CARTHAGE GIRLS 56, JOPLIN 31 (SEVENTH-PLACE GAME)
Carthage limited Joplin on the offensive end in the first quarter to gain the advantage and establish the momentum en route to a win in the seventh-place game to open the final day of the Freeman Lady Eagle Classic on Saturday.
The Tigers (2-4) took a 12-point lead into the second stanza and held the Eagles (1-4) to one field goal in the first eight minutes. Joplin made a run to trim the lead to 10 late in the second period before Carthage used a pair of makes from the perimeter to push the lead to 16 by the intermission. The Tigers continued to push the pace in the second half.
“I liked our defensive intensity right from the beginning,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “They run some pretty good sets on offense and our girls were reading the screen action, getting through and communicating. Communication is one of our three main pillars this year, so I was proud of how they came out with it right from the opening tip.”
After Carthage’s Trisha Kanas and Joplin’s Riley Kelly traded 3-pointers early, the Tigers took the momentum with a 12-0 run to close the opening stanza with a 15-3 advantage.
“I liked that we shot in rhythm today,” Moore said. “I think the past couple of games, we haven’t done that as much. Rhythm jumpers go down way more often. We wanted to go inside-out, so we got those early 3s because of penetration. …That was good for us because that’s how we practice. We need to see that for four quarters against the better teams we will see down the road.”
Maggie Boyd and Lauren Choate connected from beyond the arc before Ashlyn Brust drove baseline past a defender for a score at the 3:32 mark. Choate added a score in the paint to push the lead to double digits, 13-3, before Brust penetrated the lane for a layup to wrap the scoring in the first period.
Joplin found its footing offensively in the second period, using a 10-5 run to cut the lead to 10, 23-13, with 54.6 seconds to play. Alissa Owens had six points in the run, while Claire Jasper added a bucket inside before Aiyana Kroll knocked down two at the stripe to wrap the run.
The Tigers refused to allow the Eagles to trim the margin to single digits before the intermission, using back-to-back 3-pointers from Jaidyn Brunnert and Choate to go into the half with a 29-13 advantage.
“Those are a couple of juniors stepping up to hit the shots to calm the tension,” Moore said. “It gets tense when the other team makes a run. So, I was proud of those two for stepping up and comfortably pushing the lead back out for us.”
Carthage stretched its lead to more than 20 points late in the third quarter when Alexis Jenny came up with an 8-0 run on her own to give the Tigers a 42-19 lead inside the final minute. She had a 3-pointer from the top of the key, banked in a trey from the wing and added another make from the floor.
“I am impressed by her maturity over the last week or two,” Moore said of his sophomore. “It’s a big step going from freshman basketball to varsity, coming in as a sub. … Today against Joplin, she got open and her teammates found her in rhythm, and she is a great rhythm shooter. We just need to keep maturing and growing in her confidence.”
Carthage held the 20-point pace for the final eight minutes of play.
The Tigers had eight players register points in the win, with Jenny leading the way with 11 points. Choate, Brust and Kanas each finished with nine points in the win.
Alissa Owens had 12 to lead the way for Joplin in the scoring department. Ava Wolf had five, while Bailey Owens finished with four in the loss.
Carthage is at Nevada on Thursday.
Joplin is at Glendale on Tuesday.
BRANSON GIRLS 54, LEAVENWORTH (KANSAS) 41 (FIFTH-PLACE GAME)
Branson found itself trailing by the end of the first quarter only for the Pirates to rally and build a lead of their own on the way to a win in the fifth-place game of the Freeman Lady Eagle Classic on Saturday.
Down three after the first period, the Pirates doubled up the Pioneers 14-7 in the second quarter to take a two-possession lead into the intermission. Branson outscored Leavenworth 17-9 in the third quarter to build a double-digit lead the Pioneers wouldn’t rally back from.
Rylie Hagston led Branson with 14 points, while Ellison Mehrhoff finished with 11. Macie Rogers and Taylor Foster each scored nine points in the win.
Leavenworth was led in scoring by Eva Clements’ 12 points, with Kylee West adding 10 points in the loss. Makiya Baker scored eight points.
ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
Ashley Alverson, Blue Valley North
Brenna Burk, Russellville
Jaliya Davis, Blue Valley North
Taylor Foster, Branson
Kylie Scott, Carl Junction
Aubrey Shaw, Blue Valley North
Shyisha Willis, Russellville
