CARTHAGE — The Carthage Tigers were seconds away from extending their winning streak.
But the Springfield Central Bulldogs didn't cooperate.
Central's Makaiya Brooks hit a game-winning 3-pointer just before the buzzer sounded and the Bulldogs stunned the Tigers 41-40 on Monday night in a nonconference girls basketball clash at the Carthage High School gymnasium.
"We did a really good job of defending her," Carthage coach Chad Jones said of the final play. "We wanted to know where she was all game. She's a very good player and she made a big play at the end."
Although the setback snapped Carthage's five-game winning streak, Jones noted he was proud his team overcame a late deficit to put themselves in a position to get a win.
"I thought we made a nice run in the fourth quarter to get the lead back," Jones said. "Tonight, we responded when we got down. That was a positive we can take away from this one. We had a good run down the stretch."
After trailing by four with three minutes left in the game, the Tigers took a 39-38 lead with 1:30 remaining after Hailey Fullerton's old-fashioned three-point play and Mia Duncan's put back.
After the two teams traded turnovers near the one-minute mark, Central missed a jumper in the lane, but the visitors corralled the offensive rebound and called a timeout.
After the stoppage, the Bulldogs once again missed a field goal attempt before they had to foul.
Carthage's Lexi Black made the first free throw and missed the second, giving the Tigers a two-point cushion with 16 seconds left.
A 5-foot-8 sophomore guard, Brooks found the ball in her hands in the right corner with time running out. Brooks rose up and knocked down the game-winner.
"She came through," Bulldogs coach Caitlin Lamberth said. "She kind of struggled to score tonight and that was her first 3-pointer of the game. What a time to hit a shot."
Lamberth noted a last-second heave wasn't the designed play.
"Sometimes you draw things up and they break down and you have to have players who can make plays like that," Lamberth said. "We had girls step up tonight."
Senior post player Sakirah Jones scored 18 points to lead Central (3-6), while senior guard Dasia Pence added 10 points and Brooks had seven.
A 6-1 sophomore guard/forward, Fullerton led Carthage (6-2) with 15 points, while Duncan added nine.
Central led 10-2, but Carthage finished the first quarter on a 10-0 run. Eight of those points came at the charity stripe, as Jillian Brunnert went 6-for-6 and Duncan went 2-for-2.
The Tigers then scored the first six points of the second quarter to complete a 16-0 burst, with a 3-pointer from Black giving the hosts an 18-10 advantage.
The Bulldogs ended their scoring drought with six-straight points, but Fullerton's trey from the left wing gave the Tigers a 21-16 lead at the break.
The Bulldogs used a 14-2 surge in the third quarter to take a 28-27 lead into the final frame.
The Tigers are now off until they play West Plains on Dec. 26 at the Pink & White Invitational in Springfield.
"It's always a tough tournament," Jones said. "I feel like this is the best team I've had here at Carthage, so I'm excited to go play in it because of the level of competition and the exposure it gives our kids."

-Jason Peake, Joplin Globe Sports

Springfield-Central 41, Carthage 40
Central       10    6    12    13 - 41
Carthage    12    9     6    13 - 40

Scoring
Springfield Central: S. Jones 18, Pence 10, Brooks 7, Finley 6
Carthage: Fullerton 15, Duncan 9, Brunnert 6, Black 4, Negrette 4, Peters 2
3PFG: Finley 2, Fullerton 2, Black, Brooks