From staff reports

sports@joplinglobe.com

VERONA, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson, jumping out to a 25-6 lead at halftime, routed host Verona 57-20 in an Ozark 7 Conference boys game Monday night.

The Cavaliers went on to outscore the Wildcats 15-8 in the third quarter and 17-6 in the final period.

Thomas Jefferson improved to 15-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference.

Alex Oserowsky led the Cavaliers with 16 points, while Blake Stauffer turned in 12.

Cody Ernsberger paced the Wildcats with six points.

Verona girls 79,

Thomas Jefferson 29

VERONA, Mo. — The Verona Wildcats, aided by a productive first half on offense, cruised to an Ozark 7 Conference victory.

The Wildcats (17-4, 6-1 in the league) jumped out to a 31-7 first quarter lead. The scored stood 59-9 at halftime.

Jessica Smith poured in 21 points to lead the Wildcats. Jenna Chadd added 18 and Tristan Carrasquillo turned in 17 for Verona.

Cassie Zuehlke paced the Cavaliers with eight points.

Hillcrest girls 73, Joplin 37

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Hornets led 26-2 after the opening quarter in cruising 73-37 in the Ozark Conference contest.

May Lee, who scored 12 points, was the only double-figure scorer for Joplin (4-15, 1-5).

Hillcrest, which led 37-9 at the half, received 17 points from Kendra Painter and 16 from Bailey Irvine. Painter had seven points in the first quarter.

College Heights girls 50, Greenfield 45

College Heights’ girls raced to a 24-9 first-quarter lead and defeated Greenfield 50-45 in a Spring River Valley Conference game.

Kelsi Bodine made three 3s and led the Lady Cougars, 7-12, with 15 points. Konner McIntire scored 14 points and Kirsty Green added nine for College Heights.

Andrea Mason led Greenfield, 8-11, with 18 points.

The victory was the first in three conference games for College Heights, which plays a makeup game against Liberal tonight at home. Greenfield fell to 1-3 in the conference.

Carl Junction girls 66, Lamar 34

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Lauren McRae, a 5-10 senior, scored 34 points and snagged 10 rebounds to help the Bulldogs beat visiting Lamar 66-34.

McRae, who sank 14 of 22 shots from the field, was backed by Mackenzie’s Valenti’s 14 points.

Carl Junction improved to 6-15 overall and 2-2 in the Big 8 Conference.

Lamar (2-15, 0-4) received 14 points from Kloye Butler.

Liberal boys 54, College Heights 38

LIBERAL, Mo. — Bryce Robertson, a 6-1 senior, tallied 14 points to help the Bulldogs beat College Heights 54-38 in a makeup Spring River Valley Conference contest.

Liberal (9-9, 2-2), keyed by a 24-6 first-quarter advantage, was ahead 38-10 at the half.

Matt Wicklund, a sophomore, scored 14 points for the Cougars (0-3 in the SRVC).

Webb City girls 60, Ozark 53

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City built up a 35-23 halftime lead and held on to stop Ozark in a Central Ozark large division game.

The host Tigers had a 22-point fourth quarter surge.

“We’ve been kind of starting slow, but we came out of the gate tonight pretty crisp both offensively and defensively,” Cardinals coach Brad Shorter said.

Turnovers were costly for the Cardinals in the fourth quarter, and the Tigers took advantage.

“We turned the ball over way too much late in the game,” Shorter said. “But being in a close game (in the fourth quarter) was a good experience for our kids to be in.”

The Cardinals rallied with 19 points in the first quarter. Kaitlin Jaeger led Webb City with a game-high 24 points. Kendall Clark chipped in 16, while Hailey Roderique finished with 10 for the Cardinals (20-1 overall and 5-0 in the league).

Brooke Paulsell led Ozark with 13 and Jackie Fugate turned in 12.

Carl Junction boys 47, Cassville 45

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — A second half surge wasn’t strong enough for the Cassville Wildcats as they fell to the Carl Junction Bulldogs in Big 8 Conference action.

Carl Junction led 30-18 at halftime.

The Wildcats came back to tie the score at 45-45 in the final minute. Jake Stevenson and Jansen Adams each came through for the Bulldogs with a clutch free throw apiece to break the tie.

Cassville missed a jump shot to tie the game again with seven seconds remaining.

Stevenson led the Bulldogs with 17 points.

Josh Lewright paced the Wildcats with 16.

The Bulldogs improved to 9-13 overall and went to 1-3 in the Big 8.