By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Marshfield entered its first final four game in a decade facing the No. 1 ranked team in Class 5 John Burroughs. The game was close through halftime, but John Burroughs pulled away in the second half for a 44-30 win.
“Obviously, we’re proud of the battle we had,” said Marshfield head coach Katie Pritchard. “John Burroughs is one of the best teams in the state, doesn’t matter what class they are in. We knew it would be a battle and some of the best defense and scoring we’ve seen all year. I’m so proud, we hung right in there with them, and we told our kids if you can defend them, you can defend anybody.”
The teams were scoreless for the first three minutes, and the Bombers were first on the board. The Lady Jays answered quickly as Peyton Ward connected underneath on an assist from Abby McBride. Three Marshfield attempts from behind the arc failed, but Lauren Luebbert was successful from downtown. John Burroughs’ tough inside play and defense propelled them to a 10-5 lead.
In the second frame, Ward was fouled on a jumper and grabbed the and-one at the line. She scored again on a dish from McBride, and Luebbert added a layup to trail the Bombers 13-12.
The Jays failed to capitalize on two steals, but McBride scooped up a loose ball for a basket, later adding a point at the free throw line. Marshfield closed the half down 17-15, outscoring the Bombers by three in the quarter.
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The Bombers held the Lady Jays to just five points in the third, all from McBride at the free-throw line.
“The on-ball pressure kept us from making the obvious pass,” said Pritchard.
Meanwhile, the Bombers adjusted their perimeter play and made two threes as part of their 12 total points in the frame. The Bombers led by nine to close the third.
Ward hit a three at the top of the fourth, but the Bombers added five before McBride delivered again at the free-throw line. Ward and Quinn Aldridge also contributed from the charity stripe.
“I’m just really proud of the way they stuck together as a unit; that’s what we’ve been about all year defensively, and they continued to bind to it tonight,” said Pritchard. “It kept them in the game… there in the end, John Burroughs hit some big shots and were able to pull away, but we kept it within reaching distance the entire game and gave ourselves an opportunity. I’m pretty proud of our kids.”
John Burroughs head coach Jacob Yorg said his team recognized how good the Lady Jays were.
“Marshfield had three late runs where they’ve been behind in the fourth quarter and were able to come back, and we weren’t going to let that happen.”
The Bombers dominated offensive boards, 16-5, took almost twice as many shots as the Lady Jays, and were flawless from the free throw line.
“They play great on-the-ball defense, and it’s hard to just move out there,” said Luebbert. “They are great defenders, and it was hard to get shots off.”
Tomorrow, the Lady Jays will compete in the third-place game at 10 am at Mizzou Arena.
“Either way, it’s going to be a battle,” said Pritchard. “You get here and everybody is really good. We’re excited. We are one of two teams that have the opportunity to end the season on a win. We’re going to go out and compete. We’re going to drop this one and focus on the next one.”
Pritchard credited her four seniors for “resurrecting this program” and returning it to elite status.
“They just kept plugging away,” she said. “A lot of times we thought we had it figured out, we thought we’d get that district championship, we thought we’d get to state, and it didn’t happen, and they just never gave up.”
“This group is the example of what makes high school sports so special,” she added. “They grew up in Marshfield, chasing banners, dreaming of being one of those people up on the wall and continuing that tradition. Their goal from the beginning has been that each of us will do whatever we need to do that the team needs to get back to state, and obviously they were able to accomplish that.”
“We hope [the younger Lady Jays players] continue the tradition,” said Abby McBride. “We are the start of a new generation of girls who can keep showing out.”
