COLLEGE HEIGHTS GIRLS 43, MCAULEY 40
College Heights built a slim lead in the first quarter and held on to it through the final horn for an Ozark 7 win over McAuley on Friday.
College Heights (13-8, 5-2 Ozark 7), winners seven times in the last eight games, opened the game outscoring McAuley 11-6 in the first period and held a- six-point lead at the intermission. The Warriors cut the lead to four to start the fourth quarter and tied the game late, but a late-3-pointer from CHC’s Maddy Colin and a follow-up score by Jaylie Johnson put the Cougars up five on the way to the win.
“I have so much respect for what Coach (Mike) Howard has done with his team,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “They always play hard and defend well. We have played so many times over the last few years, and we know each other’s system quite well. That makes it really hard for our teams to execute. It’s not just a matter of knowing each other’s offenses.
“There were several momentum swings. We built a couple of seven or eight-point leads and then McAuley would make a run to close the gap. It was close the entire game. … It was that kind of back-and-forth game that could have gone either way.”
“I’m very proud of my team for the improvement they showed since the last time we played College Heights,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said to SoMo Sports. “Less than a week ago, we turned the ball over 30 times and gave up 26 offensive rebounds against them. Tonight, we only had 11 turnovers and only gave up 10 offensive rebounds. We trusted each other and played as a team. … If we can keep improving and growing as a team, it will definitely be beneficial going into districts.”
Addie Lawrence had 12 points to lead College Heights in scoring, while Johnson and Libby Fanning each finished with 10 points.
Kennedy DeRuy had a game-high 19 points, while Lily Black finished with 11 points in the loss. Avery Eminger finished with eight points for the Warriors.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS BOYS 63, MCAULEY 32
College Heights held a first-quarter advantage and ballooned the lead throughout the game en route to a Ozark 7 win over McAuley on Friday.
The Cougars (19-4, 5-0 Ozark 7) held a six-point lead after the first period before College Heights pushed the margin to 16 by the intermission. College Heights scored 15 in the third period and 12 in the fourth while holding McAuley (5-19, 0-5 Ozark 7) to 12 points total in the second half.
Miller Long led College Heights with 14 points, while Hagen Beck and Curtis Davenport each finished with nine points.
Noah Black led McAuley with eight points.
