Carthage’s last-second field goal attempt was off the mark, and Carl Junction survived for a hard-fought 52-51 win over the Tigers on Thursday at the 24th annual Freeman-Lady Eagle Classic inside Joplin High School’s Kaminsky Gymnasium.
In the nightcap, an improved effort was not enough for the hosts, as Joplin suffered a 60-43 setback to Leavenworth.
Pool play concludes Friday, as Carl Junction plays McDonald County at 5:30 and Mount Vernon takes on Leavenworth at 7.
CARL JUNCTION 52, CARTHAGE 51
After trailing at the end of the third period, Carl Junction scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter and the Bulldogs came up with a late defensive stop to secure an intense victory against their Central Ozark Conference foe.
“It was a good win,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “That’s a really good team. They’re going to make some noise in the COC.”
“It was a game of short spurts and runs,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “They made a run to get the lead and then we came right back. That shows the maturity of our team. They answered the call. I’m proud of our team’s effort.”
Carl Junction sophomore guard Destiny Buerge scored a game-high 28 points. Buerge made nine field goal attempts, including three from long distance. She also made 7-of-9 free throws.
Jessa Hylton added 10 points for the Bulldogs (3-1), while Kylie Scott had eight. Hali Shorter scored four, while Hannah Lee contributed two points.
Carthage senior Hailey Fullerton scored 25 points to lead the Tigers (4-2). Fullerton converted 10 field goals, including three 3-pointers. She also made 2-of-4 foul shots.
Brinna Ream added eight points for the Tigers and Kianna Yates had seven. Sophie Shannon scored four, while Raven Probert, Katie Crowe and Presley Probert scored two points apiece and Lauren Wilson had one point.
The first half ended with the score deadlocked at 18. The Bulldogs led 23-18 when the Tigers put together an 8-0 run to take a 26-23 advantage.
The two teams traded the lead late in the third period, with Carthage taking a 36-35 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs rattled off the first 11 points of the final frame, as Buerge hit a trey and a midrange jumper, Scott scored inside, Hylton made a layup and then Buerge converted a steal into a hoop in transition.
Carthage was down six with 45 seconds remaining, but the Tigers didn’t quit.
Fullerton hit one free throw, Yates drilled a 3-pointer and then Fullerton scored in the paint, tying the game with 20 seconds left.
The Bulldogs, who had a number of empty possessions down the stretch, received a free throw from Buerge with 12 seconds left to go up one.
On the final play of the game, Yates missed a contested jumper. The Carthage bench thought Yates was fouled.
“They blew the whistle on their end on what was a questionable call and then they didn’t blow the whistle on our end,” Moore said. “I didn’t like the non-balance of that. But we went 9-of-17 from the free throw line. If we shoot our free throws better, we’re not in that situation at the end of the game. And we had too many turnovers.”
Shorter said he was proud his team was able to do enough to pull out the close win.
“I thought we looked a little tired at the end of the game,” Shorter said. “Our kids had a good stretch there late in the third and early in the fourth quarter where we went on a run. We had some possessions late where we got the looks we wanted, but we also had some turnovers at inopportune times. But our kids played hard. They did some good things.”
Carthage returns to action on Saturday against an opponent to be determined.
Carthage’s Hailey Fullerton scored 25 points on Thursday.
LEAVENWORTH 60, JOPLIN 43
Citing big improvements from the night before, Joplin coach Luke Floyd said he was pleased with his team’s performance.
“I’m very proud of the effort,” Floyd said. “They came out and competed really hard tonight. There are some little things we need to clean up. But from the opening tip to the final buzzer, I thought we played hard and did some really good things. We moved the ball better and made some baskets. We played better team basketball.”
Junior guard Brooke Nice scored 14 points and hit three 3-pointers to lead the Eagles (3-4), while junior forward Emma Floyd added 11 points.
Also for Joplin, Isabella Yust scored six, Brynn Driver had five, Lily Pagan scored four and Serafina Auberry added three.
Leavenworth’s Aleshia Jones poured in 25 points, while Monece Thomas added 12 and Jariah Wright had 10.
Coming off a disappointing 54-12 loss to Mount Vernon on Wednesday, Joplin hung tough early on Thursday, trailing 12-10.
The Pioneers took a double-digit lead at 25-15 before Nice’s 3-pointer from the top of the key cut Joplin’s deficit to 33-26 at the break.
The hosts were within seven after buckets from Yust and Pagan, but the Pioneers would not be denied. Leavenworth led 56-40 late in the game en route to victory.
“Leavenworth did a great job with the dribble-drive,” Coach Floyd said. “Early on, I thought we did a good job of containing them. In the second half, we wore down a bit and they were able to get to the bucket and get some second-chance points they weren’t getting in the first half. We kept battling. I could not be more proud of the girls’ effort tonight.”
Joplin will return to action on Saturday against an opponent to be determined.
