ASHLAND - The second-seeded Father Tolton Lady Trailblazers took control by outscoring the No. 6 South Callaway Lady Bulldogs 27-19 in the second half of Wednesday night's 45-31 win in the Class 3, District 8 semifinals.
South Callaway was down 9-7 after one quarter and trailed 18-12 at halftime. Tolton - ranked No. 10 in the state by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association - then outscored the Lady Bulldogs 15-9 in the third quarter to increase its lead to 33-21.
"Tolton is one of the top teams in the state and lists four players over 6-(foot) and two at 5-10," South Callaway head coach Darren Humphrey said. "They are athletic and very physical, with a tremendously deep bench.
"Their defense rattled our ladies and - because of that - we didn't move the ball well and made several mental mistakes."
Sophomore forward Adrian Mann produced 19 points to guide the Lady Bulldogs, who completed their season with an 18-8 record. Junior center Konnor Arrowood contributed 10 points.
"I have to be proud of the season that our team put together," Humphrey said. "... Getting a huge win over third-seeded Hermann in the first round of districts, obtaining a third-place finish at our own tournament, a championship at the Sturgeon Tournament and having several of them selected to the all-conference team - those are amazing accomplishments.
"They have put the South Callaway girls' program back on the map and are going to be a force for several years to come."
Michaela Wright topped the Lady Trailblazers (23-3) with a game-high 24 points.
Tolton will face top-seeded Southern Boone (26-1) for the District 8 title at 6 tonight. The Lady Eagles - ranked fourth - downed No. 4 seed California 52-42 in Wednesday night's other semifinal.