Eighth-Graders Avenge Last Year’s Losses
McDonald County Eighth-graders avenged losses to Aurora and Mount Vernon to win the 2016 Big 8 Conference Junior High Girls Basketball Tournament.
The McDonald County EighthGrade Girls basketball team avenged losses to Aurora and Mount Vernon over the last two years with a win over the Lady Houns in the semifinals and a victory over the Lady Mounties in the championship game to win last week’s 2016 Big 8 Conference Junior High Girls Basketball Tournament.
On Dec. 13, in the tournament semifinals at Monett, McDonald County claimed a 40-37 win over Aurora. Jersey Wolfenbarger scored 15 points and Kristin Penn had 14 to lead McDonald County. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Mustangs were Laney Wilson and Caitlyn Barton with four points each, Sydney Killion two and Mollie Milleson one.
In the tournament finals, McDonald and County and Mount Vernon were tied 52-52 with eight seconds left. Mount Vernon had possession out of bounds on the sideline in the Lady Mustangs’ end of the court when Wilson stole the inbounds pass, went to the basket, missed a short jumper, but got her own rebound and scored to give McDonald County the win.
Wolfenbarger scored 15 points, Penn 13 and Milleson and Barton eight each to lead a balanced McDonald County scoring attack. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Mustangs were Wilson with six and Lily Allman with four.
The win in the tournament championship game gives the Lady Mustangs a 13-2 record on the season.
Seventh Grade
McDonald County defeated Monett in the consolation semifinals, then fell to Lamar in the consolation finals.
The Lady Mustangs claimed a 37-14 win over Monett on Dec. 13. Nicole Estrada and Kloe Myers each scored nine points and Abigail Wiseman had eight to lead McDonald County followed by Madeline McCall with four points, Ebenee Munoz three and Alexes Gidcumb and Madison Grider two each.
McDonald Count led most of the game before Lamar outscored the Lady Mustangs 5-0 in the fourth quarter to claim a 22-20 win on Dec. 15 in the consolation finals.
Myers led McDonald County with eighth points followed by Wiseman and Estrada with four each and McCall and Adasyn Leach with two each.
The seventh grade finishes its 2016 season with a 7-8 record.