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Nevada girls run away from C.J.
By Joe Warren
Nevada Daily Mail
NEVADA, Mo. -- Amanda Wilson scored all 14 of her points in the first half and Afton Baldwin poured in a career high 26, as the Nevada Lady Tigers trounced the Carl Junction Lady Bulldogs, 74-42, in their home opener Tuesday.
Wilson got the offense going with a trio of 3-pointers and Baldwin kept it running smoothly as the two seniors led the rout of the ailing Bulldogs.
"I think we played really well," Wilson said. "We came out and weren't afraid."
Wilson hit the first shot of the game, a trifecta from the right wing to give Nevada a 3-0 lead less than 15 seconds into the contest.
Nevada would go up 10-5, but Carl Junction made a run and claimed a 17-15 lead.
That's when Wilson got going again. She hit a short jumper to tie the game, then followed with another from downtown to put the Lady Tigers up 20-17. Nevada never trailed again.
"I felt like I was on on my 3's," Wilson said. "I couldn't miss, that's what I felt like."
Wilson made a third from beyond the arc later in the second period, then her teammates handled the rest offensively.
Baldwin scored 12 before the break and 14 after halftime. The 5-8 guard was particularly sharp at the free-throw line, canning 11 of 12.
The Lady Tigers got everybody involved, as Lindsay Rice and Kristen Badgley each scored nine. Jordan Webb scored seven and Erica Klinksick six for Nevada.
"I could not be more pleased with the effort," Nevada head coach Brent Bartlett said. "I felt like we played well as a team."
Despite playing an athletic Carl Junction team that pressed much of the game, the Lady Tigers turned the ball over only six times, while forcing the visitors into 21 turnovers.
"We did a tremendous job of taking care of the basketball," Bartlett said.
Carl Junction played without star player Mannie DeCastro, who is out for the season with a knee injury. Tesia Lahm led the Lady Bulldogs with 19 points.
DeCastro's absence was felt as Nevada employed a full-court diamond press to start the game, then went to a 2-3 zone in the halfcourt to keep the Lady Bulldogs out of sync. Carl Junction had six turnovers in each of the first three periods.
Bartlett said Carl Junction is still trying to come to grips with not having DeCastro on the floor.
"She did so much for them, it's going to take them some time to adjust," he said.
Led by DeCastro, Carl Junction (1-2) harassed Nevada into 26 turnovers when the teams met a year ago.
The Lady Tigers (2-0) have a busy week, traveling to Monett Thursday, then going to Fort Scott, Kan., Friday.