By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The West Plains Lady Zizzers are district champions for the second year in a row.
The Lady Zizzers hosted the Marshfield Lady Jays in a Class 5, District 9 showdown Friday night, winning 56-32. West Plains jumped out to an early lead and never relinquished it, with junior Ashton Judd leading the charge with 32 points and earning the title of District Player of the Year.
“They caught us a little bit off guard to start the game,” said West Plains head coach Scott Womack of the Lady Jays. “They mixed it up, zone to man, but once we got people in the right spots, I thought we started playing well, especially executing offensively. Ashton had a great game. In her first half she kind of carried us, and her defense was really good. It was a great team effort and I was really proud of our defense.”
Womack is no stranger to the post-season: he has taken 8 of his last 9 teams to compete in district championships. On Friday night, he was named Coach of the Year of District 9.
“We’re so young, but MacKenzie (Brunson), Ashton (Judd) and Jade (Barry) have led us all year,” said Womack. “We’ve got three juniors and seniors on the team. They have come a long way since summer and play with a lot of confidence and belief in each other. They have found out what their roles are and have done a good job filling those roles.”
Judd came out of the gate strong, pulling down rebounds and adding 8 of the Lady Zizzers’ 10 points in the first quarter. Marshfield trailed by just two to close the frame thanks to Kori Cromer’s shot from downtown, Brooklyn Crawford’s work at the free throw line, and Abby McBride’s three at the buzzer.
In the second, Judd once again scored all but two of West Plains’ points – a jumper from Brunson – while limiting Marshfield to 6. The Lady Zizzers led 23-14 at the half.
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“We really wanted to come out in the first minutes of the third quarter and extend that lead,” said Coach Womack. “I think we limited them to three free throws most of the third quarter until they got a bucket right at the end. The third quarter was crucial in terms of extending from a nine-point lead.”
And extend that lead they did: West Plains outscored Marshfield by 18 points in the third. Judd, Brunson, Georgia Osborn, and Allyssa Joyner combined for 8 points from the charity stripe. Osborn stole the ball, drew a foul, and connected from behind the arc in quick succession, and Allyssa Joyner also added a bucket. Senior forward Maile Peck was solid from the free throw line, adding three of the Lady Jays’ 5 points.
In the final frame, West Plains put up 10 points, with four each from Judd and Brunson and a bucket in the final minutes from Mary Claire Gohn. Cromer had five points for Marshfield and Crawford four, and freshman Cassie Fishel added three from the charity stripe.
“MacKenzie is so solid and holds us together defensively,” said Womack. “She rebounded tonight and took care of the ball for us at times and made some big shots. She’s our leader out there and made some great passes to Ashton, too. Georgia was good for us tonight, took care of the ball and played good defense on the Cromer girl, and Allyssa played well in the second half for us.”
Lady Jays head coach Katie Pritchard said she is proud of her team’s effort. “We came out initially with a lot of confidence, and over time, we got flustered,” she said. “Obviously, this is a really good basketball team, this West Plains team, one of the best you’ll see. When you get flustered and start to get on your heels, they’ll take advantage of that. Judd kind of took over and it’s hard to stop a kid like that when she’s got her mind set to it.”
“This team has been resilient,” she added. “They’ve battled all year, and we didn’t allow excuses to get in our way. I think that’s why a lot of our young kids had some success. Our seniors set the tone and those young kids followed them. They never shut down and never stopped.” Marshfield ends their season 20-6.
The Lady Zizzers are now 25-3 and will take on Willard on Wednesday in sectional play.
Ten were named to the All-District Team: Ashton Judd, West Plains, Player of the Year; Savannah Campbell, Rolla; MacKenzie Brunson, West Plains; Lindsey Byers, Helias Catholic; Payton Kincaid, Camdenton; Carli Libhart, Rolla; Kylie Bernskoetter, Helias Catholic; Kori Cromer, Marshfield; Allyssa Joyner, West Plains; Adalyn Koelling, Helias Catholic. Scott Womack, West Plains, was named Coach of the Year.
Scoring for West Plains: Ashton Judd, 32; MacKenzie Brunson, 12; Allyssa Joyner, 6; Georgia Osborn, 4; Mary Claire Gohn, 2.
Scoring for Marshfield: Kori Cromer, 12; Brooklyn Crawford, 8; Abby McBride, 5; Mollie Thomas, 4; Maile Peck, 3.
