Girls play on at Southwest Holiday Tournament
December 30, 2020
Lee Stubblefield
The Southwest Holiday Tournament opened with girls bracket action on Saturday, with Cassville, Marionville, Wheaton, and Southwest advancing to the second round.
Like their male counterparts, the girls teams were affected immediately by the pandemic. The Billings Lady Wildcats, the second seed, withdrew just hours before the tournament tipoff, leaving just seven teams in the first round. Instead of shuffling the bracket or praying for a replacement, Southwest Principal and Athletic Director Kenny Ferguson made the decision to simply play on. The host Lady Trojans advanced with a bye, and the other three games went as scheduled. Actually, the final game was moved up an hour and a half, but it was as smooth a transition as one could hope for.
Cassville 60, Exeter 12
The Cassville Lady Wildcats throttled Exeter with ferocious defense to claim a 60-12 victory. The Lady Tigers did not score from the field in the opening quarter, and never scored more than 4 points in any quarter against Tom Hubbard’s defensive scheme.
Sharayah Seymour opened the scoring with a long trey in the first 15 seconds of play, and her Cassville team roared to a 12-0 lead before Aubrey Antle put Exeter on the board with a pair of free throws at the 5:27 mark.
The Lady Wildcats finished the frame with a 7-0 run to claim a 19-2 lead at the first break.
The second quarter saw more of the same. Seymour and Chloe Moller drained long threes, and a 16-4 quarter produced a 35-6 halftime score. The script didn’t change much in the third and fourth quarters as Cassville claimed the 60-12 victory.
It could have been worse. The Cassville girls bricked a chimney’s worth of shots at the rim, but the suffocating defense would not allow Exeter to capitalize on those misses. Interestingly, twelve Lady Wildcats scored in the game, led by Sharayah Seymour’s 12 points.
Marionville 46, Reeds Spring 25
The Marionville Lady Comets raced to a 24-12 lead and pulled the #5-#4 upset over Reeds Spring. The Lady Comets passed the eye test with their athleticism, depth, and shooting skills. Like Cassville, Marionville won with stingy defense, shutting down a good Reeds Spring team. The Lady Wolves only reached double digits in a quarter once, with Logan Dickens hitting a pair of free throws with just 11 seconds left in the final period.
Wheaton 33, East Newton 22
The Wheaton Lady Bulldogs ground out a 33-22 win over East Newton in the final contest of the night. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but it was classic Lady Bulldogs basketball. Jessica Lombard’s girls controlled the tempo, won the rebounding battle, and bruised the Lady Patriots in the lane for crucial baskets.
The two teams played to an 8-8 draw in the first quarter, but the game turned in the second quarter. With Wheaton clinging to a 14-10 advantage, Lilly Ray and Allison Whitman hit back-to-back treys to close out the half and give the Lady Bulldogs a 20-10 lead.
Wheaton carried a 26-12 lead into the final quarter, before a 6-0 run pulled the Lady Pats within 29-22 at the 2:25 mark. But the Lady Bulldogs scored the last 4 points of the game - all from the free throw line - and held on for the 33-22 win.
Whitman scored 12 to lead a balanced Wheaton attack.
The Southwest Holiday Tournament opened with girls bracket action on Saturday, with Cassville, Marionville, Wheaton, and Southwest advancing to the second round.
Like their male counterparts, the girls teams were affected immediately by the pandemic. The Billings Lady Wildcats, the second seed, withdrew just hours before the tournament tipoff, leaving just seven teams in the first round. Instead of shuffling the bracket or praying for a replacement, Southwest Principal and Athletic Director Kenny Ferguson made the decision to simply play on. The host Lady Trojans advanced with a bye, and the other three games went as scheduled. Actually, the final game was moved up an hour and a half, but it was as smooth a transition as one could hope for.
Cassville 60, Exeter 12
The Cassville Lady Wildcats throttled Exeter with ferocious defense to claim a 60-12 victory. The Lady Tigers did not score from the field in the opening quarter, and never scored more than 4 points in any quarter against Tom Hubbard’s defensive scheme.
Sharayah Seymour opened the scoring with a long trey in the first 15 seconds of play, and her Cassville team roared to a 12-0 lead before Aubrey Antle put Exeter on the board with a pair of free throws at the 5:27 mark.
The Lady Wildcats finished the frame with a 7-0 run to claim a 19-2 lead at the first break.
The second quarter saw more of the same. Seymour and Chloe Moller drained long threes, and a 16-4 quarter produced a 35-6 halftime score. The script didn’t change much in the third and fourth quarters as Cassville claimed the 60-12 victory.
It could have been worse. The Cassville girls bricked a chimney’s worth of shots at the rim, but the suffocating defense would not allow Exeter to capitalize on those misses. Interestingly, twelve Lady Wildcats scored in the game, led by Sharayah Seymour’s 12 points.
Marionville 46, Reeds Spring 25
The Marionville Lady Comets raced to a 24-12 lead and pulled the #5-#4 upset over Reeds Spring. The Lady Comets passed the eye test with their athleticism, depth, and shooting skills. Like Cassville, Marionville won with stingy defense, shutting down a good Reeds Spring team. The Lady Wolves only reached double digits in a quarter once, with Logan Dickens hitting a pair of free throws with just 11 seconds left in the final period.
Wheaton 33, East Newton 22
The Wheaton Lady Bulldogs ground out a 33-22 win over East Newton in the final contest of the night. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but it was classic Lady Bulldogs basketball. Jessica Lombard’s girls controlled the tempo, won the rebounding battle, and bruised the Lady Patriots in the lane for crucial baskets.
The two teams played to an 8-8 draw in the first quarter, but the game turned in the second quarter. With Wheaton clinging to a 14-10 advantage, Lilly Ray and Allison Whitman hit back-to-back treys to close out the half and give the Lady Bulldogs a 20-10 lead.
Wheaton carried a 26-12 lead into the final quarter, before a 6-0 run pulled the Lady Pats within 29-22 at the 2:25 mark. But the Lady Bulldogs scored the last 4 points of the game - all from the free throw line - and held on for the 33-22 win.
Whitman scored 12 to lead a balanced Wheaton attack.
