Wiler directs Lady Wildcats to first victory of season

Junior forward Chelsea Wiler posted a triple-double Tuesday night to help send the New Bloomfield Lady Wildcats to their first win of the season, 56-30 over Prairie Home in the first round of the Jamestown Tournament.

No. 3 seed New Bloomfield raced to a 16-6 lead after one quarter and pushed its advantage to 27-13 at the break. The Lady Wildcats carried a 39-23 advantage into the fourth quarter.

"We got off to a good start for once and were finally hitting our shots for the whole game," New Bloomfield head coach Brett Craighead said. "The girls were more patient, their shots weren't forced and they got their feet under them."

Wiler guided the Lady Wildcats (1-2) with a game-high 18 points, to go with 12 rebounds and 10 steals. Senior guards Sarah Moore and Elizabeth Clark delivered 14 and 10 points, respectively.

"Our defensive pressure caused some havoc and we were able to get some easy baskets," Craighead said. "That loosened things up."

Taylor Zey led No. 6 Prairie Home with 11 points.

New Bloomfield continues pool play against No. 2 Vienna at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Salisbury.............................................65

North Callaway basketball (VB).........48

CENTRALIA - The No. 7 seed Thunderbirds were outscored by the No. 2 Panthers 38-25 in the second half Tuesday night in first-round play at the 55th-annual Centralia Invitational Tournament.

North Callaway was only down 27-23 at halftime, but Salisbury outscored the Thunderbirds 18-11 in the third quarter to expand its advantage to 45-34.

"We were consistently inconsistent in all areas," North Callaway head coach Tim Turlington said. "In the first half we played pretty well at both ends, but then we came out of halftime and were just wooden at both ends.

"We had no movement on offense and defense, and we were not really helping each other out. We were stagnant."

Senior forward Jacob Stafford produced 18 points to pace the Thunderbirds (1-2), while junior guard Zack Lavy supplied 12 points and handed out five assists. Sophomore forward Zack Eads grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Austin Francis equalled Stafford by connecting for 18 points to direct four players in double figures for Salisbury (3-0). Zach Wyatt was next with 13 points and Austin Wyatt and Austin Springer contributed 10 apiece.

North Callaway will face No. 3 Southern Boone in the consolation semifinals at 9 p.m. Thursday.

California...........................................69

New Bloomfield basketball (VB)........49

CALIFORNIA - Taron Morris put up a game-high 27 points Tuesday night to spur the Pintos to the 20-point victory over the Wildcats.

With the game deadlocked 15-15, California outscored New Bloomfield 17-7 in the second quarter to take a 32-22 edge into halftime. The Pintos were in front 44-32 to open the fourth quarter.

"It was a hard-fought game," Wildcats head coach Tyler Clark said. "California is a good team and they play hard; they play to their strengths and get the ball to their big guys."

Senior guard Aaron Bedsworth responded with 18 points to steer three players in double figures for New Bloomfield (1-2). Senior guards Kolby O'Dowd and Daniel Berry were next with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Wildcats host South Callaway at 6 p.m. Friday.

Hallsville............................................59

North Callaway basketball (VG)........48

CENTRALIA - The No. 8 seed Ladybirds were outscored by the No. 1 Lady Indians 16-3 in the third quarter of Monday night's first-round loss at the 55th-annual Centralia Invitational Tournament.

Down 25 points with 6 minutes to play, North Callaway showed some life behind a 9-0 run but couldn't complete its comeback.

"Size-wise, we didn't match up, but speed-wise we had an advantage on them," Ladybirds head coach Jack Peace said. "That showed toward the end of the game.

"I liked the way our team never quit; the players' heads were in the game until the end."

North Callaway trailed by just a 28-21 deficit at halftime, but its three third-quarter points all came on free throws and the Ladybirds found themselves down 44-24 to start the fourth quarter.

Junior guard Jordan Gray finished with 15 points to lead North Callaway (1-2), followed by senior forward Morgan Brown-Emmons with 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

Six-foot-three Rachel Gail logged 12 of her team-high 15 points in the first half to pace Hallsville (3-0), while 6-0 Lauren Little contributed 14 points. Melissa Williamson added 11 points and Taylor Dinyer had 10.

The Ladybirds match up against No. 4 Centralia in the consolation semifinals at 4:30 p.m. today. North Callaway will be looking to avenge a 55-47 loss at Centralia in its season opener Nov. 30.

Marshall.............................................20

FMS basketball (7th-8th/G)................15

MARSHALL - The Lady Hornets were unable to compensate for a faulty shooting touch in suffering their first loss of the season Tuesday night.

The game was tied 13-13 going into the fourth quarter, but Marshall outscored Fulton Middle School 7-2 in the final period to pull out the victory.

"The shots were there, we just couldn't hit them," Lady Hornets coach TJ Quick said. "If you can't do that, more than likely you're not going to win. It was a pretty physical game."

Deaudrena Vaughn topped FMS (4-1) with seven points and seven rebounds. Sloane Totta added five points.

The Lady Hornets play at Centralia at 10 a.m. Saturday.

SCMS basketball (8th/B)....................49

FMS....................................................40

The visiting Bulldogs gained control by outscoring the Hornets 20-5 in the third quarter of Monday night's win.

South Callaway Middle School trailed 26-17 at halftime, but its decisive third quarter put the Bulldogs up 37-31.

Cory Hanger paced SCMS with 20 points and Troy Hentges tallied 13. FMS' leading scorers were not available.

The Hornets played at Marshall on Tuesday night. Results were not available at press time. FMS travels to Centralia at 11:15 a.m. Saturday.

The Bulldogs go to Auxvasse for a matchup against North Callaway at 7:15 p.m. next Monday.