CARTHAGE — Carthage came out with confidence on the offensive and defensive end and built a sizable lead early on the way to a 72-44 win over Waynesville in the fifth-place game of the Lady Tigers Invitational on Saturday.
Carthage (2-3) took command of the game early after coming out with the hot hand from the perimeter that led to two scoring runs and a double-digit lead by the start of the second period. Carthage pushed the lead to as much as 20 points in the second quarter and pulled away in the second half for the win.
"I thought we had great energy for about 30 of the 32 minutes," Carthage coach Scott Moore said. "We demanded that of them before the game started, but we had a lull at the end of the second quarter when Kianna (Yates) went out. At halftime, we talked about how we needed more energy and it had to be for the next 16 minutes. I am really proud that they did. Thirty out of 32 minutes is a great start, and it's better than the last two games, but now we need to go to the next level and play all 32 minutes with that energy. That will be the team we want to show people who we are."
GAME ACTION
It didn't take long for Carthage to convert from the perimeter as Raven Probert sank a 3-ball from the corner off the assist from Kianna Yates to kick off the scoring. 
With the lead at 7-6, Carthage used an 8-0 run backed by an inside score from Yates off an inbounds pass that was followed by a 3-pointer from Lauren Choate and another by Yates to push the lead to 15-8 with 2:28 left in the period.
Waynesville (0-3) cut the lead to 15-12 after consecutive baskets from Breona Hurd before Carthage closed the period on a 10-0 run to head into the intermission with a 25-12 advantage. Presley Probert kicked off the run with back to back 3-pointers before Landry Cochran knocked down a mid-range jumper from the baseline. Presley Probert closed the run after pulling down an offensive rebound, drawing a foul on the putback attempt and making both subsequent free throws.
"I thought our depth helped," Moore said of his team's close to the quarter. "We are going nine or 10 deep and they only really had five or six kids that they wanted to play. I thought every quarter we had a chance to make runs at the end because they would wear down and we would be reinforcing with fresh bodies."
A key to the run before the close to the opening quarter was the press defense by Carthage that forced Waynesville into several turnovers, with three of those turnovers turning points the other way.
Carthage pushed its lead to 20 points, 38-18, with 2:50 to play in the first half on back-to-back makes from beyond the arc by Raven Probert and Maggie Boyd.
Waynesville trimmed the lead to 12, 38-26, to start the second half after closing the second quarter on an 8-0 run.
The heat from 3-point range didn't cool off for Carthage in the third quarter, with five of the team's buckets in the quarter coming from the perimeter. Trisha Kanas sank a triple to make the score 49-30 before Yates drilled a 3-pointer from the wing to push the lead back to 20, 52-32, with 2:05 to play. Choate and Boyd both added 3-pointers to push the lead to 58-32 to close out the Carthage scoring in the third.
Carthage extended the lead to a game-high 31 points near the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter when Boyd made her third 3-pointer of the day to make the score 69-38.
SCORING
Carthage's Sophie Shannon puts up a shot during the win over Waynesville on Saturday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Carthage made 14 3-pointers as a team in the win over Waynesville. Raven Probert, Yates and Boyd all led the Tigers with three triples each. Choate and Presley Probert each converted twice from the perimeter, while Lexa Youngblood also made a 3-pointer.
"Before the season, we knew that 3s would be a skill set for us, and maybe be our best skill set," Moore said. "If teams are going to play us in a 2-3 zone, we should probably knock down 14 3s. I am happy with that, but it's not unexpected for me. All of those kids who knocked down multiple 3s are all shooters and we practice a ton of 3s in practice. We are not a tall team, we are a skilled team. We can shoot and handle the ball, so I am glad that showed tonight in our performance."
Yates led Carthage in scoring with 21 points, while Presley Probert and Boyd also finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Raven Probert closed with nine points in the win.
"They should all go home pretty happy with how they performed," Moore said of his team's play over the weekend. "I am very happy with how they performed. So, I hope they go home happy with that. Focus on the good things and forget about the one bad thing that you did."
Hurd led all scorers with 24 points, while Katlyn Black finished with 10 points in the loss for Waynesville.

CARTHAGE — Miller caught fire from the perimeter early in a 48-24 win over host Carthage on the final day of pool play in the Lady Tigers Basketball Invitational on Friday.
The Cardinals were simmering from 3-point range almost from the opening tip, with their first four shots all coming from the perimeter for a quick 12-0 run. Carthage whittled the lead down to 10 early in the third period before Miller closed the quarter with a sizable run to put the game out of reach.
"We didn't have the energy I expected us to have on either end of the floor from the start," Carthage coach Scott Moore said. "That is disappointing because this was a matchup where there were a lot of friends and relatives between the two teams, so I didn't think energy would be a problem. … The lack of energy led to lax turnovers and making bad decisions defensively that allowed them open shots. Those are things we need to learn from. We need to learn that in a 32-minute game, we need to be ready in minute one and not wait until the second quarter to play hard."
Miller opened the game on a 12-0 run thanks to a corner 3-pointer from Kaylee Helton before Claudia Hadlock took over with the next nine points all on makes from beyond the arc. Turnovers plagued the Tigers early and proved to be the catalyst for Miller's momentum swing, with Carthage turning the ball over prior to three of the four makes from range by the Cardinals.
Maggie Boyd ended the early run with a 3-pointer of her own before Miller scored the next seven points, all by Hadlock, to push the lead to 19-3. Boyd answered again inside to trim the lead to 19-5 by the end of the first period.
"We just didn't defend them well tonight," Moore said. "We went over the scouting report pretty significantly in practice. We didn't really execute it properly. That allowed them some open looks, and to their credit, they knocked down their open looks."
A low-scoring second quarter played in favor of the Tigers, who outscored the Cardinals 6-3 to trim the lead to 23-11 by halftime. Kianna Yates, Sophie Shannon and Landry Cochran each had two points for the Tigers in the period.
"We made some adjustments in the break after the first quarter to shore up our press to kind of cover their press break," Moore said about his team's play on defense in the second quarter. "We demanded that they play harder and they did that. I am really proud that the girls can execute when we make changes."
Carthage's defensive intensity continued in the early portions if the third period, with the Tigers whittling the lead down to 10, 24-14, on a 3-pointer from the wing by Raven Probert off the assist by Yates, but Miller answered with an 11-0 run to close out the third period with a 35-14 to essentially put the game out of reach. Helton highlighted the run with a driving score and a 3-ball from the corner.
SCORING LEADERS
Hadlock led all scorers with 24 points, including four 3-pointers. She scored 16 points in the first quarter. Helton finished with 16 points.
Boyd led Carthage with eight points, while Cochran finished with four.

CARTHAGE — Webb City and Carthage had different results on the opening night of the Lady Tigers Basketball Invitational.
In Wednesday's pool play action, Webb City rallied in the second half to beat Waynesville 34-24, while tourney host Carthage suffered a 51-42 setback to Springdale (Ark.) Har-Ber. 
Down eight at halftime, Webb City outscored Waynesville 25-7 in the second half. 
"We got off to a slow start offensively, but picked it up in the second half," Webb City coach Lance Robbins said. "We played solid defense, which allowed us to stay close until we were able to start scoring the ball better."
Waynesville led 8-3 at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers extended their lead to 17-9 at halftime.
But the Cardinals outscored the Tigers 9-3 in the third period to pull within two, 20-18, entering the fourth quarter. 
Webb City finished strong by winning the fourth quarter 16-4.
Kate Brownfield scored 11 points to lead Webb City (2-0), while Ripley Shanks added nine points. Malorie Stanley scored six points and Kylie Jennings chipped in five points.
Breona Hurd scored 11 points for Waynesville.
Webb City takes on Sunrise Christian at 7 on Thursday night. 
Unlike the Cardinals, the Tigers were unable to dig out of an early hole.
Har-Ber doubled up Carthage in the first quarter, as the visitors led 20-10. 
The hosts trailed 29-20 at intermission and 39-33 at the end of the third quarter. Har-Ber outscored Carthage 12-9 in the final frame to secure the win.
Kianna Yates led Carthage with 20 points. Landry Cochran added seven points.
Caylan Koons scored a game-high 30 points for Har-Ber, including all 12 of her team's fourth quarter points.
"Too many early turnovers put us in a hole to start," Carthage coach Scott Moore said. "However, I'm proud the girls battled back and cut it down to three points midway through the fourth quarter. We are gaining valuable experience with each game we play. Har-Ber is a tough team much like the teams we face in the COC. We will learn from tonight's game and be better on Friday."
In Thursday's other game, Miller meets Har-Ber at 5:30. 
-SoMo Sports, Lucas Davis