STURGEON - The South Callaway Lady Bulldogs scrambled their way into position to play for a title.
No. 2 seed South Callaway outscored No. 6 Paris 16-9 in the fourth quarter as the Lady Bulldogs rallied for a 54-51 triumph over the Lady Coyotes in semifinal play at the 32nd-annual Sturgeon Tournament on Wednesday night.
South Callaway (12-4) will play for the tournament championship after overcoming deficits of 28-22 at halftime and 42-38 entering the fourth quarter. The Lady Bulldogs will square off against top-seeded Community R-6 in the title game at 9 tonight. Community advanced to the finals with a 60-45 victory over No. 4 New Franklin in Wednesday night's other semifinal.
"The game was back and forth all night - it was quite the matchup," South Callaway head coach Darren Humphrey said of the win over Paris. "We were able to get the ball to (junior center Konnor) Arrowood inside, drive the lane and hit a few key free throws down the stretch.
"That was the deciding factor."
Arrowood topped the Lady Bulldogs with a game-high 18 points. Sophomore forward Adrian Mann added 16 points and sophomore guard Ashley Potter provided 15.
Allison Moore and Drew Lockhart paced the Lady Coyotes with 16 points apiece. Hannah Mitchell also supplied 14 points, including three 3-pointers.
"We came out a little off-balance and didn't work the ball very well against their 2-3 zone (defense), but after a few looks the girls were able to make adjustments," Humphrey said. "Paris is a very athletic team that looks to score primarily from the paint.
"That, alone, had us pick up a few early fouls and change our defensive strategy."