Saturday, December 3
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Bentonville got hot from the perimeter early on the way to a 50-32 win over the Carthage girls basketball team on the final day of the Lady Tigers Invitational Shootout on Saturday.
With both teams heading into the final day with 2-0 records in the tourney, Bentonville knocked down three shots from deep in the first quarter to help build a nine-point lead and continued to convert from deep for a 30-14 lead at halftime.
"The first quarter really dug us a hole too big to get out of," Carthage coach Scott Moore said. "After that, it was a pretty even ball game. The second quarter was 13-8 and the second half was 20-18. The first half, they shot like it was their gym and we shot like it was a foreign gym. … Our energy and effort was there, our shots just weren't going in."
Bentonville stretched its lead to more than 20 for the first time with 2:45 left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Olivia Rustad to make the score 38-16, outscoring Carthage 14-2 in the third period to an insurmountable lead en route to the win.
Bentonville totaled 10 3-pointers in the win over Carthage.
Bentonville's Ella Campbell started the game's scoring with a 3-pointer and didn't slow down, converting four times from long range in the first half and six times total in the win on the way to 20 points as the catalyst. Anna Kulka and Sam Rhuda each added six.
Maggie Boyd led Carthage with 11 points, while Jaidyn Brunnert had six. Lauren Choate and Kianna Yates each finished with five.
Carthage (3-1) continues its season with a road matchup at Lamar on Tuesday.
-SoMo Staff Reports
Other Results
Webb City 42, Olathe East (KS) 35
El Dorado Springs 67, Sunrise Christian (KS) 47

Friday, December 2
CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Carthage High School girls basketball team pulled off a comeback to remember on Friday night.
Carthage overcame a 16-point deficit en route to a confidence-building 67-46 victory over Sunrise Christian Academy on the second day of the Lady Tigers Shootout. 
Down 15 at the end of the first quarter, Carthage outscored Sunrise Christian from Kansas 62-26 the rest of the way in what could be described as a stunning turnaround.
"I wouldn't even call it a comeback," Tigers coach Scott Moore said. "In the first quarter, the girls were playing hard and they were executing, but the ball just wasn't rolling in. Our shots were just rolling out. At the end of the first quarter, I told them to keep doing what they're doing and the ball will start to go in. And then it did. I was really pleased with how we battled back and didn't let that first quarter affect us mentally for the rest of the game."
Sunrise Christian led 20-4 in the first quarter, and it looked like it may be a long night for the hosts. But the Tigers owned the second period, outscoring the visitors 23-6. Down 24-11 in the second quarter, Carthage finished the first half on a 17-2 run.
Ashlyn Brust scored five points during a 7-0 spurt, with Landry Cochran adding a hoop. Sunrise stopped the surge, but Carthage scored 10 unanswered points to end the half. Jaidyn Brunnert hit a 3-pointer and then hit two free throws before Lauren Choate knocked a corner trey and Kianna Yates scored a go-ahead basket in the lane to give the Tigers a 28-26 halftime advantage. 
Carthage doubled up Sunrise in the third period, 18-9, to pull away. Yates scored 11 in the third period and the Tigers held a 46-35 lead entering the final frame.
"If we make shots we can get into our pressing package," Moore said of a key to success. "And then our defense can create offense. But when you're missing shots, you can't press."
The Tigers won the fourth quarter 21-11 to blow the game open.
Choate's second 3-pointer of the fourth period gave CHS a 56-41 cushion. Moments later, Yates buried a trey of her own for a comfy 61-43 advantage. 
The Tigers sank 8-of-11 free throws down the stretch to finish off an inspired come from behind win.
Moore noted his team's improved defense was a key to victory.  
"We locked down defensively and held them to 26 in the last three quarters," Moore said. "That's really good defense in high school girls basketball…. that's like nine points a quarter. The last three quarters are indicative of how we want to play for four quarters every night."  
A 5-foot-5 do-it-all point guard, Yates scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Tigers. A sophomore guard, Choate scored 19 points, with 13 coming in the second half. Yates and Choate knocked down four treys apiece.
"Kianna's always a steadying force for us," Moore said. "In the second quarter, she started distributing the ball and getting us better shots. I was really pleased with that. And she scored 23 points, so that's a Kianna Yates type of game. Lauren Choate found her stroke from the outside tonight and that was great to see."
Also for the Tigers, Brust and Maggie Boyd each scored seven points, while Brunnert had five and Cochran scored four. Lexa Youngblood pulled down eight rebounds to go with two points.
Valentina Hart scored 12 points to lead Sunrise Christian, while Kaitlyn Edwards and Claire Ferguson added 10 points apiece.
Carthage (3-0) meets Bentonville (Ark.) at 12:30 on Saturday to see which team can go undefeated in Shootout play. Bentonville has tourney wins over Sunrise Christian and Webb City.
"Tomorrow we're going to see the other best team in the tournament in Bentonville," Moore said. "We're going to need to bring our 'A' game for four quarters. Three quarters won't get it done against them." 
In other Shootout action on Friday, Bentonville finished strong in a 54-42 win over Webb City and El Dorado Springs beat Olathe East (Kan.) 54-46.
-Jason Peake, SoMo Sports
Other results
Bentonville (AR) 54, Webb City 42
El Dorado Springs 54, Olathe East (KS) 46

Thursday, December 1
CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Carthage Tigers opened their home shootout tournament with a 44-34 win Thursday night over Olathe East.
Carthage's Maggie Boyd drives the lane for a bucket in the Tigers' win over Olathe East in the Lady Tigers Invitational on Thursday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Carthage scored the game's first nine points, never trailed, and the Tigers earned a 29-14 edge from the first and fourth quarters.
"Some of that is early season," Carthage coach Scott Moore said. "We hit some lulls in our offense. I thought our press and energy were good early, then we got a little tired in that second quarter. Third quarter, I thought both teams were a little sluggish and both teams made some changes. I liked that we finished strong again.
"We're kind of young and old. We have two seniors and then a bunch of sophomores that play and one junior in the rotation. Not a lot of varsity experience for some of those kids, so to finish against a relatively experienced team like that was impressive. We'll be a much better team when we can play more consistently through the second and third quarters."
Sophomore guard Maggie Boyd came through for the Tigers in a big way with a career-high 22 points, half of which she scored in the fourth.
"Maggie played a great game," Moore said. "I thought she had great energy throughout and then executed well. When she's hitting her threes, she's a really talented player because she's good off the bounce and she's a good free-throw shooter. If she adds that third level, it makes her almost unguardable when she's having nights like that. It's great to see."
Senior guard Kianna Yates added 16 points with 12 of them scored in the first half.
Carthage's Kianna Yates glides to the rim for a basket in the Tigers' win over Olathe East on Thursday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
"Kianna Yates had a Kianna Yates game," Moore said. "She distributed the ball well, scored when needed, knocked down a lot of free throws, and then played great defense whether on or off the ball. She's always around the ball, and she keeps us all together defensively. It's nice to have her in control of our offense and our defense."
Boyd and Yates combined for 38 of the Tigers' 44 points.
Olathe East (Kansas City, Kansas) received 12 points off the bench from freshman Katie LeFever.
Carthage (2-0) returns to action Friday against Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kansas).
"We're excited about the six teams that are here," Moore said. "We've got some state championship teams from previous years. We've got some teams from out of state that we don't normally get to see.
"We've got two tough games to go. We've got to recover from what was an up-and-down energy battle (against Olathe East) and recoup in 24 hours to get back out there against Sunrise Christian, who probably weren't happy with the way they played (against Bentonville) so they'll be out to play better. We're going to have to play better to beat them."
Carthage closes out the three-day shootout Saturday with Arkansas school Bentonville.
-Brock Sisney, SoMo Sports
Other results
Webb City 39, El Dorado Springs 35
Bentonville (AR) 64, Sunrise Christian (KS) 34