College Heights Christian girls basketball graduated a trio of integral seniors last year, tasking John Blankenship with replacing that production while continuing the successful run his program has had as he enters his 25th year as a head coach.
The Cougars are coming off a 17-12 campaign that saw CHC finish with a 5-1 record in the Ozark 7 Conference. However, College Heights lost several key pieces from last season—PG Jayli Johnson, G Lauren Ukena and G/F Addie Lawrence.
“We lost three great seniors last year,” Blankenship said. “They will be hard to replace. We will be young at the guard position. There will be a period of growth, but each of them are very athletic, quick and ready to work hard. If we stay healthy, I think we will surprise several teams this year. I believe we will create the necessary team chemistry quickly and will be very competitive this year.”
Fortunately, the Cougars return plenty of varsity minutes to help the transition to the younger players stepping into larger roles.
Leading the list of lettermen coming back for CHC are returning starters Maddy Colin (F/G), co-Ozark 7 Conference Player of the Year Libby Fanning (F) and Ava Lett (G).
Colin is a senior, while Fanning and Lett are juniors.
“Maddy is a strong post player that provides rebounding on both ends of the court,” Blankenship said. “She has a strong offensive post presence, but also has the ability to play on the perimeter and give us another 3-point shooter.
“Libby is a 6-foot post player who averaged double-digit points and rebounds last year. She is an outstanding post player who can also step out and hit 3-point shots. She will be a tough matchup for teams.
“Ava is our shooting guard, and she continues to get better every year. She has the potential to be one of the best 3-point shooters in our conference. We are hoping she can extend defenses further on the perimeter with her shooting and open things up inside for Libby and our other post players.”
Of course, with that much experience returning to the paint, it’s no surprise that is where the strength will be for College Heights. Their size and skill inside will be a mismatch for teams.
Also returning with varsity experience is senior Avery Schumaker (F), juniors Kinley Marsh (F) and Molly Long (F), and sophomores Jesalin Bever (PG), Karly Dorris (G) and Allie Stout (G/F).
“We have very good height and strength with our post players, and great quickness with our guards,” Blankenship said when asked about his team’s prospects this season. “I’ve had success the last several years of getting players to buy into the vision. I fully expect this group to do the same. Additionally, they will be unified, they will work hard, and they will play and practice with integrity.
“Integrity, work ethic, being a presence that sets a tone, being mentally tough, and being coachable are critical to any team’s success. Integrity binds all of those characteristics together and creates layers of trust and team growth. We have those traits in place. If we can develop our skills quickly, the potential for a great season is there even after losing three awesome seniors last year.”
Of course, with a bit of a youth movement going on this season for College Heights, the Cougars who are getting their first real taste of heavy varsity minutes will need time to get comfortable with the change of pace. Coach Blankenship believes when the cohesiveness arrives, consistent play and wins will follow.
“Staying healthy, being able to adjust to new offensive and defensive systems, and having athletes that didn’t see a lot of playing time last year able to learn quickly,” Blankenship said when asked the keys to success for CHC this season. “These are athletic players that are so coachable. I think we will do pretty well this year.”
College Heights opens the season on Nov. 21 against Rush.
What better way to prepare for a postseason that is less than a month away than by testing yourself on the road against one of your area rivals, who is also a district and conference foe as well?
Thomas Jefferson’s Macie Shifferd passes the ball during the Cavaliers’ conference and district win over College Heights on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
After already boasting an impressive start to the season, Thomas Jefferson faced that adversity head on in the form of rival College Heights and the Cavaliers came out with a scrappy win in five thrilling sets—18-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22 and 15-12—over the Cougars on Thursday at the CHC Athletic Facility.
“The girls wanted this so badly,” Thomas Jefferson coach Emily Burdick said. “They haven’t beaten (College Heights) in years. It was quite an emotional win. They wanted it more than anything and they dug deep to give me 100 percent. That is all I can ask for in matches like this.”
The win gives Thomas Jefferson a 16-3 record on the season and puts the Cavaliers in the driver’s seat of the Ozark 7 Conference with a 4-0 record. The loss drops the Cougars to 9-9-3, 2-1 in conference play.
“We have two more conference games and we want the first seed in district,” Burdick continued about her team’s goals the rest of the way. “I think that is where we’re headed right now, but this win completely changes the momentum of our season. I think we are only going to go up from here.”
BUMP, SET, HISTORY
College Heights senior Maddy Colin earns an assist in the second set of the Cougars’ matchup with Thomas Jefferson. Colin became the only CHC player in program history to surpass 2,000 career assists during the set. Photo by Israel Perez.
During the second set, College Heights senior setter Maddy Colin entered the school’s history books after surpassing the 2,000-career assists mark. Colin is the only Cougar to accomplish that feat in school history and is currently the all-time career assists leader with 2,026.
“She has been really blessed to have amazing teammates over her career,” College Heights coach Mary Colin, also Maddy’s mother, said. “It is really, really fun to watch her play because she is a very unselfish player. She gives the ball a lot. Even this year—she is an offensive threat, but she will still give the ball and give the ball.
“She has a lot of range and you will see her throw the ball 30 feet across the net or backset it 25 feet across the net. A lot of people have told me they like watching her play, and I have to agree. She is calm, cool and collected. She never gets too high or too low and is pretty content. That is pretty important as a setter to be able to stay calm and run the offense whether we are up or down.”
FIFTH AND FINAL SET
The fifth set was a microcosm of the heated conference and district matchup—playing out to a 4-4 tie early before TJ jumped in front with two points.
Colin earned a block to cut CHC’s deficit to 6-5 before Cavaliers’ sideout led to a three-point service run from Lannah Grigg, which included a kill from Alexis Stamps and two more from Gabbi Hiebert, to put TJ in front 10-5.
“They are my leaders on the court,” Burdick said of Hiebert and Griggs’ play. “We are a hitting, blocking team. That is what we are super strong in. Whenever they step up, it changes the momentum of the game. They are great leaders. We needed that and they did it for us.”
CHC’s Bailey Peeples earned a sideout kill and the Cougars made the score 10-8 on a kill by Toryn Fink. After trading sideouts, the Cougars used two attack errors on TJ to tie the set at 11-all.
Thomas Jefferson rebounded with a kill from Macie Shifferd to force a sideout before Hiebert earned back to back kills with Leah Studer in service to give the Cavaliers the momentum with a 14-11 advantage.
Fink earned a sideout kill for CHC, but Thomas Jefferson returned the favor on the next point to clinch the set and the match.
HOW THEY GOT THERE
College Heights gained the advantage in the opening set after a pair of early five-point service runs by Colin and Allie Stout staked the Cougars to a 14-4 lead with all of the momentum.
Thomas Jefferson’s Gabbi Hiebert returns a serve during the Cavaliers’ win over College Heights on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Colin had an ace, while Katie Moss and Peeples each had kills in the run. Stout also had an ace in her run, while Karly Dorris had a block and Fink added a kill.
From there, both teams traded back and forth, with the Cougars never relinquishing the lead en route to the opening-set victory.
“These girls, we have talked all year about how they are not 6-foot-4,” Coach Colin said of her team’s start in the opening set. “We are just a regular group of girls. So, they have to do a lot of little things well to make up for not being super tall. You are going to see a lot of well-placed balls, a lot of teamwork and communication and then just fight, fight, fight.”
Down 3-1 early in the second set, Thomas Jefferson rallied by scoring 12 of the next 16 points to take a 13-8 advantage. Grigg had three kills during that span, with Hiebert garnering two kills and a block.
“We came out a little nervous and were not ready to compete,” Burdick said of the Cavs’ start. “We came out ready to compete in the second set … We came out and were more aggressive at the net, which is where we were lacking in the first set.”
Thomas Jefferson built the lead to as much as seven late on a block from Hiebert to make the score 20-13, and eventually 24-18 before CHC rallied late with a sideout kill from Peeples before and a four-point run in service from Lilly Plassman to trim the Cougars’ deficit to one, 24-23.
The Cavaliers ended the rally with a kill from Grigg to even the match at 1-1.
The Cougars took the momentum back in a third set that was again back and forth, with TJ taking the initial lead before CHC rallied back midway through to lead 16-14 before a kill from Fink pushed the lead to three, 17-14. Fink had back to back kills later in the set to put CHC in front 21-16.
CHC took a 23-18 lead on a sideout kill from Carolynn Satterlee before a kill from Colin and a kill from Peeples ended the game in the Cougars’ favor.
College Height libero Lilly Plassman passes the ball during the Cougars’ matchup with Thomas Jefferson on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Thomas Jefferson did just as it did earlier in the even when trailing, taking control of the fourth set midway through before holding off College Heights late to force the fifth set.
With TJ up one, the Cavaliers scored 11 of the next 16 points to build a 17-11 advantage. Shifferd had two kills in the spurt, while Maggie Sutton had a kill and an ace.
CHC rallied to cut the lead to 19-15 on a kill from Peeples before TJ answered with five of the next six points, including kills from Sutton and Mary Nguyen, a block-kill from Hiebert and an ace from Shifferd, to lead 24-16.
The Cougars refused to go away, however, with a sideout kill from Satterlee leading to a five-point service run from Christa Miller to cut the TJ advantage to 24-22 before the Cavaliers put the game away on a kill from Nguyen.
STATS
Hiebert finished with 17 kills, 13 blocks and nine digs, while Grigg closed with 14 kills, seven digs, five blocks and two aces. Nguyen added 23 assists, 13 digs, three kills and an ace, while Nayab Rehman had 20 digs. Shifferd contributed 14 digs, seven kills and an ace, while Sutton had 29 digs and two kills. Studer had 13 assists and 10 digs for Thomas Jefferson.
Colin finished with 40 assists, 27 digs and five kills. Fink had 18 kills, while Plassman totaled 51 digs. Stout had 21 digs and three aces, with Moss finishing with 18 digs.
UP NEXT
Thomas Jefferson takes part in the Southwest Volleyfest over the weekend in Washburn.
After a one-win campaign in College Heights Christian’s inaugural season a year ago, the Cougar football program has already surpassed last season’s win total with a 2-0 start to 2023 following a thrilling 66-60 victory over Orrick in 8-man action on Friday at Joplin High School.
“This is a huge win for us,” first-year CHC head coach John Lucas said. “Was it perfect? No, by no means. Talking to the kids, I told them we are raising the bar and I feel like that is what we’ve done. We still need to clean up the mistakes and play a little bit more sound football, but I honestly believe in these kids, their abilities and their love for each other. They love each other and they love Christ. I don’t think there is a ceiling for this team.”
“We are just building on what we started last year,” Lucas, who was an assistant last year, added. “Our kids hadn’t been in the weight room, and that was one of the big things. We got into the weight room (this offseason) and got stronger. You have to give credit to the kids because they didn’t know what a weight program was last year. This year, we’ve closed that gap a little bit on how physical and how strong we are compared to everybody else.”
The Cougars, trailing 44-36 at the intermission, took possession out of the locker room and tied the game up promptly when junior QB Logan Decker found senior Colsen Dickens for a 60-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the third quarter to make the score 44-44.
“That was huge,” Lucas said about tying it early in the second half. “I told them there was going to be some adversity. There was, and it went back and forth. I really believe that these kids are just as good as (Orrick), we just needed to minimize the mistakes. We did that in the second half.”
Orrick went back up on a 3-yard keeper from senior QB Jonathon Harris before pushing the lead to 60-44 on an 11-yard score by Miller.
Decker found room after evading the rush in the backfield and ripped off a 66-yard rushing score to trim the lead to one possession again, 60-52, with 10:48 left in the game.
College Heights’ defense came up big in the second half, forcing the Bearcats into a punt early before back-to-back turnover-on-downs late in the fourth quarter gave the Cougars’ offense a chance at the tie.
“The defense was awesome,” Lucas said. “We knew (Orrick) was bigger than us, so we had to play team football. We had to get three or four guys to the ball on every play, and that’s what we did.”
College Heights tied the game back up for the first time since the first play of the second half when Decker heaved a pass downfield to senior Caleb Quade, who made a circus grab on a jump ball before turning up field and galloping for a 54-yard passing score with 2:45 left in regulation to make the score 60-60. Sophomore Cannon Miller completed the 2-point conversion pass to Decker on some throwback trickeration.
“He was awesome,” Lucas said of Quade’s catch late. “He is just a natural athlete but he also works hard. It is cool to see someone who works as hard as he does come out and have the success he does because he deserves it.”
After the defense came up clutch once more by forcing another Bearcat punt, College Heights took possession for the final time with 1:06 to play.
Decker found Miller for a 25-yard completion to get the Cougars in rhythm before the two hooked again shortly after for another big play, only in the opposite fashion.
Like the 2-point conversion earlier that tied things up, Miller took a handoff and stalled in the backfield, allowing Decker to get downfield as a receiver. Miller heaved a pass down the near sideline with Decker reaching out and making a fingertip catch before sprinting his way to the end zone for a 37-yard go-ahead touchdown with 24 seconds left to put CHC on top for good.
“It was just athletes making plays,” Lucas said of the throwback pass. “It really is a testament to how hard (Logan) works. He pays attention to the details in everything he does, from the weight room to the practice field to the game field.”
College Heights and Orrick spent the first half putting points up in bunches.
The Cougars scored on all but two possessions, with the Bearcats converting for points on every possession but one. While the score was 44-36 at the midway point, it was obvious each possession was critical in a one-score game.
For Orrick, Harris had a 29-yard passing score to senior Lucas Walker in the first half, while Jaxon Miller highlighted the first two quarters for the Bearcats with a 19-yard rushing score, a 5-yard score on the ground and a 3-yard rushing touchdown. Junior Jeff Rohde added a 14-yard rushing touchdown and a kick-return touchdown.
Decker threw a 20-yard touchdown to Quade early in the first half before the two hooked up for a 55-yard touchdown late in the first half to trim the lead to the halftime score. Decker added a 51-yard touchdown after avoiding the initial rush and finding the edge. Junior Levi Durling added a 4-yard rushing score and senior Matt Williams, who also had a key sack on the defensive end during Orrick’s lone empty possession, had a 55-yard touchdown to wrap the Cougars’ first-half scoring.
College Heights is at Greenfield for its Week 3 matchup.
McAuley Catholic took second place in the Class 1 District 3 golf tournament at the par-71 Schifferdecker Golf Course to qualify the entire Warriors team for the state tournament.
“It was a great day,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said. “I was worried we weren’t going to be able to get this in with all of the rain. The guys played well today. This was our best team total that we’ve had all year. Playing the best at the end of the year is what you want. For us to go to state as a team is a huge accomplishment.”
McAuley totaled 358 as a squad, finishing behind Lockwood (354) for the top spot. The Warriors also finished with three all-district golfers. Evan Damour was the top local finisher with a seventh-place showing after a round of 86. Rocco Bazzano-Joseph tied for eighth with an 87, while Bradley Wagner finished in 10th with an 88. Trey Martinez carded a 97 and Liam Buerge scored a 110.
“It’s really big,” Witt said when asked what it meant to qualify the entire McAuley team. “These guys have worked really hard to this point. For our two seniors (Damour, Martinez) to go out with a team trip to state, that is a huge accomplishment for them and their hard work. To make
Also earning all-district honors and qualifying for the state tournament was College Heights’ Logan Decker, who finished in a tie for 11th place with an 89.
Pierce City’s Tyler Johnson also advanced after tying for 18th place overall with a 92.
Also scoring for the Cougars were Corbin Cronenwett (95), Hudson Clevenger (107), Gavin Doll (108) and Anderson Smith (121).
The Class 1 State Tournament will be played at the Country Club of Missouri in Columbia on May 15-16.
“I don’t want them to freak out and to enjoy the moment,” Witt said when asked what he wants to see from a team effort at the state tournament. “I don’t know when the last time a McAuley team has qualified for state, or if we ever have. We are going to enjoy it and take it one shot at a time.”
PIERCE CITY, Mo. — Pierce City scored early and often and held off a furious rally late in a 14-12 win over College Heights on Friday.
The Cougars (2-5) jumped in front with two runs in the top of the first inning before the Eagles (6-2) rallied in a big way with three runs in the first inning, one in the second and three more in the third to take a 7-2 lead. CHC added a single tally in the fourth before Pierce City scored four times in the bottom half. The Cougars scored four times in the fifth only to see the Eagles answer with three of their own. College Heights scored five times in its last at-bat to climb within two runs of the lead before making the final out with the tying run at the plate.
Lucas Knight earned the win for Pierce City after allowing six runs, two earned, on eight hits, three walks and two strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Smoke Ezell took the loss after allowing 12 runs, 11 earned, on seven hits, five walks and two strikeouts in four innings of work.
Carson Jespersen had two hits, including a double, and four RBI to lead Pierce City. Clayton Raley had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored, while Layton Mack had two hits, scored twice and drove in one.
Josh Anderson, Kelton Welch and Phillip Thompson each had three hits for College Heights. Welch had an RBI and scored twice, while Anderson scored three times. Caleb Evans had two hits and three RBI, and Ben Thomass added two hits in the loss.
College Heights (with McAuley) took control early and held off Miller for a win on Tuesday.
The Cougars (4-0) scored in the first inning when Maddy Colin picked up an RBI on a groundout.
Aaliyah Perez pushed the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run single to center field.
College Heights ultimately took a 4-0 lead when Allie Stout singled home Lauren Ukena with two outs in the last of the sixth inning.
Miller rallied with two runs touching home in the top of the seventh but that would be as close to the lead that the Cardinals would get.
Colin dominated in the circle, earning the win after allowing two unearned runs on four hits, a walk and 17 strikeouts in a complete-game effort of seven innings.
Jayli Johnson had two hits and scored a run for CHC, while Kloee Williamson had a hit and scored a run. Perez had a hit and drove in two. Ukena had a hit and scored, while Stout had a hit and drove in one.
College Heights is at Lamar on Tuesday.
DIAMOND 8, LIBERAL 2
DIAMOND, Mo. — Diamond hung eight runs on the board in the first three innings on the way to a win over Liberal (with Bronaugh) on Monday.
The Wildcats (15-3) scored twice in the first inning before adding three runs in the second inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Grace Frazier.
Diamond took control for good in the third inning when Emilee Shallenburger connected for a three-run home run to left with one out in the frame.
Lauren Turner earned the win in the circle for Diamond after allowing one run on three hits, two walks and nine strikeouts in four innings. Sara Roszell allowed one unearned run on two hits, a walk and five strikeouts in three relief innings.
Kyla Porter took the loss after allowing eight runs, seven earned, on eight hits, four walks and four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
The Wildcats totaled nine hits, with Marissa DeJager leading the way with two hits and a run scored. Frazier and Roszell each doubled, while Shallenburger homered. Frazier finished with two runs and two RBI, while Shallenburger had three RBI and a run scored.
Ellaina LaNear had two hits, an RBI and scored a run for Liberal (4-6). Katelyn Wallace doubled and drove in a run. Bailey Couch also doubled and scored a run.
The College Heights Christian Cougars opened their 2023 season with a 8-3 win on Wednesday against the Springfield Catholic Irish at the Gene Bassman Softball Complex within the Joplin Athletic Complex.
College Heights junior pitcher Maddy Colin struck out 17 Springfield Catholic batters and finished with two hits allowed as well as two walks.
College Heights scored at least one run during six times at bat with three in the third, two in the fifth, and one in the first, second, and sixth innings.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to get out on the field and play against another team,” College Heights coach Mike Howard said. “We’re just overjoyed to be out here playing softball again. Any time you have a first game of the year, there’s going to be jitters, and we have a lot of new girls too, so a lot of them were nervous at the beginning but I think they came into their own there as the game progressed and they got more comfortable. We did a good job for the most part offensively, baserunning was good, so I was proud of them.”
Springfield Catholic plated single runs in the third, fifth, and seventh.
“Springfield Catholic’s got a nice team, and they did a great job over there,” Howard said. “They have a couple good pitchers and some good hitters. They battled up there and made Maddy work for it tonight. Tip your cap to them, they’re going to have a fine season. I feel like we came out and did the things we needed to do to go ahead there.”
Colin entered her junior season with a 34-9 career record, an 1.33 ERA, and 478 strikeouts and 30 walks.
She boosted her career numbers to 35 wins, 495 strikeouts, and 32 walks after only the first game of her junior season.
“She did a great job tonight,” Howard said. “She stayed on top with her pitching. I’m proud of her for coming out first game of the year and pitching as good as she did.”
Kloee Williamson, who doubled and scored a run, Aaliyah Perez and Allie Stout each had two hits in the win for the Cougars. Stout picked up an RBI, while Perez scored once and drove in one. Kallie Spencer had a hit, an RBI and a run scored, while Colin also recorded a hit and an RBI.
College Heights, who partners with McAuley Catholic in softball and won a district title in 2021, enters the season unranked in Class 2 and the Cougars’ loaded district includes the two top-ranked teams in the state, No. 1 and defending state champion Diamond and No. 2 Mount Vernon.
The Cougars are 37-9 overall during their past two seasons and saw a 15-win improvement from 3-12 in 2019 to 18-4 in 2021.
College Heights returns to action Friday on the road against Riverton (Kansas), an opponent the Cougars are 3-4 overall against dating back to the 2015 season.
College Heights played a JV game Wednesday, something new for the Cougars this season.
“Last couple years, we’ve only had just enough for varsity,” Howard said. “(Assistant coach) John (Blankenship) has done a good job recruiting girls from College Heights to just come and give softball a try. Come out and have fun, and who knows you may enjoy it. We’ve got a lot of girls out this year. A lot of them are new for the first time, but it’s nice to be able to get out here and play some JV games and get them acclimated to the speed of the game. We want to be able to teach them through JV games and how they’re able to progress.”
College Heights baseball has the luxury of relying on a key aspect of the game for the upcoming 2023 season that mosts teams aren’t foturnate enough to have—experience.
The Cougars, who finished with a 6-13 record last season, boast a large returning class of 10 student-athletes who either started or logged extensive varsity innings from a year ago, giving CHC elevated hopes for competing at a high level this upcoming season.
“We are excited to see our growth from last spring,” College Heights coach Phillip Jordan said. “We are still a relatively young team, but our younger players gained valuable varsity experience last season. We are a year older, a year stronger and a more-confident team.
“We hope to be competitive every day we step on the field. We have the talent to compete with every team on our schedule. The key will be to find consistency in all areas of the game.”
After graduating one senior from last year’s team, College Heights has two seniors this season—P/IF Ben Thomas and CF Bo Sitton. The Cougars also have a pair of juniors in SS Kelton Welch and DH Caleb Evans.
The bulk of the CHC roster is made up of returning sophomores—3B Josh Anderson, 2B Jayce Walker, C Smoke Ezell, RF Austin Miller, LF Phillip Thomson and 1B Kaleb Kennedy.
Joining College Heights at the varsity level this year is sophomore 2B Caleb Hipple and freshmen OFs Owen Horton and Jace Bowen.
The strength of this year’s College Heights team figures to come at the plate. With so many bats returning to the lineup, improving upon last year’s offense—which showed growth throughout the year—will certainly be an anchor in 2023.
“We have a chance to be an above average offensive team,” Jordan said. “Our guys have put in good work in the offseason and I expect more production on the offensive side this spring. We also have good speed that can put pressure on the defense. Our leadership has improved greatly. Players are understanding their roles and accepting those roles.”
As far as the lineup goes, Ezell and Kennedy figure to be table setters, with Walker, Anderson and Horton in the middle of the order and Miller, Evans and Thomas rounding things out.
What areas of the game will the Cougars need to show the most improvement from last year if they want to reach their goals for the season? That would be getting better on the defensive end and building depth and gaining confidence on the mound. Thomas will anchor the rotation, with Ezell, Anderson and Miller figuring to see plenty of starts as well behind him. Welch, Walker and Kennedy will see innings out of the bullpen.
“We need to improve defensively,” Jordan said. “We had too many errors last year. Our kids have the ability, we need to bring the right focus and mindset day in and day out.”
“We also need to improve our pitching depth,” Jordan added. “We know what we have in Ben as our No. 1, but our other pitchers need to improve their consistency in the zone. We have put an emphasis on hitting our spits and competing in the strike zone this season.
College Heights opens the season at home with a matchup against El Dorado Springs on March 21.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — College Heights girls basketball saw its season come to an end after the Cougars fell 57-41 to Fordland in the Class 2 sectional round of the state tournament on Tuesday at Carthage High School.
College Heights senior Jayli Johnson pulls up for a jumper during the Cougars’ sectional matchup with Fordland on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
The Cougars trailed by five heading into the second period before the Eagles (21-8) started the quarter on a 10-0 run and ultimately took a 16-point lead into the intermission. College Heights fought to cut the lead to 10 to start the fourth before the Eagles pulled away down the stretch.
“We watched a lot of film on Fordland but their guards were a lot quicker than what I could see on film,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “We struggled in our man-to-man defense tonight, which we don’t normally do. We shifted to a triangle-and-two, and that was very effective. It allowed us to get back into the game a little bit. … but we still struggled shooting.”
ALL GOOD THINGS
College Heights closes the season with a 17-12 record after going to the sectional round of the state playoffs for the third time in school history. The Cougars graduate seniors Jayli Johnson, Addie Lawrence and Lauren Ukena.
“We were here in 1998 and then there was a long dry spell,” Blankenship said. “We have been to five straight district championships and won two out of those five. There has been a lot of consistency over the last five or six years with our athletes and our program, which is exactly the direction we want to head in. It is a special group of kids who are very united. I love these seniors to death. They are all great kids and great athletes. It’s not the way we wanted to finish, but we are grateful to have had the opportunity to get back here.”
Libby Fanning puts up a shot from inside against Fordland on Tuesday night at Carthage High School. Photo by Israel Perez.
“They’ve set the bar high,” Blankenship added about his trio of seniors. “They come in and work hard every single day in practice. They lead by example and are very encouraging. They’re great role models for our underclassmen, and I hope they pick that up next year. We wouldn’t be where we are without these seniors. They’ve played in four straight district title games and been to sectionals twice. They’ve accomplished so much and have a lot to be proud of.”
GAME ACTION
College Heights trailed 16-11 heading into the second quarter when Fordland scored 10 unanswered points out of the break to boost it’s lead to 26-11 with less than two and a half minutes expired.
Mikah Suter had a pair of baseline scores inside for the Eagles, while Emma Trotter added a pair of scores off the drive during the surge.
CHC junior Maddy Colin shoots a jumper during the Cougars’ sectional loss to Fordland on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Fordland used a 3-pointer from MacKenzie Haskins with 1:22 to play in the first half to push the lead to 20 for the first time, 37-17.
College Heights closed the first half with baskets from Johnson and Libby Fanning to trim the deficit to 37-21 by the intermission.
The Cougars spent the third quarter whittling the lead down to 10 points, 41-31, on a score in the paint at the buzzer by Maddy Colin.
College Heights was unable to find the momentum on offense in the final eight minutes of action.
After Fordland and CHC traded baskets in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, the Eagles used a 3-pointer from Katlyn Fries before Shelby Thomason had back to back buckets inside to push the lead to 17, 50-33, midway through the fourth quarter. Fordland carried that pace to the finish line.
SCORING LEADERS
Trotter led Fordland with 15 points, while Haskins and Thomason each finished with 10. Suter scored eight.
Fanning led College Heights with a game-high 17 points. Colin and Lawrence each finished with six, while Johnson had four.
CHC senior Addie Lawrence connects from long range in the Cougars’ sectional loss to Fordland in Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
College Heights girls basketball is headed back to the sectional round of the Class 2 state tournament for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
The Cougars (17-11) spent the first half of the Class 2 District 12 title game building a double-digit cushion and spent the second half making sure Pierce City (15-14) couldn’t string enough possessions together on offense to make a serious run at the lead. College Heights ultimately pulled away for a 55-42 win in the championship round over the Eagles on Saturday inside the CHC Athletic Facility.
“It means everything,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “I wanted this so badly for our kids because they’ve worked so hard. This was one of our goals for the season. To see their daily work, showing up and being consistent in practice, working hard, giving the extra effort, watching game film together at lunch, sacrificing a lot of free time—it was all for this moment.
“I could not be more proud of our kids. They played well and were consistent tonight. The defense was great. … We didn’t press a whole lot tonight, and that was by design … but our defense has been key to our success all season long. The entire team played great defense tonight. … It is special and helped us keep that lead tonight.”
SECTIONAL BOUND
College Heights takes on Fordland (20-8) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the sectional round at Carthage High School.
STAT LEADERS
Seniors Jayli Johnson and Addie Lawrence led CHC in scoring with 12 points apiece. Johnson finished with five assists and two steals, while Lawrence sank four 3-pointers and six rebounds. Junior Maddy Colin and sophomore Libby Fanning each scored 11 points in the win, while senior Lauren Ukena added six. Fanning had 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double.
Senior Madi Tindell had 20 points to lead Pierce City, while senior Olivia Stanphill had nine and senior Keishia Delgado scored eight in the loss.
GAME ACTION
College Heights used a 12-4 run to close out the first period to build a seven-point lead heading into the second period.
Ukena kicked off the run with a steal for a layup on the break the other way to give the Cougars a 6-5 lead, the fourth lead change of the game to that point. Johnson added a score on the drive before Delgado drove in for a bucket to trim the CHC lead to 8-7. College Heights buried back to back 3-pointers from Lawrence in the corner and Fanning at top of the key, with Johnson garnering assists on both perimeter makes, to put CHC on top 14-7. The Cougars ultimately went into the second quarter with a 16-9 advantage.
“It built some momentum for us, but it built our confidence more than anything,” Blankenship said. “Pierce City is a very good basketball team, so we knew it was going to be a tough game. When you extend that lead a little bit, it gives you a little breathing room. If you make a mistake or two, it’s not too costly. Getting that lead early was important.”
Johnson scored on the drive to open the second quarter before jumping a passing lane for a layup the other way in transition to give College Heights its first double-digit lead, 20-9. Fanning passed out of a double team to find Lawrence in the corner for a 3-pointer moments later to put the Cougars on top 23-11 with 5:15 left in the first half.
College Heights took a 27-16 lead into the intermission, and pushed the margin to 15 points early in the second half on an inside score from Colin before she added a charity at the stripe. Ukena earned a steal for a score on the break to put CHC up 34-19 at the 4:31 mark. Ava Lett converted from the perimeter shortly after for a 37-21 cushion.
“We talked about it at halftime—we played well in the first half, but it’s a 32-minute game and not a 16-minute game,” Blankenship said of his team’s start to the third quarter. “I told them we could not be content with what we did in the first half and that the first three minutes of the third quarter would be crucial. They listened. We came out and played well in the first three minutes and built that lead. That was significant.”
Pierce City didn’t go away. The Eagles scored the final four buckets of the third quarter to trim their deficit to single digits. Stanphill highlighted the run with two baskets, which included an inside score with 2.3 seconds left to cut the Cougars’ lead to 37-29 with one quarter to play.
Pierce City’s Macie Crowther grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback score with less than seven minutes to play to get the Eagles within six of the lead, 39-33.
Lawrence buried a 3-pointer from the wing, Fanning grabbed an offensive rebound on the front end of a one-and-one and took it back up for a scoring inside and Johnson added a score on the break off an Eagles’ turnover to swing the momentum back in the Cougars’ favor, giving College Heights a 46-33 lead. After two charities from Pierce City, Lawrence again converted from long range for CHC for a 49-35 cushion near the four-minute mark
“Our senior leadership with Addie, Jayli and Lauren tonight was incredible,” Blankenship said when asked about his team’s ability to hold off the Eagles down the stretch. “They set the tone with their leadership out on the floor and by taking great shots. Addie hit some huge 3-pointers for us tonight, Jayli was very aggressive with the ball and Lauren’s defense was great. Our seniors led us tonight.
“They did very well, and of course Libby is always a force inside. We had some girls come off the bench to give us some key minutes, Ava Lett hit a big shot for us. Everyone contributed for us.”
Pierce City cut the lead to single digits one last time, 49-40, with 2:44 left in regulation, but the Cougars iced the game at the free-throw line down the stretch after converting six times in eight attempts at the stripe inside the final two and a half minutes of action. Johnson had two makes, while Colin was responsible for the final four free throws in the win.
“Obviously, that was huge,” Blankenship said of the conversion rate at the free-throw line late. “We didn’t shoot quite as well in the first half of the game but when the pressure was on, they stepped to the line and knocked down some key shots. That’s what you want your upperclassmen and leaders to do, and they did it. That was the difference tonight.”
An early suffocating effort on defense coupled with an efficient output on the offensive end by top-seeded College Heights Christian fueled the Cougars to a big lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 62-34 win over fifth-seeded Purdy in the Class 2 District 12 semifinals on Thursday.
CHC’s Libby Fanning scores inside during the Cougars’ first-quarter onslaught against Purdy on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
College Heights (16-11) forced a bevy of turnovers in the first quarter, which ultimately led to plenty of easy baskets the other way and a 23-point advantage for the Cougars heading into the second period. CHC carried that momentum into halftime and pushed the lead to more than 30 over the Eagles (5-23) in the third quarter, keeping pace down the stretch in the win.
“We played really well from the start,” CHC coach John Blankenship said. “I was a little concerned because it has been a week since we last played. That’s the downside of having a bye, but they’ve been pretty focused in practice the last week. We talked about making sure we came out mentally sharp and ready to play. I thought they responded to that really well.
“We scored 27 points in the first quarter and pulled off the trap in the second quarter, so our defensive intensity dropped a little bit. We had a little conversation about that at halftime and they came out and picked it up in the third quarter.
“Overall, I was really pleased with how we played. We got some kids on the bench some minutes and got our starters some rest. We have a couple of nagging injuries, so it was nice to give them a little bit of a rest.”
DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP
With the win, College Heights is back in the district championship game for the fifth straight season. The Cougars square off against Pierce City at 6 p.m. on Saturday inside the College Heights Christian Athletic Complex.
“I want them to be consistent,” Blankenship said when asked what he wants to see from his girls in the title game. “If we are playing defense, moving the ball well and knocking down open shots, we are going to play with most teams. Pierce City is a very quality program and is coached well. They know us and we know them pretty well, so it will be a tough matchup.”
GAME ACTION
The tone on the defensive end was set in the first several minutes of action for College Heights, as the Cougars went to the trap early and forced Purdy into six turnovers over the first four minutes. The barrage of extra possessions turned into a 12-2 start through the first half of the opening period of play.
“Jayli (Johnson) and Lauren (Ukena), our guards, do such a good job of putting a lot of pressure on the ball and forcing turnovers, which allows us to get out in our transition game,” Blankenship said. “Our defense usually initiates our offense.”
CHC’s Jayli Johnson passes for an assist during the Cougars’ win over Purdy in the district semifinals on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
While the Cougar defense was wreaking havoc on the Eagles’ offense, CHC forward Libby Fanning was giving Purdy fits on the offensive end—with most of her dominance coming inside the paint. Fanning had 13 points on six field goals in the first quarter of action.
“She is a force inside,” Blankeship said of Fanning. “We knew we would have an advantage inside tonight, so that was our plan—to pound it inside. We have been working with her on reading a defense, when to kick it out or when to take it back up. She has gotten so much better at that.”
After the 12-2 start, CHC closed the opening period on a 15-2 run to take a 27-4 advantage after the first eight minutes of play. Aside from Fanning, Ava Lett and Addie Lawrence each knocked down 3-pointers, while Jayli Johnson, Allie Stout and Kinley Marsh all got on the scoreboard in the opening period.
College Heights held its 20-plus-point cushion advantage into halftime and accelerated out of the break. The Cougars started the second half on a 11-4 advantage to build their first 30-point margin.
Johnson highlighted the run with back-to-back steals, finishing one off for a layup on the break and dishing to Maddy Colin for a transition bucket following the second swipe. Colin added another basket in transition at the four-minute mark before Lauren Ukena scored on the break on the next possession to push the lead to 47-15.
“One thing you can count on from Jayli is 100 percent effort on both ends of the floor regardless of how tired she is,” Blankenship said of his senior guard. “Her character and integrity allows her to push through things. Her speed on defense allows her to create so many turnovers for us.”
STAT LEADERS
Fanning finished with a double-double after scoring a game-high 17 points and pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds. Colin finished with 10 points, five steals and four rebounds, while Johnson closed with seven points, a game-high six assists to go along with five steals defensively to go along with three boards. Lawrence closed with eight points, while Stout and Lett each scored six.
CHC’s Addie Lawrence knocks down a 3-pointer during the Cougars’ win over Purdy on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
BRONAUGH, Mo. — College Heights started off the new year in style, running away from Bronaugh for a 51-27 victory on Tuesday.
With the win, the Cougars improve to 6-4 on the season.
“We played well in spurts tonight, but you could tell it was our first game back from Christmas break,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “Our shooting was a little rusty. We had a great week of practice. Our conditioning was good which led to our defense creating a lot of turnovers. We had a starter and top reserve out sick tonight. Lauren Ukena also went out early with a wrist injury. Missing those three impacted our play and rotation a little. All things considered, I was pleased with our performance after a long lay off.”
Libby Fanning led the way with 27 points and 19 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Jayli Johnson finished with 11 points and four assists, while Maddy Colin added eight points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Molly Long finished with seven rebounds and three steals.
The College Heights Christian Cougars pulled out a 50-46 win on Monday night against the visiting Pierce City Eagles at the College Heights Athletic Complex.
College Heights’ Jayli Johnson drives to the hoop for a score in the Cougars’ win over Pierce City. Photo by Derek Livingston.
Until College Heights took a six-point lead at 50-44 on a pair of Libby Fanning free throws with 1 minute and 12 seconds remaining in regulation, each team led by as many five points, 30-25 for Pierce City in the third and 42-37 for College Heights in the fourth quarter.
Otherwise, it seemed like the teams were separated by a basket only all game.
Down the stretch, College Heights made the plays on both ends and the shots to win the game, while Pierce City had three possessions end up empty on turnovers.
“It was close throughout,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “We were up by two at halftime (23-21) and up by one at the end of the third quarter (36-35). We didn’t play extremely well throughout the game. We had spurts where we did really well. We had a couple defensive breakdowns that’s not typical for us, lost some of our offensive execution.
“Libby Fanning had a big game tonight, another double-double, and Jayli Johnson stepped up and played well. We had some key rebounds at crucial points in the game. Maddy Colin got a great rebound and made a good pass to Libby, and she finished. That gave us a couple-point spread (42-37) that really helped us out.”
College Hights’ Maddy Colin sinks a jumper in the Cougars’ win over Pierce City on Monday. Photo by Derek Livingston.
Fanning and Johnson combined for 80 percent of College Heights’ 50 points, as Fanning scored a game-high 24 points and Johnson frequently weaved and worked her way to the basket to generate 16 more points.
“They’re both capable of doing that every night,” Blankenship said. “We’ve got some more kids that can step up and help us out with more scoring as well. When we’re all five on the court playing well together, our scoring is usually pretty balanced. Libby and Jayli, though, are our two go-to people.”
Addie Lawrence hit a 3-point shot near the end of the third quarter that broke a 33-all score and helped the Cougars take a one-point lead into the fourth.
Fellow senior Lauren Ukena had a steal and score early in the fourth to put College Heights ahead 38-35.
Lawrence and Colin each finished with three points and Ava Lett and Ukena each had two.
CHC’s Libby Fanning scores inside for the Cougars in the win over Pierce City on Monday. Photo by Derek Livingston.
In a game that saw four players combine for 72 of the 96 total points scored (75 percent of the scoring), Pierce City seniors Madi Tindell and Olivia Stanphill combined for 32 with Tindell at 17 and Stanphill 15 points.
Pierce City led 15-13 at the end of the first quarter, last led 33-31 in the third, and earned a 44-all score on a Tindell basket in the fourth.
College Heights closed out the 2022 portion of the schedule with a 5-4 overall record and the Cougars return to action Jan. 3 on the road against Bronaugh.
“We’ve got some things we need to work on,” Blankenship said. “Our outside shooting is suffering a little bit right now, but we’re really close. Our shots are not far off. We start knocking down some of those outside shots, it’s going to open up things in the middle for Libby. If we can get our inside-outside game going, we’ll be tough to stop. Our guards are improving, they’re working on it, and I think we’re close to getting there.”
College Heights avoided a three-game losing streak and a losing record with Monday’s win.
Thomas Jefferson rallied back from a slim deficit to run away from Lockwood for the win on Monday.
Lockwood held a one-point lead over Thomas Jefferson after the first quarter only for the Cavs to blank the Tigers in the quarter on the way to a 30-14 lead by the intermission. Thomas Jefferson (5-1) put the game away in the third quarter after outscoring Lockwood 22-5.
Gabbi Hiebert had 17 points, making a trio of 3-pointers, while Lanna Grigg had 13 and Sarah Mueller 12, with two 3-pointers, to give Thomas Jefferson three players in double figures. Alexis Stamps added five, Tannah Grigg four and Nico Carlson finished with two.
Gatlyn Clawson led Lockwood with nine points.
Thomas Jefferson is at Riverton on Jan. 5.
NEVADA 65, ROGERSVILLE 37
NEVADA, Mo. — Nevada outscored Rogersville 31-16 in the first half and cruised to victory to open the week on Monday.
With the win, Nevada improved to 5-2 on the season.
Maddy Majors led Nevada with 26 points, while Clara Swearingen finished right behind with 25 points. Swearingen knocked down seven 3-pointers in the win, while Majors buried four triples. Katie Johnson and Abbey Heathman each scored six.
Nevada travels to Carthage on Thursday.
GALENA (KANSAS) 47, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 43
GALENA, Kan. — The Cougars suffered a close loss to the Bulldogs from Southeast Kansas.
“I was pleased with our effort and intensity tonight,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “Other than a few break downs, we played good team defense tonight. Unfortunately, those few break downs were costly in a close game. Mia Sarwinski is a great player. She is so quick and strong, which makes her very hard to defend.”
Blankenship noted his team had its chances.
“We were 4-for-16 from the free throw line, including 1-for-6 in the fourth quarter,” he said. “Galena, on the other hand, was 6-for-7 in the fourth quarter and that was the difference in the game.”
Libby Fanning recorded a double-double for College Heights with 14 points and 17 rebounds.
Also for the Cougars, Jayli Johnson had 10 points and three assists, Lauren Ukena compiled three points, five steals and two assists, Maddy Colin contributed four points and seven boards and Ava Lett scored five points.
DIAMOND, Mo. — College Heights and Miller found themselves in a defensive battle with the Cardinals coming away with a 37-26 win in the Gem City Classic semifinals on Thursday.
“We went cold in the third quarter and tried to force too many passes,” CHC coach John Blankenship said to SoMo Sports. “A little more dribble penetration and patience in getting the ball reversed would have been advantageous for us. However, I am really proud of my team for hanging in there with the third-ranked team in the state. They are a very solid basketball team on both ends of the court.”
The shorthanded Cougars, playing without Addie Lawrence, were led by Libby Fanning’s double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds. Kinley Marsh added seven rebounds and a steal.
CHC matches up with East Newton in the third-place game on Saturday.
THOMAS JEFFERSON BOYS 63, GALENA 51 (WEDNESDAY)
Thomas Jefferson boys took an early lead before trailing by the intermission, only to rally back down the stretch for a win in the semifinal round of the Gem City Classic on Wednesday at Diamond High School.
The Cavaliers took an 18-12 lead into the second period before trailing by two at the intermission. Galena (Missouri) pushed the lead to five by the start of the fourth quarter before Thomas Jefferson outscored the Bears 21-4 in the final eight minutes to rally for the win.
Jay Ball had a double-double with 33 points and 23 rebounds. The rebound total tied a school record. Tyler Brouhard had 11 points and 10 rebounds to also record a double-double. Kip Atteberry had nine points, including two 3-pointers, while Kohl Thurman added six points and Levi Triplett four.
Thomas Jefferson advances to the boys championship game with a matchup against El Dorado Springs at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
MCAULEY 42, DIAMOND 31 (WEDNESDAY)
Seventh-seeded McAuley boys basketball went into halftime tied with third-seeded Diamond and outscored the host Wildcats 28-17 in the second half to earn a consolation-bracket victory in the Gem City Classic.
“I am really proud of our effort,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said. “This is a good win for us moving forward. I am extremely proud of our guys.”
The Warriors earned their first win of the season after taking control of the contest by outscored Diamond 14-5 in the third period and never relinquished the lead down the stretch.
Noah Black had 18 points, while Rocco Bazzano-Joseph finished with 11.
Ty McDermontt led Diamond with 14 points.
McAuley matches up with Carthage JV in the fifth-place game on Saturday.
The College Heights Christian Cougars will play for their third district championship in a row after their 3-0 win (25-19, 25-10, 25-15) on Saturday against McAuley Catholic in the Class 1 District 11 semifinals at the Thomas Jefferson Fieldhouse.
College Heights’ Addie Lawrence swings through a kill during the Cougars’ win over McAuley in district action on Saturday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Second-seeded College Heights improved to 23-9-2 on the season entering Tuesday’s district title match against top-seeded Jasper (24-8-3).
Jasper defeated Liberal 3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-9) in the first semifinal match Saturday.
College Heights started out a little bit slow Saturday, but the Cougars found a rhythm late in the first set that carried over into the second and third sets.
“It was a super fun match,” College Heights coach Mary Colin said. “I thought the girls played really good. Three of them took the ACT (Saturday), so we kept joking that their brains, they came in mentally fatigued. They weren’t as energetically hyped as normal, but I thought they were still very consistent and serious about getting the job done.
“There were a couple mishits at first, which I like to blame on the vision of being in an ACT and your eyes are so tired. After that, for sure, we started getting some rhythm.”
College Heights used a 4-0 run late in a tight first set to go ahead 24-18 and the Cougars closed it out 25-19 after exchanging side-outs with the Warriors.
McAuley’s Kloee Williamson earns a kill in the district matchup with College Heights on Saturday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
College Heights started out slow in the second but put together a few scoring runs — highlighted by a 7-0 early in the set that put the Cougars into the lead and a 5-0 that gave them a lead by 10 points at 18-8 — that produced a 25-10 set for the Cougars.
College Heights again saw McAuley Catholic take an early lead in the third, but the Cougars finished it off 25-15 with 5-0 and 3-0 runs giving them the lead for good at 5-3 and 8-4.
Maddy Colin finished the match with six kills, 23 assists, six digs and one ace, Addie Lawrence added 14 kills, Lauren Ukena picked up four kills, nine digs and three aces, Libby Fanning had two kills and two blocks, Lindsay Griesemer had 10 digs, Marley Woodford made four kills, Ava Masena made 10 digs and served two aces, Katie Moss had one assist and two digs, and Lilly Plassman added one assist and four digs.
The five-match stretch in late September and early October that College Heights played without Lawrence has benefited the Cougars after her return to the lineup Oct. 6 in their conference match against McAuley Catholic.
McAuley’s Lily Black raises for a block attempt in the Warriors’ matchup with College Heights in district action on Saturday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
“For sure, Addie gets a lot of reps and when she was gone, the other girls got a lot of reps,” Coach Colin said. “I think there was one match when Lauren got set 77 times and Lindsay got set 60 times, so they went from maybe 25 touches to a whole lot more touches. I would definitely say the entire team improved offensively while she was gone because they were getting more touches. Now, she’s back and they’re still stepping up.
“I thought they all played really good today, and we had all to do something special in this moment. Like there was this one ball, I call it Plinko when it hits the ceiling, and it dinks around and Maddy’s coming, and she couldn’t get to it. At the last second, she yelled help and there were two girls waiting on it. That’s good teamwork.”
College Heights and Jasper have become familiar opponents during the past two seasons.
Tuesday marks their fourth match of this season with Jasper winning two of three against College Heights in matches played within a two-week stretch in September.
Jasper defeated College Heights 2-0 in the Jasper and the Lamar tournaments, while College Heights won a regular match in five sets on Jasper’s home court.
Last season, College Heights took all three matches against Jasper, including a five-set match for the Class 1 District 9 championship.
“Jasper’s so good,” Coach Colin said. “So good. They are fun to watch. They are solid all the way around. It’s going to be a great match. It is going to be kill for kill, and both teams are going to be in it to win it. It’s going to be a fun match.”
McAuley Catholic, meanwhile, finishes the season 21-15-2 overall, and the Warriors tripled their wins total from the previous 7-18-1 season.
The Warriors’ 21 wins this season are their most since the 24-win district championship team in 2018.
“I wish that we would have gone at least four, at least taken one game from College Heights,” McAuley Catholic coach Sarah Nangle said. “It would have been fun. Honestly, I’m not at all upset with my girls. I thought they battled hard, especially having to deal with losing our libero (senior JoJo Wheeler) in that third set. It forced them to come together.
College Heights’ Ava Masena passes the ball in the win over McAuley in district play on Saturday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
“I’m proud of them. We’ve had a great season, better than last year, and it stinks the seniors went out the way they did not being able to make it any farther, but I’m excited and hopeful for next season already.”
Wheeler and fellow senior Lily Black each played their final matches for the Warriors.
THOMAS JEFFERSON FALLS TO LIBERAL IN QUARTERS
Thomas Jefferson’s season came to an end in the Class 1 District 11 quarterfinal round on Friday when the fifth-seeded Cavaliers lost 25-11, 11-25, 25-21, 16-25 and 15-12 in a five-set thriller.
Thomas Jefferson closes the year with a 12-17-1 record.
Lannah Grigg led the way with 18 kills, 17 digs, seven aces, three blocks and two assists, while Macie Shifferd had 13 digs, four kills, two assists and an ace. Mary Nguyen finished with 13 digs, 12 assists, three kills and an ace, while Nico Carlson had 20 digs, six kills and four assists. Gabbi Hiebert had five kills, six digs, two assists and a block. Marley Flanagan had four digs, with Alexis Stamps adding seven digs, two kill, five assists and three aces. Maggie Sutton had 13 digs and two aces, while Yasmina Mokhtar had six digs.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City improved to 27-4-2 overall and 6-2 in the Central Ozark Conference with a 3-0 win over Branson on Thursday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
The Cardinals topped the Pirates 25-10, 25-15, 25-21.
Three Webb City players recorded double-digit kills, as Aubree Lassiter and Brenda Lawrence slammed 11 kills apiece and Jaeli Rutledge added 10 kills. Lassister added seven digs and two aces, while Lawrence chipped in six digs.
Kate Brownfield contributed 16 digs, seven kills and three aces, while Sophia Crane added nine digs.
Senior setter Kyah Sanborn handed out 36 assists to go along with five digs and two aces.
Kirra Long had three kills and two solo blocks.
Webb City hosts Joplin on Tuesday night in the regular season finale.
CHC BEATS WHEATON IN FOUR
WHEATON, Mo. — Coming off a sweep over Purdy on Senior Night on Tuesday, College Heights Christian improved to 2-0 this week with a four-set win over Wheaton on Thursday.
The Cougars hike their record to 20-6-1 with the 23-25, 25-21, 25-20 and 25-21 win over the Bulldogs.
Addie Lawrence had 26 kills, while Maddy Colin finished with 44 assists and 13 digs to lead the way for CHC. Lauren Ukena added 12 kills and 11 digs, while Ava Masena finished with a team-high 36 digs. Lindsay Griesemer closed with 19 digs and Marley Woodford had seven kills.
College Heights is at Diamond on Monday.
CARL JUNCTION FALLS TO OZARK
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction hosted Ozark in the Bulldogs’ final home game of the season and fell 25-16, 25-23, 23-25 and 25-14 to the Tigers on Thursday in Central Ozark Conference action.
Carl Junction is 19-11-2 on the season.
Destiny Buerge had 14 kills and 21 digs, while Kylie Scott added 11 kills, eight digs and two blocks. Lo Jones led the team with 36 assists and had 10 digs, Karissa Chase finished with 11 kills and two blocks. Jocelyn Brown finished with 14 digs in the win.
Carl Junction wraps up the regular season with a COC matchup on the road against Willard on Tuesday.
CARTHAGE FALLS TO REPUBLIC
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Republic defeated Carthage 25-20, 25-18, 25-16 on Thursday in COC action.
Carthage (8-19-2, 2-6 COC) has two dates left in the regular season — at home against Springfield Catholic on Monday and at Neosho on Tuesday.
The College Heights Christian Cougars prevailed in a tight first set and then ran out to big leads in the second and third sets to come away with a 3-0 win (27-25, 25-18, 25-8) on Thursday against their Ozark 7 Conference and district rival McAuley Catholic.
College Heights senior Addie Lawrence made her return to the court after being out for the previous five matches dating back to Sept. 26 against Golden City.
College Heights’ Maddy Colin earns an assist with a set on Thursday against McAuley Catholic. Photo by Israel Perez.
“We didn’t know until yesterday, so she hadn’t touched a volleyball, other than it rolling to her on the bench, in 12 days,” College Heights coach Mary Colin said. “Just the basic chemistry. Our lineup changed again without us practicing with it, similar to when she was out, and we went to a new lineup. Honestly, the whole team responded from when she went out to stepping into new positions and new chemistry to today stepping back into our old spots and picking up where we left off. I was really proud of them.
“It took the team to get a minute into their rhythm. It took me a minute to get into my coaching rhythm. At one of those early timeouts, we talked about their rhythm and my rhythm and then they started to sync after that.”
College Heights and McAuley Catholic traded scoring runs in an exciting first set, and each team had set points until the Cougars finished out the set 27-25 with the last three points.
College Heights built a 23-13 lead in the second and the Cougars provided themselves plenty of room on the scoreboard to withstand a run of five unanswered points by the Warriors.
McAuley Catholic’s Kendall Ramsey earns a kill against College Heights on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
College Heights scored the first nine and the final five points during a dominant third set.
Lauren Ukena served three straight aces during that 9-0 start and she closed out the match with a kill off a block.
“She’s an all-around player,” Colin said. “She has been for two years now. She’s an outside hitter, she’s primary passer on serve receive, and she serves and digs. She’s so fun to watch. She’s a very, very smart player. She’s going up against Lily (Black) at the net, she would cross course and go down the line or she would go right through the block. Every now and then, she’ll get trapped because she’ll go against someone (a lot taller) because she’s a shorter volleyball player. Her serve was on fire (Thursday). It was moving.”
College Heights improved to 18-6-1 overall and 3-1 Ozark 7, and the Cougars return home on Tuesday for their home finale against Purdy.
McAuley’s JoJo Wheeler passes a serve return against College Heights on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
McAuley Catholic dropped to 18-12-2 overall and the Warriors return to action on Monday at home against Providence Academy (Arkansas).
“I was really proud of our play the first set especially because we switched up our lineup Wednesday,” McAuley Catholic coach Sarah Nangle said. “We ran a 6-2 all season with two setters, and we changed to one setter. We only had one practice for our new lineup and our new rotations. We’ve got players playing different spots again, and so I thought they did a great job that first set. They worked well together, they were fired up, and came up just short.
“In the second, I was proud that we rallied back. Our goal is always and try to score 18 points if we’re going to not win. Obviously, we didn’t do that in the third. We definitely lost track of fundamentals, moving our feet and passing the ball. Maddy Colin did a great job serving against us and being very, very aggressive.
“It was still a fun night of volleyball, and it’s not the end of our season. We still have a couple more home games and a couple more away games that we’re going to fight for, and we still have districts. We have time to improve and see what we can do better.”
Lawrence finished with 14 kills, while Ukena had 18 service points, eight of which were aces, and six kills. Maddy Colin had 30 assists, while Ava Masena finished with 10 digs.
Kloee Williamson led the Warriors with seven kills, Lily Black distributed 14 assists, JoJo Wheeler made eight digs, and Avery Gardner served five aces in the loss Thursday.
College Heights’ Libby Fanning earns a tip kill against McAuley Catholic on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
The College Heights Cougars nearly rallied all the way back from a two-set deficit in their Ozark 7 Conference match Monday against the visiting Golden City Eagles.
College Heights’ Lindsay Griesemer returns a serve during the Cougars’ match with Golden City on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Golden City broke a 5-all tie in the deciding fifth set and scored nine unanswered points to build a 14-5 lead on the way to a thrilling 3-2 win (25-22, 25-19, 14-25, 22-25, 15-7).
The Cougars played without their outstanding senior and four-sport star Addie Lawrence.
“Tonight was our first night without Addie Lawrence,” College Heights coach Mary Colin said. “We didn’t find out until midday, so we had about five hours to mentally prepare. The cool thing about this team is that they were sadder about missing their teammate than they were about her kills, because we all know that she can really kill the ball. They were sad about her not being out there.
“Then, with a new lineup, it took us a couple sets to get a rhythm and they just started playing their hearts out. Addie was on the sideline cheering them on the entire time, which I thought was cool, and I thought Lauren (Ukena) had a great night hitting well. She hit some spots, and she hit with some power. Lindsay (Griesemer) came up and would crank the line and mix it up. I thought Ava (Masena) covered the floor well, and she hit the ground a lot. Then, I thought Maddy (Colin) had a great night.
“The match came down to ball control and when that happens, it goes across the net multiple times. She’s (Maddy Colin) having to work hard to get the ball multiple times. It was a fun, competitive match.
CHC’s Ava Masena returns a serve against Golden City on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
“Golden City’s good. I think it was like in the third set and I turned to the bench and said that’s their first error. They do have great ball control. They put it where they want to, and they’re hard to defend. It makes for an aggressive match.”
Golden City started the match strong with five of the first six points, College Heights went on a 6-0 run to go ahead 7-5, and Golden City’s 9-0 run in the second half of the set turned a 12-10 deficit into a 19-12 advantage. The Eagles built a big enough lead to fend off a late College Heights charge and earned a couple side-outs to win the first set 25-22.
Golden City used three different 3-0 scoring runs late in the second set to take it 25-19 after the foes were even at 16.
After breaking an 8-all tie in the third set, the Cougars put together their best volleyball of the night by scoring 17 of the final 23 points for a 25-14 third set.
CHC’s Libby Fanning raises up for a kill against Golden City on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
College Heights overtook Golden City in the fourth and forced a fifth set behind a 5-0 run to erase a deficit and a 4-0 run that built a four-point lead after Golden City tied it up at 15.
College Heights dropped to 15-4-1 overall and 1-1 in Ozark 7 play, and the Cougars return to action Tuesday at home against Big 8 Conference opponent East Newton.
Lauren Ukena led the Cougars with 22 kills Monday, and she added five aces and nine digs to her line. Maddy Colin tallied 44 assists, five aces, and 11 digs. Ava Masena added 18 digs, 15 service points, and four aces, while Lindsay Griesemer had 12 kills and four aces and Marley Woodford also had 12 kills.
The Cougars do not know when Lawrence will return to the lineup from her injury.
“Her senior teammates were so sad, and they said we have been playing alongside her our entire lives, like every match they’ve played at College Heights has been with her,” Coach Colin said. “She’s greatly missed.”
COLIN RECOGNIZED FOR CAREER MILESTONE
CHC’s Maddy Colin earns an assist during the Cougars’ match with Golden City on Monday. Colin was recognized for recently surpassing 1,000 career assists. Photo by Shawn Fowler
Junior setter Maddy Colin was recognized after the match Monday for her recently surpassing 1,000 assists during her high school volleyball career.
She’s already nearly one-fifth of the way to her next thousand assists in just the week since reaching the 1,000-assist milestone.
“Maddy’s a very unselfish player,” Coach Colin said. “She just gives the ball and gives the ball. She could be an offensive threat. In fact, sometimes I want her to be more of an offensive threat, but that just means that she’s dishing it out and not being selfish. She has really good court awareness. I’ll reference her as the quarterback, because she puts the ball in the right place at the right time.
“She works her tail off to get to it, and there are balls that she probably shouldn’t go for but she’s going for them. She had a good serving night (Monday) and was aggressive on the service line. I’m really proud of her.”
Maddy Colin received a standing ovation from College Heights fans and her schoolmates.
“She was totally surprised,” Coach Colin said. “She had no clue. She would never have thought anything was about her or her assists or recognition for her. She was touched, which is cool, but it was also cool to see all the people rally around her in support. They know how hard she works, and they know that she’s super unselfish.”
MARIONVILLE, Mo. — College Heights improved to 8-1-1 on the season after sweeping Marionville 25-18, 25-22 and 25-16 for a road win on Monday.
The Cougars were led by Maddie Colin’s 19 service points, including five aces, and 27 assists, while Addie Lawrence contributed a team-high 19 kills. Lauren Ukena had eight digs and 14 service points, while Ava Masena added a team-high 22 digs. Libby Fanny had four kills and two blocks.
SENECA SWEEPS CRANE
CRANE, Mo. — Seneca volleyball stayed perfect on the season after a three-game sweep of Crane 26-24, 25-19 and 25-22 on the road Monday.
Braxton Raulston led the way with 13 kills and a block kill for Seneca, while Brylee Sage added 28 assists. Park Long had nine kills, nine digs and one block kill. Ella Graham had seven digs and two aces, while Tatum White had three aces.
Seneca hosts Webb City on Tuesday.
TJ FALLS TO LOCKWOOD IN FIVE SETS
LOCKWOOD, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson suffered a five-set loss to Lockwood 25-21, 19-25, 25-12, 23-25 and 15-11 on Monday to fall to 4-6 on the season.
Gabbi Hiebert had nine kills, four digs and two blocks, while Nico Carlson had five kills, six assists and a block. Mary Nguyen had two aces, three kills and four digs. Alexis Stamps finished with four kills, while Lannah Grigg had four aces, three digs, four kills and five blocks. Leah Studer added three aces and six assists, while Macie Shifferd finished with two aces, two kills and four digs.
Thomas Jefferson hosts Wheaton on Thursday.
CARTHAGE FALLS TO SHILOH CHRISTIAN
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage suffered a 3-0 setback to Shiloh Christian on Tuesday. The Saints defeated the Tigers 25-23, 25-15, 25-21.
Abby Holderbaum and Brielle Cartwright recorded eight kills apiece for the Tigers, while Raven Probert had 18 digs and 10 assists, both team-highs.
Riann Schwartz and Kailyn Schultz contributed 11 digs apiece, while Jaidyn Brunnert had nine assists.
