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By Tyler Thompson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
MARSHFIELD — The 27-1 West Plains Lady Zizzers are always ready to roll under veteran head coach Scott Womack.
And the long-standing trend continued Friday at the Class 4 District 11 championship tilt at Marshfield as the Zizzers exacted a bit of payback, defeating the Lady Wildcats, 58-28.
The Wildcats edged the Zizzers 38-31 last season in the very same Class 4 District 11 title game.
In 2017-18, the Wildcats emerged victorious, 40-35.
The Zizzers established a presence on the defensive glass — gaining added offensive possessions while limiting the Wildcats on their end — which proved vital in the championship.
“I am probably more pleased with our defense,” Womack said. “I thought our defense was really good. Our staple is our defense, and we got some steals off our press.”
The Zizzers never trailed in the game, and the play of 5’10” sophomore forward Ashton Judd, 5’4” senior guard Bre Harlan, 5’9” senior Cass Cunningham, and all-district Player of the Year MacKenzie Brunson were primary reasons.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“Just play our own game,” Judd said. “Do what we know what to do.”
Judd said after the past few seasons, the championship was ripe for the taking.
“We owed them one. The past few years, they have been our rivalry,” said Judd.
The Zizzers took a bit to get going, but once Judd asserted her dominance in the paint, the rest of the offense opened up.
“Coming into the game and knowing their defense, we knew we might have an advantage. We tried to use that and she was able to succeed. I am very proud of these girls … it’s been heartbreak the past two years,” said Womack.
The opening quarter was of the utmost priority, Womack said.
“That is what we wanted to do. The other night in the other game, we came out a little tight, turned the ball over early, and didn’t play very well in the first quarter,” said Womack. “Then, once we got going, I thought we executed our offense.”
The Zizzers in pure, patient Zizzer form, cruised to the 20-7 lead at the end of the opening period and never trailed in the game.
With each passing minute and possession, the Zizzers grew stronger as Judd became more and more aggressive off dribble penetration, and the Zizzers began knifing their way through the Rogersville interior defense.
When the defense collapsed, it opened the perimeter game, and Harlan and Cunningham did not disappoint.
While the offense gets the majority of the headlines in any sport, on this night, the traditional textbook defense caught the veteran coach’s eyes.
“I thought our defense was really good, to get up 13 [first quarter],” said Womack. “That was huge. I think the girls just relaxed and played. We play good enough defense that it was a battle for them [Wildcats]. I thought we just kept plugging away.”
The Zizzers extended the lead to 30-15 at halftime behind patient, effective shooting from Mackenzie Brunson and Cunningham.
Cunningham hit two 3-pointers during the second quarter and Harlan added two key conversions from the perimeter: giving the perfect elixir of balance en route to the win.
“Bre hit some big 3s for us,” Womack said. “Ashton did a good job finishing shots. I know they were trying to stop some of our main players, but I thought some of our role players stepped up.”
The Zizzers defense allowed a mere four points in the third quarter, and the Wildcats didn’t convert their 20th point until midway through the final period.
The Zizzers battle the undefeated Carl Junction Lady Bulldogs (26-0) at next week’s sectional round.
The Class 4 sectional is 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, at Nixa High School.
Brunson was named the Class 4 District 11 Player of the Year.
Judd led all scorers with 15 points and Cunningham added 12.
