By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Carl Junction’s senior class will have its pick of postseason highlights to recount someday.
The Bulldogs added another to the list on Tuesday night in Webb City.
Destiny Buerge scored 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Carl Junction’s girls basketball team outscored the host Cardinals by double digits in both halves en route to a 67-42 win in the Class 5 District 7 championship.
It’s Carl Junction’s eighth district title in a row.
“I’ve won four district championships in the four years I’ve been playing high school and it’s just the best,” said Buerge, one of four seniors on the roster.
“It might have been the best environment we’ve had,” she said. “That was actually our best student section we’ve ever had and I’m glad they showed up for this game because it’s our rival.”
The top-seeded Bulldogs (28-1) built an 11-point lead in the first half and then opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run to take the air out of the Cardinal Dome. They added another 11-0 run in the fourth quarter for good measure.
With Buerge scoring eight points in each of the first two quarters, Carl Junction led 15-8 after one and made it double digits on a 3-pointer by senior Klohe Burk early in the second. The Bulldogs led by as many as 13 in the first half and held a 32-21 advantage at the break.
Then junior Kylie Scott scored to open the third, Burk added a free throw and Buerge scored back-to-back baskets and made a free throw for a 40-21 lead. Burk then sank another triple to cap the run.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The second-seeded Cardinals (18-11) made some noise late in the third, with senior Sami Mancini scoring six in a row at one point to get it down to 13, but Carl Junction led 47-30 going into the fourth and, after the second 11-0 run, was up by 28 points with less than three minutes remaining.
“It felt good,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “Our kids believed and I thought we did a good job tonight of limiting their opportunities. They got one shot and that was usually it.”
The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Cardinals by one, with sophomore Dezi Williams adding 11 boards to Buerge’s dozen. They combined for 11 of the team’s 16 offensive rebounds. Carl Junction had a big advantage in turnovers, as well, with Webb City giving it up 18 times in the game. Burk and freshman Jadyn Howard each recorded three steals, and Carl Junction had 11 as a team.
“I feel like we’ve been playing much better,” Shorter said. “We’re starting to figure some things out. That’s what we want to do, we want to peak at the right time. Certainly we hope that’s coming at some point, maybe not too early but we’ve got to do what we need to do to get W’s and a lot of it is rebounding and defense. When we play good defense and rebound the ball we’re pretty tough to beat.”
Buerge led all scorers with 36 points, Burk had 12, junior Kylie Scott scored seven, Howard had five, Williams scored four and senior Hali Shorter had three.
Webb City’s Mancini had 23 points and 19 rebounds. Junior Mia Robbins scored six, sophomore Kirra Long and junior Malorie Stanley each scored five and senior Izzy Lopez had three.
The win was Carl Junction’s 23rd in a row, and it came barely two weeks after the Bulldogs earned a narrow 56-53 win at Webb City.
Now Carl Junction is back in the quarterfinals and set for a Saturday afternoon matchup with Lincoln Prep (17-9) in Sedalia. Carl Junction won its three district games by an average of 35 points.
The Bulldogs are seeking their fourth Final Four appearance since 2017.
