MCAULEY GIRLS 58, SARCOXIE 41
McAuley Catholic jumped out to an early lead and methodically pulled away from Sarcoxie on Thursday to earn the win and remain perfect on the season.
The Warriors (4-0) built a 25-18 lead by the intermission and outscored the Bears in each of the final two periods to secure the win, including a 17-9 stretch over the final eight minutes..
“Well, it wasn’t pretty by any stretch,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said to SoMo Sports. “Honestly, we didn’t play very well by our standards. We had a lot of miscues and missed opportunities, but we started doing some things right in the fourth quarter and made several free throws down the stretch. I’m proud of them for that. A win is a win and we’ll take it, but we will get back to work tomorrow and try to get things ironed out before next week.”
Kayleigh Teeter led McAuley with 23 points, including a perfect 7-for-7 shooting at the free-throw line. Kennedy DeRuy added 19 to finish in double figures. Kloee Williamson added eight and Avery Eminger had six in the win.
NEOSHO BOYS 52, CLARKSVILLE 46
PEA RIDGE, Ark. — Neosho held a one-point lead at the intermission before adding some breathing room in the second half on the way to a win over Clarksville in the opening round of the Battle at the Ridge tournament.
“We played great defense to nail down the win in the fourth quarter,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said to SoMo Sports. “K’dyn Waters played great handling the ball and scoring. Carter Fenske hit two huge 3s in the fourth quarter to expand our lead. Isaiah Green, Brock Franklin and Kael Smith played great defense on their best players.”
Neosho held a 23-22 advantage before outsourcing Clarksville 14-10 in the third quarter, holding serve down the stretch to earn the win.
Waters led the way for Neosho with 23 points, including three 3-pointers. Carter Fenske added 13 points, including two 3-pointers, while Isaiah Green added nine points in the win.
Neosho plays Pea Ridge at 7 p.m. in the semifinals on Friday.
MILLER GIRLS 43, WEBB CITY 12
MILLER, Mo. — Webb City struggled offensively against a solid Miller team.
Competing against much-larger schools, Miller just won the Carthage Lady Tigers Invitational.
“We guarded well for two and a half quarters defensively, but we have to take better care of the basketball on offense and score the ball better,” Webb City coach Lance Robbins told SoMo Sports.
Sami Mancini scored seven points for Webb City.
Miller led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and 15-2 at halftime. The hosts outscored the visitors 14-5 in both the third and fourth quarters.
Webb City (2-3) will take on Bentonville West at 3:30 next Monday at the McDonald County Tournament.
MOUNT VERNON GIRLS 31, NEOSHO 19
The Mountaineers earned their first win of the season.
Mount Vernon led 10-4 at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 19-4 at intermission.
The Mountaineers outscored the Wildcats 9-0 in the third period for a 28-6 advantage.
Jolie Prescott scored 11 points for Mount Vernon, while Kadence Krempges added eight and Cameryn Cassity had six.
Reagan McInturff and Raine Harris scored five points apiece for Neosho, while Beclynn Garrett added three.
NEVADA GIRLS 59, CLINTON 44
CLINTON, Mo. — Nevada junior guard Maddy Majors erupted for 31 points and hit five 3-pointers in her team’s win.
Clara Swearingen added 10 points for Nevada, while Abbey Heathman chipped in nine.
Nevada is 5-1 on the season. The Tigers are at Logan-Rogersville on Monday.
