By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
You have to find motivation any way you can when you’re at the top.
For the El Dorado Springs Lady Bulldogs, team praise must start on the defensive end.
Or else it can become bulletin board material.
“It started out with being called more of an offensive team,” said El Dorado Springs coach Beau Swopes. “I had a couple of different people go, ‘You guys really focus on your offense.’ That’s not the case at all. We work our tails off defensively every single day. Defense is what we want to be known for.”
In Friday night’s Class 3 Show-Me Showdown semifinals against West County, the defending Class 3 state champions played like a team hungry to repeat. And let their defense do the talking.
El Dorado Springs dominated West County 52-29 behind a game-high 22 points from senior guard Macie Mays. El Dorado Springs forced 19 turnovers and limited West County to single digits in three of the four quarters.
“Being told we were a defensive team, we just took it to heart and ran with it. We work on defense all the time in practice,” Mays said. “We say, ‘Make our defense become our offense.’”
El Dorado Springs controlled the game from the start, racing out to a 20-4 lead after the first quarter. The Lady Bulldogs, who shot 19-for-47 from the field overall, maintained a comfortable lead over the final three quarters.
“It probably wasn’t our best, but we came out and played really well in the first half,” Swopes said. “We did the things we needed to do.”
The victory sets up an all-Ozarks Class 3 girls’ state championship game on Saturday at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield. El Dorado Springs (26-5 overall, No. 2 MBCA Class 3 state poll) takes on Fair Grove, with tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
It’s a rematch from the regular season. Fair Grove (26-4 overall, No. 4-ranked MBCA) won 61-58 at El Dorado Springs on Feb. 6.
“They’re going to bring something new,” Swopes said of the matchup. “It’s unusual, because they’re just as familiar with us as we are with them.”
El Dorado Springs will be seeking its second straight state championship and third overall, all under Swopes.
The 2023 Lady Bulldogs are much different than last year’s championship squad.
“It’s such a different team now because we all had to take new roles,” said El Dorado Springs senior guard Tenlie Stewart. “I had to become more of a leader, since I was a senior. This group has their own sets of talent and they’ve stuck to them and been able to showcase them. We have more people who can contribute. We’ve become more of a team with what we have.”
El Dorado Springs sophomore guard Alexis Collins added 12 points off the bench. She shot 4-for-9 from 3-point range.
“We have so many more kids who contribute and do other things,” Swopes said. “This year, if you leave someone open, they’re going to make their shot or get a shot for someone else.”
El Dorado Springs 52, West County 29
El Dorado Springs 20 12 12 8 — 52
West County 4 12 9 4 — 29
El Dorado Springs (26-5 overall) – Macie Mays 22, Alexis Collins 12, Neely Schaaf 8, Tenlie Steward 5, McKinli Mays 5
West County (24-6 overall) – Alexis Hedgcorth 10, Alivia Simily 10, Gracie Wright 4, Morgan Simily 2, Bailey Skiles 2, Lilly James 1
