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Pink and White: Observations and results from the quarterfinal round

ryan collingwood, springfield news-leader
·3 min read

Here's what stood out to The News-Leader during the Pink and White Lady Classic quarterfinals on Wednesday at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.

Look out for Marshfield

West Plains coach Scott Womack's 600th career win didn't come easy on Wednesday, a 45-44 overtime thriller over Marshfield in a Pink Division quarterfinal.

The youthful Blue Jays (8-2) trailed the defending Class 5 state champion Zizzers 32-17 before flipping the switch, totaling nine 3-pointers before taking a lead late thanks to a deep jumper by Lauren Luebbert.

Marshfield, which has just one senior on its roster, was paced by freshman sensation Quinn Aldridge (12 points).

Blue Jays coach Katie Pritchard's squad has been a winner in recent years, totaling 40 wins the previous two seasons. Second-ranked West Plains (8-1) has been a road block, eliminating the Blue Jays in convincing fashion in back-to-back district tournaments.

Expect another taut Class 5 affair when these two teams meet again Jan. 14 in Marshfield.

Bekemeier boosts Republic

It's a good thing Lebanon isn't in the same Class 6 district as Republic this year.

The sixth-ranked Tigers handled the Yellowjackets 59-30 in Wednesday's White Division quarterfinal, a rematch of last season's district tournament matchup that also saw Republic win in double-digit fashion.

Missouri State-bound guard Kaemyn Bekemeier led the charge, pouring in a game-high 28 points for the Tigers (9-1). Lebanon (6-3) was paced by Western Illinois recruit Raegan McCowan's 17 points.

Nixa clamping down

The Eagles, ranked fifth in the most recent Class 6 poll, are deep, versatile and get most of their scoring by committee.

Defensively, Nixa is creating a lot of problems.

After holding Class 5 power West Plains to 39 points earlier this month, Nixa is yielding an average of 26 points in its two Pink and White Lady Classic wins.

The Eagles (9-1), which breezed past Class 4 power Ava 55-33 in Wednesday's Pink Division quarterfinals, held the Bears' standout Gastineau sisters to a combined 14 points.

Glendale makes Kickapoo earn it

Glendale, a program that hasn't had a winning season in a decade, is often lucky to get within 40 points of crosstown rival and Class 6 power Kickapoo.

The Lady Chiefs downed the Falcons again in Wednesday's White Division quarterfinal, but it wasn't effortless.

Kickapoo (9-3) had to work to keep Glendale at arm's length in a 41-28 win, proof that the Falcons (8-2) have made significant strides.

The Lady Chiefs leaned on a staunch defensive effort, holding Glendale standout Reilly Heman to two points.

Mikayla Pilley had 15 points to lead Kickapoo, and Skylar Bencsek had 11 for Glendale.

Wednesday's Pink Division quarterfinals

  • No. 2 seed West Plains 45, No. 7 Marshfield 44 (OT)

  • No. 3 Nixa 53, No. 6 Ava 33

  • No. 1 Greenwood (Ark) 62, No. 8 Ozark 47

  • No. 4 Rock Bridge 44, No. 5 Skyline 32

Thursday's semifinals

  • No. 2 West Plains vs. No. 3 Nixa, 2 p.m.

  • No. 1 Greenwood (Ark,) vs. No. 4 Rock Bridge 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday's White Division quarterfinals

  • No. 2 seed Republic 59, No. 7 Lebanon 30

  • No. 3 Kickapoo 48, Glendale 28

  • No. 1 Grain Valley 56, No. 8 El Dorado 45

  • No. 4 Cabot (Ark.), 52, No. 5 Stafford 31

Thursday's semifinals

  • No. 2 Republic vs. No. 3 Kickapoo, 5 p.m.

  • No. 1 Grain Valley vs. No. 4 Cabot (Ark.), 6:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Pink and White: Observations and results from the quarterfinal round