CARTHAGE, Mo. — Ignited by stellar perimeter shooting, Blue Eye led from start to finish en route to a convincing 56-30 victory over Miller in a Class 2 girls sectional contest on Wednesday night at Carthage High School.
Fourth-ranked Blue Eye (25-5) meets Dora (20-8) in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Republic.
Third-ranked Miller ends the season with a record of 23-4.
The hot-shooting Bulldogs built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and led 22-7 by intermission.
Miller trailed by 18 entering the fourth quarter and the Cardinals were unable to put together a late surge.
Blue Eye made 12 3-pointers in the game.
Senior guard Avery Arnold hit six treys for 18 points, while senior guard Gracyn Fairchild made four 3-pointers for 12 points.
Junior forward Samantha George also reached double figures with 10 points. Senior Riley Arnold hit two treys and scored nine.
The Cardinals were held to 10 field goals, four from long range.
Miller senior forward Kaylee Helton scored 12 points to lead the Cardinals. Classmate Payten Richardson added six points and junior forward Hailey Mart had five.
Miller struggled to generate much offense against Blue Eye’s halfcourt defense.
The Bulldogs made four 3-pointers in the first quarter, three by Avery Arnold and another from Fairchild, to take a 12-2 lead.
The Cardinals did not make a field goal in the first period and found themselves down 10 early.
Blue Eye scored the first eight points of the second quarter to extend its lead to 20-2.
After outscoring the Cardinals 10-5 in the second period, Blue Eye’s halftime advantage was 22-7.
Miller was limited to two field goals and three free throws in the first half, as the Cardinals were simply plagued by cold shooting.
The Bulldogs, who scored the first eight points of the second half, held a comfortable 37-19 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Blue Eye’s Avery Arnold hit two corner 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs a 43-19 lead.
It was one the Bulldogs would never relinquish.
Miller seniors Claudia Hadlock, Helton and Richardson saw their stellar prep careers come to an end. The foursome led the Cardinals to four district championships.
