NEW BLOOMFIELD - The New Bloomfield Lady Wildcats established command by outscoring the Eugene Lady Eagles 35-27 in the second half to stay undefeated in the Show-Me Conference with Thursday night's 62-51 triumph.
New Bloomfield (10-2, 3-0 SMC) protected a 27-24 advantage going into halftime. The Lady Wildcats then opened the third quarter in sizzling fashion, connecting on their first five shots and outscoring Eugene 19-13 in the period to extend their lead to 46-37.
"Eugene got off to an extremely hot start, but we kept chipping away," New Bloomfield head coach Brett Craighead said. "We had a really nice third quarter. We made a little adjustment against their man defense - we moved a player to the high post and just played some old-fashioned basketball.
"We were consistent and shot the ball well the whole game."
Sophomore guard Madi Craighead topped the Lady Wildcats with 24 points, while junior forward Baylee Garrett registered a double-double with 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Lexi Dickerson equalled Madi Craighead's outing to guide the Lady Eagles with 24 points. Katelyn Engelbrecht also provided 15 points, all coming on five 3-pointers.
New Bloomfield won the junior varsity game 18-17 in two quarters. Freshman guard Haley Berhorst scored a team-high five points.
The Lady Wildcats - earning the third seed - play No. 6 Montgomery County at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the first round of the South Callaway Tournament. The game will be played in the middle school gym.