By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Since the start of preseason practices, the Marshfield Lady Jays have focused on the big picture.
“Our mentality has been, ‘Everything we do is preparing us for the postseason,’” said Marshfield coach Katie Pritchard. “Every game, every practice. It’s all about what kind of basketball we want to be playing by districts.”
In the meantime, the Lady Jays have once again put together a stellar regular season.
Marshfield finished an unbeaten run through the Big 8 East with a hard-fought 63-51 road win over Logan-Rogersville on Thursday night.
Marshfield freshman Peyton Ward led all players with 26 points off the bench. The 6-foot Ward buried a 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining to put the Lady Jays up for good, 55-47.
“I have confidence in her,” Pritchard said. “We have confidence in all of our kids to step up and hit an open shot. She’s done it before and she’ll do it again.”
A young and resilient Logan-Rogersville squad kept the game close after falling behind by double digits in the opening minutes of the second half.
Seniors Lauren Luebbert and Abby McBride closed the third quarter with 3-pointers to give Marshfield a 12-point lead entering the fourth.
But, Logan-Rogersville cut the deficit to just five with four minutes to go.
A perfect night at the free throw line (16-for-16) helped Marshfield seal the victory.
“Coming in, we knew it would be a grind to get through this one,” Pritchard said. “(Logan-Rogersville) gave us a punch. I was just really proud of our kids to continue to stay the course, do what we do and band together.”
The victory gives Marshfield (18-4 overall, 6-0 Big 8, No. 5 in Class 5 MBCA rankings) a perfect Big 8 East record.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Bigger goals remain for the Lady Jays: Winning districts and advancing to the postseason.
Marshfield hopes its fourth-straight 20-win season will culminate in the program’s first district championship since 2014. The Lady Jays made the final four that season.
“We’re more motivated than ever,” Luebbert said. “It’s our last year. As seniors, we haven’t accomplished as much as we would’ve liked. It’s our last time to go out and do it. It’s now or never.”
Marshfield has now won four straight against its conference rival. Both Marshfield and Logan-Rogersville will leave the Big 8 Conference for the newly formed Ozark Mountain Conference next season.
“You go into Marshfield schools, and everyone just talks about how we want to beat Rogersville. That’s always the one team we have to beat,” McBride said. “You just kind of grow into (the rivalry), I guess.”
Luebbert added 17 points for Marshfield. The Lady Jays start four seniors alongside sophomore point guard Quinn Aldridge. Ward and sophomore Tilly Greenfield also see significant varsity action as reserves.
“The cool thing is, our seniors are so welcoming and encourage them,” Pritchard said. “They want (the younger players) to be a part of everything we do. Getting those young kids that confidence and knowing the older kids have their back makes all the difference in the world.”
Added McBride: “(Our team) has meshed well. It’s never been a rough road.”
Sophomore Hailey Buckman led Logan-Rogersville (16-7 overall) with 19 points. The Lady Wildcats had won nine of their last 11 games before Thursday’s loss.
Logan-Rogersville will look to bounce back on Monday night when it hosts Lamar.
Marshfield has a busy slate next week, with a home game against McDonald County on Feb. 12, followed by road contests at Forsyth (Feb. 13) and West Plains (Feb. 15).
The West Plains game will likely decide the top seed for the Class 5 District 6 Tournament, which starts in three weeks. The Lady Jays will host districts for the third straight season.
Marshfield 63, Logan-Rogersville 51
Marshfield 15 11 22 15 — 63
Logan-Rogersville 10 11 15 15 — 51
Marshfield (18-4 overall, 6-0 Big 8) – Peyton Ward 26, Lauren Luebbert 17, Quinn Aldridge 8, Abby McBride 7, Lillie Findley 3, Tilly Greenfield 2
Logan-Rogersville (16-7 overall, 5-2 Big 8) – Hailey Buckman 19, Eden Kibby 12, Reagan Rasmussen 11, Chayla Perry 6, Millie MacPherson 3
