SEDALIA, Mo. — Second-ranked Benton found its rhythm on both ends of the floor early to build a cushion and held Nevada at bay during the middle quarters before putting the game away down the stretch for a 53-45 win over the Tigers in the Class 4 quarterfinals on Saturday on the campus of State Fair Community College.
Nevada closes the season with a 22-7 record and graduates seniors Maddy Majors and Abbey Heathman.
Benton improves to 26-3 and is back in the Final Four for the third straight season, taking on the Central Rebels (27-3) out of Park Hills in the Class 4 semifinals in Springfield on Thursday.
Benton built a double-digit first-quarter lead thanks to strong play on both ends of the floor by the Cardinals.
While limiting Nevada to a pair of field goals over the first eight minutes of action—a score on the break by Heathman and a 3-pointer from the corner by Caylee Holcomb—Benton used 10 points in the first period from Kelsey Johnson, including a pair of 3-pointers, to go along with four points from Andrea Simmons and a 3-pointer from Peyton Anderson to fuel a 21-5 advantage to start the second quarter.
The Tigers showed fight in the second quarter. Nevada trailed by 19 after Simmons knocked down a 3-pointer to start the period before trimming the deficit to 13 by the intermission. Holcomb knocked down her second 3-ball and scored five in the second quarter, while Clara Swearingen added a field goal and Katie Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing with four seconds left in the half to make the score 31-18.
Benton started the second half on a 6-2 run thanks to a pair of baskets from Johnson and a steal by Johnson that turned into a score on the break by Avery Morlock to make the score 37-21. The Cardinals carried that 16-point lead into the fourth quarter after Morlock knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner near the 1-min mark of the third period for a 42-26 advantage.
Benton used a score on the break by Simmons and a three-point play from Anderson with 4:09 left in regulation to push the lead to more than 20 for the first time, 49-28.
Benton lifted its starters up 18 with less than two minutes to play, with Nevada scoring 10 unanswered in the waning minutes.
Heathman scored 18 points to lead Nevada, while Swearingen added nine points and Majors had seven.
Johnson led Benton with 17 points and Simmons added 15.
