ANDERSON, Mo. — The Carl Junction Bulldogs had last played Dec. 16 against Strafford.
Early on during their game on Monday against the host McDonald County Mustangs, it looked as if it had been 17 days since Carl Junction’s last game.
The Bulldogs led 13-8 after one quarter, then their offense and defense started clicking into high gear with a 26-13 second and a 30-8 third quarter feeding into a commanding 77-38 win.
“That’s what we talked about before the game,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “The beauty of having Christmas break off is spending it with faith and family, and our kids did that over Christmas break. Sometimes, the back side of that is you’re going to be a little rusty. We’ve had two good weeks of practice, but I felt like we would come out a little slow early. Once we got going about five minutes into the first quarter, we started looking much better.”
Carl Junction’s outstanding senior Destiny Buerge scored career point 2,000 with 1 minute and 15 seconds remaining in the third.
She caught fire in the third with 18 of her game-high 24 points in the penultimate quarter with a trio of trifectas, including her milestone moment, four regular field goals, and one free throw.
“Obviously, she’s quite a player,” Shorter said. “What I thought she did really well was share the ball early. She had six points at half, but I think we had her for six or seven assists in the first half. When she’s capable of doing that, we’re so good and we can do so many things with that because she has so much attention on her.
“The kids want to get her the ball back and give her that opportunity. You could tell at times they were forcing it a little bit trying to get it to her. Great kid, and I’m very happy for her.”
Carl Junction improved to 10-1 overall and the Bulldogs won for the fourth time in as many games this season played on McDonald County’s floor. The Bulldogs won the Mustang Classic back in mid-December.
“This is a good little gym and we like coming over here,” Shorter said. “Coach (Sean) Crane does a great job with his team, and we were just fortunate to get out and get some easy ones early in the third and Destiny started knocking down some shots. When she gets hot, she’s hard to cool off. I’m proud of our kids. They shared it well and we have a chance to be pretty good, if we continue to do that and play good defense and rebound.”
Carl Junction returns to action on Jan. 9 at home in the Central Ozark Conference opener against Republic, who stands at 11-1 now on the season after winning the Pink and White tournament championship.
The Mustangs, playing their first game since Dec. 14, dropped to 3-7 overall and they return to the court Saturday on the road against Archie.
CARL JUNCTION BOYS 52, MCDONALD COUNTY 43
In the nightcap, Carl Junction’s defense limited the host Mustangs to 15 points after halftime, including six in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, in a game that had not seen a lead larger than five points until the fourth, Carl Junction went ahead eight points early in the fourth after an old-fashioned three-point play by Ayden Bard, three free throws by Ky Warren after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt, and a trifecta by Bard.
Carl Junction improved to 5-5 and opened the new calendar year with a win on the road.
“We had to pick up our defense,” Carl Junction coach Justin Pock said. “They have some really good players and some really good shooters. I thought we did a better job of locating where they were and made them shoot some difficult shots. We rebounded pretty well in the second half, a lot better than we did in the first half.
“We had a couple guys that did it, and we have to score in multiple ways. We’ll take anything that we can get.
“McDonald County is a tough team. They’re a good basketball team. They’re going to have a lot of wins this year. It’s a nice challenge coming out of break. We were ready to play, and I’m glad to get it then we go into the Kaminsky tournament, which is tough.”
Carl Junction takes on Poplar Bluff (5-4) in the fourth and final game Thursday of the first day of the Kaminsky Classic hosted by Joplin High School.
The Bulldogs received 47 of their points Monday from the trio of Bard, Jett Hocut, and Warren — a game-high 19 points from Bard, 17 from Hocut, and 11 from Warren.
Lucas Vanlanduit and Wyatt McAfee each had two and Cooper Vediz added the other point.
McDonald County’s Cross Dowd scored all 10 of his points in the first half, while Sterling Woods tallied nine, Weston Gordon eight, Destyn Dowd and Toby Moore six each, and Josh Pacheco four points for the Mustangs (6-7).
The Mustangs return home Tuesday for their second of three games this week against COC schools, welcoming Webb City.
McDonald County plays on the road Thursday against Carthage.
