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By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.COM)
Sometimes the key to a tournament like the Pink and White Lady Classic (four games in four days) is to survive and advance, and that’s what top-seeded West Plains did in its 42-36 White Division win over No. 2 Republic on Wednesday night at Kickapoo.
“That’s all you want to do,” West Plains coach Scott Womack said. “It’s a grueling week. At times, we start off the game really well, but I thought we got tired, made a few mistakes towards the end of the second quarter and let them back in.”
The Lady Zizzers, who remained unbeaten at 11-0, did have a strong start with a 7-0 run to open the game, while taking advantage of some cold shooting by Republic for a 12-5 first-quarter lead.
It looked like West Plains was going to run away with it with another run (6-0) to start the second quarter for an 18-5 lead. But Republic put together a run of its own (11-0) to close out the quarter, capped by a Kaemyn Bekemeier 3-pointer to beat the buzzer, pulling the Lady Tigers within two (18-16.)
West Plains’ junior Ashton Judd picked up two fouls in the first quarter and sat most of the second. She picked up her third and fourth fouls in the third quarter, limiting her playing time, and senior all-stater MacKenzie Brunson did what seniors do in that situation – be the leader.
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“She’s the heart and soul of our team,” Womack said. “She’s a four-year starter and she’s always under control. She never panicked. She just always has that calming effect. She’s so smart, just a great player for us. She’s almost like having another coach out there because she just knows what needs to be done.”
Brunson scored six points in the second quarter, while Judd was on the bench, and added seven in the third to keep the Lady Zizzers afloat, while also hitting the boards and helping run the offense.
“I kind of had the mentality that I’m the senior, I need to step up, I need to play my role and do a little bit extra with Ashton out,” Brunson said. “And, it wasn’t just me out there, it was my whole team. We all kind of stepped up, played our roles, did our part and got the win.”
Bekemeier, a sophomore who holds offers from Missouri State, Grand Canyon and Saint Louis, had trouble getting her shot to fall much of the game, but opened the fourth quarter with a 4-0 run of her own to pull Republic within three (33-30). The Lady Tigers forced a West Plains turnover, but were unable to capitalize on four missed free throws by the Lady Zizzers, as Drew Harris scored on a putback on the last miss.
“We had our opportunities and when you’re playing a team like West Plains, you can’t give up too many second-chance points,” Republic coach Kris Flood said. “We had way too many there in the second half, when we were trying to cut into it. Each time we’d get some momentum, it seemed like we’d give up an offensive rebound. And then, we kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit with our shooting. We missed a lot of shots and a lot of easy shots.
“It’s just one of those games, you have to learn from it. Maybe a positive is it’s a quick turnaround tomorrow, so not a lot of time to dwell on it – just move on. Like I told the kids after the game, if we get through this tournament, we go 3-1, considering the competition we played, I feel pretty good.”
West Plains will face the other No. 1 seed in Nixa for the White championship at noon Thursday.
“We really haven’t had any close games where we’ve had to make free throws,” Womack said. “We’re really a young team. We’re led by a senior and a junior, and a couple of seniors and a junior that’s played some, but we’re playing a lot of sophomores and freshmen. So, we haven’t been in that situation where they have to step up to the free throw line to make some free throws. I was proud of them there at the end. I’m really proud of the girls to get to this point.”
(1) WEST PLAINS 42, (2) REPUBLIC 36
Pink and White Lady Classic
White semifinal
REPUBLIC 5-11-10-10—36
WEST PLAINS 12-6-15-9—42
(2) REPUBLIC (4-4) – Kaitlyn Ragsdale 11, Jazzy Kirby 10, Savanah Powell-Goodman 4, Kaemyn Bekemeier 9, Rilynn Finley 2.
(1) WEST PLAINS (11-0) – Mackenzie Brunson 15, Drew Harris 4, Allyssa Joyner 10, Ashton Judd 11, Zoey Williams 2.
Thursday’s schedule: (Championship) Nixa vs. West Plains, noon at Parkview; (Third place) Waynesville vs. Republic, noon at Kickapoo
