CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage came out with confidence on the offensive and defensive end and built a sizable lead early on the way to a 72-44 win over Waynesville in the fifth-place game of the Lady Tigers Invitational on Saturday.
Carthage (2-3) took command of the game early after coming out with the hot hand from the perimeter that led to two scoring runs and a double-digit lead by the start of the second period. Carthage pushed the lead to as much as 20 points in the second quarter and pulled away in the second half for the win.
“I thought we had great energy for about 30 of the 32 minutes,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “We demanded that of them before the game started, but we had a lull at the end of the second quarter when Kianna (Yates) went out. At halftime, we talked about how we needed more energy and it had to be for the next 16 minutes. I am really proud that they did. Thirty out of 32 minutes is a great start, and it’s better than the last two games, but now we need to go to the next level and play all 32 minutes with that energy. That will be the team we want to show people who we are.”
GAME ACTION
It didn’t take long for Carthage to convert from the perimeter as Raven Probert sank a 3-ball from the corner off the assist from Kianna Yates to kick off the scoring.
With the lead at 7-6, Carthage used an 8-0 run backed by an inside score from Yates off an inbounds pass that was followed by a 3-pointer from Lauren Choate and another by Yates to push the lead to 15-8 with 2:28 left in the period.
Waynesville (0-3) cut the lead to 15-12 after consecutive baskets from Breona Hurd before Carthage closed the period on a 10-0 run to head into the intermission with a 25-12 advantage. Presley Probert kicked off the run with back to back 3-pointers before Landry Cochran knocked down a mid-range jumper from the baseline. Presley Probert closed the run after pulling down an offensive rebound, drawing a foul on the putback attempt and making both subsequent free throws.
“I thought our depth helped,” Moore said of his team’s close to the quarter. “We are going nine or 10 deep and they only really had five or six kids that they wanted to play. I thought every quarter we had a chance to make runs at the end because they would wear down and we would be reinforcing with fresh bodies.”
A key to the run before the close to the opening quarter was the press defense by Carthage that forced Waynesville into several turnovers, with three of those turnovers turning points the other way.
Carthage pushed its lead to 20 points, 38-18, with 2:50 to play in the first half on back-to-back makes from beyond the arc by Raven Probert and Maggie Boyd.
Waynesville trimmed the lead to 12, 38-26, to start the second half after closing the second quarter on an 8-0 run.
The heat from 3-point range didn’t cool off for Carthage in the third quarter, with five of the team’s buckets in the quarter coming from the perimeter. Trisha Kanas sank a triple to make the score 49-30 before Yates drilled a 3-pointer from the wing to push the lead back to 20, 52-32, with 2:05 to play. Choate and Boyd both added 3-pointers to push the lead to 58-32 to close out the Carthage scoring in the third.
Carthage extended the lead to a game-high 31 points near the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter when Boyd made her third 3-pointer of the day to make the score 69-38.
SCORING
Carthage made 14 3-pointers as a team in the win over Waynesville. Raven Probert, Yates and Boyd all led the Tigers with three triples each. Choate and Presley Probert each converted twice from the perimeter, while Lexa Youngblood also made a 3-pointer.
“Before the season, we knew that 3s would be a skill set for us, and maybe be our best skill set,” Moore said. “If teams are going to play us in a 2-3 zone, we should probably knock down 14 3s. I am happy with that, but it’s not unexpected for me. All of those kids who knocked down multiple 3s are all shooters and we practice a ton of 3s in practice. We are not a tall team, we are a skilled team. We can shoot and handle the ball, so I am glad that showed tonight in our performance.”
Yates led Carthage in scoring with 21 points, while Presley Probert and Boyd also finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Raven Probert closed with nine points in the win.
“They should all go home pretty happy with how they performed,” Moore said of his team’s play over the weekend. “I am very happy with how they performed. So, I hope they go home happy with that. Focus on the good things and forget about the one bad thing that you did.”
Hurd led all scorers with 24 points, while Katlyn Black finished with 10 points in the loss for Waynesville.
UP NEXT
Carthage is at Springfield Central on Dec. 13.
