CARTHAGE, Mo. —
Webb City scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter and defeated Joplin 45-34 Monday night in the first round of the girls Class 5, District 12 tournament.
Webb City (14-12), seeded third, advanced to the semifinals against No. 2-seed Willard at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Springfield Central defeated Neosho 65-46 in the first game and will play No. 1-seed Carthage at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Senior guard Gabbie Gannaway led Webb City with 13 points, including a 3-pointer off an in-bounds play that gave the Cardinals a 33-23 lead with 5 minutes, 20 seconds remaining.
“Joplin has been playing really well of late,” said Webb City head coach Brad Shorter. “They limited Mikaela (Burgess) and Gannaway, our two scorers.”
Burgess, a sophomore point guard, scored all eight of her points in the second half. Joplin scored the last five points of the first half and went into halftime trailing 17-15.
Junior guard Tylan Martin sank a pair of 3-pointers, including a bank shot as time expired in the first quarter, and led Joplin with 12 points. Seniors Casee Wheeler and Miriah Johnson each scored eight.
“Honestly, other than not getting the win, I was happy,” said Joplin head coach Vicki Spivy. “Our effort was fantastic. We played with a lot of heart tonight.”
Joplin had cut Webb City’s lead to 25-23 by scoring the last five points of the third quarter. Webb City responded with two fast-break baskets, including a three-point play by Burgess, that gave the Cardinals a 30-23 lead early in the fourth quarter.
“That was huge for us,” Shorter said. “We were struggling on offense most of the game. We needed something like that to get us going. That took some pressure off the kids.”
Joplin trimmed Webb City’s lead to 38-31 on Martin’s second 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining, but Cardinals preserved their lead by making 10 of 14 free throws in the last two minutes.
The game marked the end of the season for the Eagles (4-19) and the end of the high-school basketball careers of seniors Holly O’Dell, Wheeler and Johnson.
“They meant a lot to our team,” Spivy said. “They’re excellent leaders and great individuals.”
In the first game, Springfield Central overcame a 24-point performance by Neosho senior guard Ashley Gilion. Central led 44-35 going into the fourth quarter.
Morgan Rathmann, a junior, scored eight points for the Wildcats, while Allison Kunze led three Central players in double figures with 14 points.
The boys tournament begins at 6 p.m. today with No. 4 Joplin against No. 5 Neosho, followed by No. 3 Willard against No. 6 Central at 7:30 p.m.
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Discussion
February 20, 2012
Webb City's big fourth quarter ends Joplin's season
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Outlaws open season Thursday on the road
Chris Oldner takes a cut during the Joplin Outlaws practice Tuesday afternoon. The Outlaws open their season on Thursday night at Rossville and play seven road games before their home opener on June 5.
The Joplin Outlaws and new coach Rob Vessell have set some lofty goals for the 2012 baseball season.
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