WEBB CITY, Mo. — A fast start, a strong finish and a little extra motivation propelled Webb City to a hard-fought 38-29 victory over rival Carthage on Tuesday night in a Central Ozark Conference girls basketball clash inside the Cardinal Dome.
Highly-motivated on Senior Night, Webb City scored the first 10 points of the game and then used an 11-2 run in the fourth quarter to put the finishing touches on a solid win that closed out the home schedule.
“We wanted to come out and get off to a good start tonight on Senior Night,” Cardinals coach Lance Robbins said. “We wanted to play well for our seniors because it’s the last time they’re going to play in this gym. We wanted to send them out on a positive note, and I thought we were able to do that. Our keys were to defend the 3-point line, handle their pressure and rebounding. I thought we did that for 90 percent of the game.”
Webb City is now 11-13 overall and 3-5 in the COC.
Senior forward Kenzie Robbins led the Cardinals with 12 points on four treys, while junior guard Kate Brownfield added 11 points, hitting three treys, to go with a team-high eight rebounds.
The Cardinals made 13-of-39 field goal attempts (33 percent). The hosts out-rebounded the visitors 31-24.
Carthage slipped to 11-15 and 2-7 in the COC.
Junior guard Kianna Yates scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Tigers, while freshman guard Lauren Choate added seven points.
The Tigers shot 22 percent for the game, hitting 10-of-46 field goal attempts.
GAME RECAP
The Cardinals scored the first 10 points of the night and held a 10-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers struggled offensively against Webb City’s zone defense. In fact, Carthage made just two of its first 16 field goal attempts.
“I thought our length and how active we were in the zone caused them problems,” Robbins said.
Kenzie Robbins’ third 3-pointer of the first half gave Webb City a 13-3 advantage, but the Tigers finished the second quarter on a 9-0 run.
Yates and Choate both knocked down treys to cap the run, trimming Carthage’s deficit to one at the break, 13-12.
The Cardinals began the second half on an 8-0 run, but the Tigers answered with a 10-5 surge. With that, Webb City’s lead was 26-22 entering the fourth quarter.
The Tigers cut their deficit to two early in the final frame on a hoop from Yates, but the Cardinals finished strong, using an 11-2 surge to pull away for good.
During the late spurt, Brownfield and Izzy Lopez both hit 3-pointers, Sami Mancini converted a hoop in the lane and hit a free throw and Ripley Shanks scored inside.
“Carthage’s girls played hard,” Robbins said. “I thought our kids made some huge shots at the end of the game. I thought we did a good job of being patient, getting good ball movement by using Sami inside to kick it out. We took good shots and we were able to knock them down.”
Webb City’s girls will conclude the regular season at Branson on Thursday, weather permitting.
SENIOR NIGHT
Webb City recognized seniors Josie Spikereit, Kenzie Robbins, Austyn Mickey and Ripley Shanks.
“All four of those kids have brought something different to the table,” Coach Robbins said. “They’re great kids. It’s a great group. I’ll remember their work ethic and their overall toughness. We’re certainly going to miss them.”
DISTRICT TOURNEYS
Webb City’s girls are the No. 3 seed for the Class 5 District 6 tournament in Willard. The Cardinals take on No. 6 Bolivar at 2:30 on Saturday.
“Bolivar is going to be a tough game for us,” Robbins said. “We just look forward to the opportunity to go out and compete.”
Carthage’s girls are the fifth seed in the Class 6 District 5 tournament. The Tigers take on No. 4 Ozark at 12:30 on Saturday at Joplin High School.
FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)
