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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Willard Lady Tigers were in position to pull off a huge district upset on Friday night, thanks to 13 made 3-pointers.
They needed to make 14.
Willard’s upset bid fell just short, as Carl Junction prevailed 65-60 in the Class 5 District 6 Tournament finals at Willard High School.
“Our effort was phenomenal,” said Willard coach JJ Adamson. “The leadership of our seniors was outstanding. They played their tails off. Couldn’t be prouder of them for the way they represented themselves and our program.”
On the other side, state-ranked Carl Junction celebrated its seventh straight district championship.
Junior guard Destiny Buerge finished with a game-high 23 points. Sophomore post Kylie Scott added 19 points for the Lady Bulldogs.
Carl Junction, which beat Willard 65-50 in the regular season, secured Friday’s district championship at the free throw line. The Lady Bulldogs were 10-for-10 at the line in the fourth quarter and 15-for-19 overall.
Willard, trailing 63-60, missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds.
“We knew it’d be a tight one. Willard is a very well-coached and fundamentally sound team,” said Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter. “They play their style so well, but our kids kept battling. We didn’t start well, but we finished how we needed to.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Carl Junction will play West Plains, the District 5 winner, on March 12 in the Class 5 quarterfinal round. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Meyer Wellness Center (Southwest Baptist University) in Bolivar.
“We hope to give them a good game,” Shorter said. “They play very hard and have some great players. We’ll have to be ready to go.”
The meeting marks the third straight season Carl Junction and West Plains have met in the state playoffs. West Plains won last year while Carl Junction won in 2020.
Carl Junction will be seeking its first trip to the final four since 2018, when the Lady Bulldogs lost in the championship game.
Youthful exuberance describes this year’s Carl Junction squad. The Lady Bulldogs, ranked No. 7 in the Class 5 state rankings, have only two seniors on the team.
“I love the personalities with this group,” Shorter said. “They’ll play music, dance and have fun. They’re a great group who would do anything for each other.”
Willard exploded for 21 points in the second quarter and trailed just 32-30 at halftime.
Carl Junction couldn’t pull away in the second half, as Willard stayed within reach behind its 3-point shooting.
“We didn’t do a good job fundamentally. From the defensive side, we turned our back a lot,” Shorter said. “I didn’t feel like we played with enough physicality at times. We couldn’t get over that hump, but there were times if we hit shots when we were up six or eight points, maybe we could put it away.”
Willard’s Bri Adamson had a team-high 18 points and Morgan Hall scored 12. Both made four 3-pointers.
JJ Adamson fought back tears when describing what this year’s team meant to him – particularly seniors Hall, Madison Mills and his daughter, Bri Adamson.
“Believe it or not, there were times during their careers where they were on the fence about playing,” JJ Adamson said. “The emotion in that locker room after the game lets you know how much it means to them.”
Carl Junction 65, Willard 60
Willard 9 21 10 20 — 60
Carl Junction 17 15 12 21 — 65
Willard (13-16 overall) – Bri Adamson 18, Morgan Hall 12, Madison Mills 11, Ella Sims 7, Carolina Crawford 7, Kailyn Washington 5
Carl Junction (23-7 overall) – Destiny Buerge 23, Kylie Scott 19, Deziree Williams 9, Josie Gilbert 6, Hali Shorter 6, Anna Burch 2
