It’ll be top-seeded Crest Ridge battling defending champion Lone Jack for the championship of the I-70 Conference Girls Basketball Tournament after both schools won semifinal-round games in decisive fashion Wednesday, Dec. 10.
In contests played at Wellington and heard on KMMO-FM 102.9, the Cougars completely shut down Saint Paul Lutheran, 60-21 which preceded the Mules’ 56-37 victory over Wellington-Napoleon. The Crest Ridge versus Lone Jack title skirmish is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip off Saturday in Orrick.
The Cougars started off slowly in their win over the Saints, leading only 9-4 after one period. Eventually Crest Ridge’s aggressive, pressuring defense took its toll on St Paul, forcing them into numerous turnovers. The Johnson County school widened their advantage to 33-10 at the half and later 52-13 after three periods with the final quarter being played with the running clock in effect.
Brylinn Fleming paced the winners with 20 points while Morgan Wyatt scored 16 and Whitney Winders tacked on 10. Bella Woods talled 10 points to lead the Saints. Crest Ridge improved to 4-1 on the season while St Paul’s fell to 3-2.
Up next was Lone Jack’s win against Wellington-Napoleon with the host Tigers owning an early 15-9 lead. At about that time, Wellington’s top player Anniston Hampton twisted a knee and was out of action for the rest of the contest. In the meantime, the Mules benefited from a 20-2 explosion, propelling them past Wellington-Napoleon, 29-17 at intermission. During the final two quarters, Lone Jack had more than a 25-point advantage before settling for their 56-37 decision.
Lauren Roth tossed in 23 points while Faith Throgmorton had 21 for a 4-2 Lone Jack squad. Cali Russel paced Wellington with 10 points as the Tigers fell to 3-1 on the year.
In girls’ consolation round scores from Orrick on Wednesday night, Santa Fe was a 48-25 winner over the host Bearcats with Concordia then defeating Sweet Springs, 55-40.
We’ll have the boys semifinals from Wellington on Thursday evening on KMMO-FM 102.9. Pregame is scheduled for about 5:25 p.m., ahead of the first contest between St Paul Lutheran and Lone Jack. That’s followed by the clash between Crest Ridge and Wellington-Napoleon. Our newscast that hour will air at around 5:10 p.m. Consolation semifinals at Orrick begin at 5:30 p.m. between Santa Fe and Concordia, followed by Sweet Springs and Orrick.
Also tonight on our airwaves, the Missouri Tigers will host Alabama State at Mizzou Arena. Pregame coverage from the Tiger Radio Network begins at 6:30 p.m. on KMMO AM 1300, with tip-off at 7 p.m. And streaming on our website at KMMO.com, the Cole Camp Bluebirds will host Versailles for a doubleheader. The girls game is slated to tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys contest around 7:30 p.m.
Other games scheduled for Thursday include:
Doubleheaders
Green Ridge at Chilhowee
Bevier at Hale/Bosworth
Carrollton at Hardin-Central
Bucklin/Macon County at La Plata
Otterville at Leeton
Marceline at Novinger
Northwestern (Mendon) at Tina-Avalon
Stover at Warsaw
Glasgow at Westran
Girls
California at Helias Catholic
Adrian at Holden
At The Husker Classic, Higginsville
Odessa vs Lafayette County
At The 101st Monroe City Tournament
(Semifinal) 1) Highland vs 4) Paris
(Cons Semi) 5) Louisiana vs 8) Marion County
Boys
Lincoln at Adrian
Crocker at California
Northwest (Hughesville) at Columbia Independent
Harrisonville at Knob Noster
Tipton at Slater
At The 70th Centralia Invitiational
Championship Semifinals
1) Hallsville vs 5) Van-Far
2) Moberly vs 6) Salisbury
Consolation Semifinals
4) Centralia vs 8) Macon
3) Boonville vs 7) North Callaway
At The Husker Classic, Higginsville
(Semifinal) Smithville vs Lafayette County
(Cons. Semi) DeLaSalle Charter vs Hogan Prep
At The 101st Monroe City Invitational
(Semifinal) 1) Monroe City vs 4) Louisiana
(Cons Semi) 5) Marion County vs 8) Mark Twain
At The Pilot Grove Tiger Classic
Championship Semifinals
1) Pilot Grove vs 5) Sturgeon
2) Sacred Heart vs 3) Prairie Home
Consolation Semifinals
4) New Bloomfield vs 8) Bunceton
6) Jamestown vs 7) Smithton