By Anvil Welch

awelch@joplinglobe.com

The Joplin High School girls basketball team resumes its schedule tonight by entertaining Big 8 Conference member Monett.

It’s a busy week for Ben Glasgow’s Eagles (3-4). They visit Bentonville (Ark.) tomorrow night and play host to Carl Junction on Friday night.

“Yes, it’s a big week,” Glasgow said Sunday. “But we haven’t talked about the next game. We’re concentrating on one game.”

Tonight’s nonconference program in Kaminsky Gymnasium starts at 6 with the junior varsity game.

Glasgow and his staff welcomed the break in that they were able to hold several practices.

Games came fast and furious — plus a stretch of inclement weather — during the early portion of the schedule.

“We held seven Christmas practices,” Glasgow said. “Things have gone well. The practices have been good for us.

“We worked defensively on two different zones and our man-to-man,” Glasgow said.

“We worked on spreading the floor and spacing (on offense),” Glasgow said. “It probably was our motion (offense) if we emphasized working on one thing.”

Glasgow said he wasn’t sure of starters for the Monett contest. The Eagles won 54-49 at Monett in 2007-08.

Notes: Kayla Thaman, 6-foot junior who missed Joplin’s last game on Dec. 18 against Webb City, will remain sidelined with a knee injury. “She could miss three or four more weeks before getting released,” Glasgow said. ... Joplin entertains Nevada on Jan. 13 before the Eagles two nights later open Ozark Conference play by traveling to Camdenton. ... Monett lost 55-32 to McDonald County for seventh place in last week’s Neosho Holiday Tournament. The Cubs, 1-3 in the tourney, lost 54-52 to Morrilton, Ark. ... How did Ozark Conference teams fare in the various holiday events? Glendale lost 52-41 to Ozark in the final of the Greenwood Pink and White Tournament. Kickapoo placed third by claiming a dandy win — 62-56 against Blue Springs — in the Lady Classic at Drury University. Lebanon, in its Holiday Classic, took the championship with a 57-32 romp against Pleasant Hope. Also, West Plains finished third in the Pink and White by hurdling Mount Vernon 46-39. However, Aurora, like Mount Vernon from the Big 8, annexed fifth in the Pink and White by nudging Parkview 42-41.