came out and played inspired,” Howard said. “I told them before we even left this morning that we understand the challenge that is in front of us. But if they weren’t going in with the mindset that we were going to win this ballgame, I didn’t want them to step on the bus.
“Their coach (Rory Henry) after the game came up to me and said, ‘You have one hell of a ball team. That is probably the scrappiest group of girls we have played all year long. Early on, you guys really punched us in the mouth and we were not prepared for that.’ Coming from him, that says a lot.”
McAuley took a hit early in the second quarter when Damaso, a starting guard, was carried off the court by Coach Howard with a knee injury.
“That was a huge loss,” Howard said. “I knew she was hurting when she couldn’t walk on it. She is a huge part of our team offensively and defensively. She handles the ball a lot and passes exceptionally well. She is quick and can get to the basket, opening things up for our shooters. … Losing her at that time, I felt that basically stole all of the momentum we had going into that quarter.”
Walnut Grove, which is a top-ranked team in Class 1, seized the momentum by scoring the first 19 points of the second period, flipping a seven-point deficit into a 29-17 lead.
Kloee Williamson got the Warriors on the scoreboard with a free throw at the 1:22 mark before Teeter followed with a 3-pointer.
“It’s hard to keep a good team down,” Howard said. “We knew they were going to make a run. They have three all-state players on their team and are super well-coached. They started knocking down open shots. Our girls, knowing Gliza was out and some younger players were going to have to step up into a bigger role against a really good team I think probably had something to do with that. It was kind of a combination of things that did us in during the second quarter.”
McAuley went into the intermission trailing 32-21.
The Tigers caught fire from the perimeter near the midway point of the third quarter, as Lauren Johnson and Morgan Hailey combined for three 3-pointers to push the lead to 46-25 with 2:15 left in the period. After Teeter knocked down a 3-ball of her own, Walnut Grove used an 8-1 surge, six points by Faith Gilkey, to push the lead to 54-30. The Tigers carried that cushion to the final horn.
SCORING LEADERS
Gilkey led Walnut Grove with a game-high 25 points, while Makayla McVay finished with 19. Johnson scored 16.
DeRuy led McAuley with 18 points, including three 3-pointers. Teeter finished with 14, while Williamson had five.
UP NEXT
Walnut Grove takes on Jefferson Conception at 8 p.m. on March 12 in the Class 1 semifinals.
