By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It’s hard to miss Reagan Rasmussen on the court.
The 6’1” junior forward is usually the tallest player. But sometimes, she has to remind opponents of what they’re going against.
“They just drive in, and I guess don’t see me there or think I’m that tall. If I see them coming at me, I’m just thinking, ‘Oh, I have to block this shot,’” Rasmussen said. “Every time they come in. Hopefully I don’t foul when I do it, but that’s my thought process every time.”
Rasmussen set the tone for the Lady Wildcats’ dominant defensive performance on Saturday afternoon. She had five blocks as Logan-Rogersville rolled to a 56-20 victory over Reeds Spring in the Class 4 District 11 Tournament championship game at Hollister High School.
“You just don’t see (tall) girls as athletic as she is,” said Logan-Rogersville coach Cory Watts. “She was able to help us out, and that allowed us to put pressure on the basketball. If we got beat, she was there to clean it up.”
Logan-Rogersville wasted no time in securing its second straight district championship.
The Lady Wildcats smothered Reeds Spring from the opening tip and quickly built a double-digit lead. They led 18-4 after the first quarter and 36-7 by halftime.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
As a team, Logan-Rogersville made seven 3-pointers in the first half and nine overall.
The Lady Wildcats (23-5 overall, No. 6 in Class 4 MBCA state poll) are having their best season since 2019, when they made the Class 4 final four and finished 24-8 overall.
“We’ve just been preparing for this all week,” Rasmussen said. “We got in here today and were ready for it. We decided to step on it right away.”
Logan-Rogersville junior Hailey Buckman scored a game-high 19 and Eden Kibby added 11 points. Buckman and Kibby each made three treys.
All five Logan-Rogersville starters scored in the first quarter. Logan-Rogersville emptied its bench in the fourth quarter with the running clock in effect.
“We try to spread it around,” Watts said. “We have a lot of girls who can score it. We try to keep them all happy.”
Rasmussen finished with just six points, but her five blocks on the other end was a big reason why Reeds Spring was held to its lowest scoring output of the season.
“We knew we were going to have to match their offense,” said Reeds Spring coach Damon Asbill. “We were going to have to make shots for their shots. We just missed too many, especially early, and got behind.”
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE GAME
The Lady Wildcats have won 15 in a row against Reeds Spring, a streak that began in the 2012-13 season.
Logan-Rogersville will host Aurora or Cassville in the Class 4 sectional round Tuesday night, March 11.
Sophomore guard Saylor Johnson led Reeds Spring (15-11 overall) with nine points.
The Lady Wolves finish with a winning record for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The 15 wins are the most for the program in 24 years.
Asbill, who is in his first season as the team’s head coach, said the turning point came in a mid-season win over Blue Eye at the Sparta Tournament.
“I think our girls started to believe, ‘We can do this,’” Asbill said.
The senior-less Lady Wolves earned another marquee win when they upset a 21-win Mountain Grove team in Thursday’s district semifinals.
“That was a big win for our program,” Asbill said.
Logan-Rogersville 56, Reeds Spring 20
Reeds Spring 4 3 4 9 — 20
Logan-Rogersville 18 18 17 3 — 56
Reeds Spring (15-11 overall) – Saylor Johnson 9, Emmarae Thompson 6, Kylie Fitzwater 3, Allie Johnson 2
Logan-Rogersville (23-5 overall) – Hailey Buckman 19, Eden Kibby 11, Millie MacPherson 7, Addison Cleghorn 6, Reagan Rasmussen 6, Taylor Wray 5, Courtney Batey 2
