Lady Tigers thwarted in CJ Classic title game

Thursday, December 5, 2019
The CJ Classic runner-up Nevada Lady Tigers, pictured front row from left: Lindley Ferry, Hailee Lundine, Calli Beshore, Teagan Charles, and Payge Dahmer. Back row, l-r: Head coach Brent Bartlett, Alison Bower, Tylin Heathman, Maleigha Hinton, Bailey Ast, and assistant coaches Blake Howarth and Kori Dodson.
Photo by Matt Resnick | Daily Mail

The Nevada Lady Tigers' quest to become repeat Freeman Sports Medicine-Carl Junction Classic champions was thwarted by the host school in Thursday night's title-clash.

Entering the evening as the No. 5 ranked team in Missouri Class 4 basketball, the Lady Tigers were upended by the No. 7 ranked Carl Junction Lady Bulldogs, 53-39.

"We're disappointed," said Nevada head coach Brent Bartlett. "But, I told (the girls) to leave here with their heads held high. We competed, did not quit — and I'm proud of (our) team. Carl Junction had a tremendous gam-plan."

Nevada was unable to contain Katie Scott, as the 6-foot-3 senior center powered to a game-high 21 points, en route to tournament MVP accolades.

Nevada (2-1) bolted out to a 4-0 lead, but behind the stellar play of Scott and Carl Junction guard Shila Winder, were outscored 14-3 to close out the frame.

Early in the second quarter, back-to-back close-range buckets from Nevada post players Teagan Charles and Lindley Ferry trimmed their deficit to 17-11.

Consecutive 3-pointers from Winder and Lady Tiger guard Hailee Lundine kept the contest at a six-point margin with three minutes remaining in the half. Ferry then followed with an 8-foot bank-in, as Nevada trailed, 20-16, the closest they would get the remainder of the way.

From there, Carl Junction closed out the half on a 7-0 spurt, increasing their advantage to 27-16 at the break.

Taylor Hughes' lay-in on the opening possession of the third quarter handed Carl Junction a 13-point lead, their biggest of the evening.

Nevada replied with a 7-0 blitz, slicing the deficit to 29-23.

The run started with Payge Dahmer's drive-and-dish to Charles in the paint for the lay-in. An Alison Bower breakaway lay-up followed. The run was then capped by Dahmer's trey from the top of the key, with 5:37 remaining in the third.

After a tough call handing the ball to Carl Junction, Scott scored off an out-of-bounds play, for an eight-point Lady Bulldog cushion. Bower then knocked down a triple, as Nevada trailed, 31-26.

Scott took over from there, scoring five quick points, and then threading a pass to Wider for the lay-in, and a 38-26 advantage. Scott's dazzling third quarter performance included 11 points, two assists, a steal and a block, as the Lady Bulldogs led by 10.

With 6:07 to play in the fourth, Calli Beshore's fastbreak assist to Charles for the lay-in cut the lead to 42-34, marking the game's final single-digit deficit.

For Nevada Charles finished with a team-high nine points. They Lady Tigers, however, connected on just 3-of-24 from beyond the arc, and were 14-of-45 from the field.

In addition to Scott's 21-point effort, Winder tallied 11, as the Lady Bulldogs improved to 3-0.

"They have tremendous athletes, and are very lengthy with good wingspans. They got out and contested our shots, made us penetrate, and shoot over (Scott). Our shots just did not fall — and it comes down to that. When our shots don't fall, we're beatable."

Bartlett discusses his squad's third quarter surge, in which the Lady Tigers whittled Carl Junction's advantage from 13 to five.

"We let it get away," Bartlett said, referring to his club's inability to sustain its momentum. "I thought that's when (Scott) kind of took over."

All-tourney team

As voted on by coaches, Lady Tiger seniors Dahmer and Beshore were named to the CJ Classic All-Tournament team.

Nevada returns to the court Tuesday for a non-conference road-clash with the Pittsburg (Kan.) Purple Dragons.

The Lady Tigers' home-opener is slated for Thursday against Big 8 Conference foe Mount Vernon. Tip-off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. from Wynn Gym.

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