Brinker eclipses 1,000 points as North Callaway girls prevail

Senior guard Elaine Brinker delivered a perfect performance in eclipsing the 1,000-point career plateau in the Ladybirds' 55-31 Eastern Missouri Conference romp Friday night.

Brinker - needing 18 points to reach the milestone - got there with her game-high 19-point effort. She finished 8-of-8 from the field, making her only 3-point attempt, and made both of her free throws.

North Callaway was only up 16-8 at the break, but took control by outscoring Elsberry 39-25 in the second half.

Freshman guard Kyla Bertschinger also tallied 10 points for the Ladybirds, while junior guard Erinn Bush collected a team-high eight rebounds.

"Elaine Brinker had a great night shooting the ball and we played excellent defense, especially in the first half," North Callaway head coach Matt Miller said. "We're happy to get the win to keep us in the chase (for EMO title)."

Amanda Talbot led Elsberry (7-13, 3-4) with 14 points and Kate Boedeker contributed 11. Tanner Bencomo - who came into the contest averaging a team-high 19 points - was limited to one by the Ladybirds.

North Callaway travels to EMO opponent Wright City at 5:30 p.m. Monday.