LEE’S SUMMIT WEST GIRLS 67, JOPLIN 49
LEBANON, Mo. — Joplin trailed 35-30 at halftime before Lee’s Summit West outscored the Eagles 22-9 in the third quarter to take control of the semifinal win in the Lebanon I44 Lady’s Classic on Friday.
“Lee’s Summit West is a good, physical team,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said to SoMo Sports. “They guard hard and shoot the ball very well. The third quarter is what got us tonight. We fell behind early in the first half and battled back to get within 3 at halftime. Back to back turnovers by us to start the second half set the tone for the third quarter. We must continue to work on eliminating those moments that either put the game out of reach or take away our leads.”
Ella Hafer led Joplin in scoring with 16 points, while Brynn Driver finished in double figures with 11. Brooke Nice had nine points and Emma Floyd finished with eight in the loss.
Joplin plays in the third-place game at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS GIRLS 53, WHEATON 36
WHEATON, Mo. — College Heights girls basketball limited Wheaton to 14 points in the second half to rally for a Ozark 7 Conference win on Friday.
Wheaton took a 22-19 advantage into halftime before College Heights (8-7, 3-0 Ozark7) outscored the Bulldogs 15-6 in the third quarter and 19-8 in the fourth quarter en route to the win.
“The game was very close throughout the first half,” CHC coach John Blankenship said to SoMo Sports. “We played good defense, but we were a little slow on our rotations and closeouts. We got that fixed at halftime. Our defensive intensity really picked up in the second half and we shot really well. That combination allowed us to outscore them 34 to 14 in the second half. Our scoring has been really balanced lately. … Wheaton is a good team, and their coach prepares them well. This was a good conference win for us.”
Addie Lawrence finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists to lead College Heights. Jayli Johnson finished with 11 points and four assists, while Libby Fanning had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Molly Long finished with seven points and nine rebounds for the Cougars.
College Heights takes on Thomas Jefferson to open up the Mercy/Warrior Classic basketball tournament at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
The College Heights boys defeated Wheaton 70-54. The CHC boys (14-3) take on the Carl Junction junior varsity team at 4 on Monday at the Mercy/Warrior Classic.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC GIRLS 66, EXETER 24
Led by a strong defensive effort, the McAuley Catholic girls basketball team rolled from the start in a lopsided 66-24 win over Exeter on Friday night.
The host Warriors led 30-4 at the end of the first quarter and the hosts were up 50-11 at halftime.
“Great defensive game tonight,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said. “Our defensive pressure allowed us to create offense and layups. We played very well in the first half. We tried to slow things down a bit in the second half and allow some of our reserves to get some game action. Overall, I’m very pleased with our performance.”
Kennedy DeRuy poured in 29 points for McAuley, while Kloee Williamson added 14 points. Also for the Warriors, Lily Black scored nine points and Avery Eminger contributed seven points.
Natalie Crumpler scored 11 points for Exeter.
McAuley, now 14-5 overall and 3-0 in conference play, will host the Mercy/Warrior Classic next week. The Warriors take on Bluejacket at 8:30 on Monday night.
EXETER BOYS 66, MCAULEY CATHOLIC 55
Exeter built a double-digit lead by halftime and held off a rally from McAuley Catholic boys basketball for a win on Friday.
Exeter led 25-15 at the intermission before McAuley cut the lead to six by the start of the fourth quarter. Exeter outscored the Warriors 19-14 down the stretch to seal the win.
Noah Black led McAuley with 16 points.
McAuley takes on Thomas Jefferson in the Mercy/Warrior Classic on Tuesday.
