JEFFERSON CITY - New Bloomfield junior center Samantha Haas was dominant early and poised late as she led the Lady Wildcats to their first win of the season, 50-45 over the Calvary Lutheran Lady Lions on Tuesday night.
New Bloomfield evened its season record at 1-1 after falling to Plato 55-33 last Saturday in the Frisco League-Show-Me Conference Showdown in Waynesville.
"They showed me a lot of fight tonight. We still have a lot to work on, but they fought tonight," New Bloomfield head coach Brett Craighead said. "We have three new starters out there and while they're good athletes, they don't have a lot of varsity experience.
"We did what we had to do, though, and sometimes you have to win ugly."
The Lady Wildcats - sparked by seven points from Haas - surged to a 11-4 lead in the first quarter. New Bloomfield then opened up a 15-7 lead when Haas assisted on junior guard Haley Berhorst's jumper.
However, Haas picked up her second foul with just seconds left in the first quarter and sat out the entire second period as Calvary Lutheran responded with a run to close the gap.
The Lady Lions trailed 22-13 after New Bloomfield junior forward Katie Kelly's 3-pointer, but sophomore point guard Abbie Klatt put Calvary Lutheran on her back as it slowly chipped away at its deficit.
Klatt knocked down a 3, assisted on a jumper and then made back-to-back shots from the elbow as the Lady Lions pulled within 25-23 at halftime. With Haas on the bench, Calvary Lutheran had more space to operate and didn't have to worry about her rim protection.
"Haas was, by far, their strongest player, and we didn't do a great job of fronting her early," Lady Lions head coach Bethany Marble said. "With her out of the game, we didn't have to worry so much about helping on defense.
"Then we just had more freedom on offense, so with her being out it really helped us a lot."
The Lady Wildcats had to overcome their own offensive struggles to hold off Calvary Lutheran in the third quarter. A 3-pointer from senior guard Madi Craighead put New Bloomfield ahead 32-28, but its offensive potency would go missing for the rest of the quarter.
The Lady Wildcats had 12 of their last 13 possessions in the period end in a missed shot or a turnover. Meanwhile, the Lady Lions tied the game at 32-all on a short Klatt runner.
"Abbie is probably our silent leader. She doesn't say a whole a lot, but she's the person we go to to start the play or to make one when we need it," Marble said.
New Bloomfield and Calvary Lutheran exchanged the lead five times in the fourth quarter, before Madi Craighead made one of two free throws as the Lady Wildcats pulled even at 42-all with 4 minutes to play in the game.
New Bloomfield then switched to a full-court press and began tormenting the Lady Lions. Berhorst picked off two passes, which the Lady Wildcats converted into points as they stretched their lead to 46-41 with 2 minutes remaining.
"I think a lot of the turnovers were just first-game jitters. Abbie's my point guard, but she's just a sophomore," Marble said. "The press towards the end, they just forgot everything we learned and got frazzled.
"They stopped playing as a team, so we'll definitely work on that."
Still, Calvary Lutheran would have its chances in the final 90 seconds. After Haas blocked a shot, the Lady Lions forced a jump ball and then senior forward Madeline Wilson converted a short floater to make it a three-point game.
On the ensuing possession, junior guard Katie Allen picked off an errant New Bloomfield pass and then hit a tough layup while being fouled. With a chance to tie the game at 46-all, Allen missed the free throw and the Lady Wildcats were able to hold off Calvary Lutheran.
Haas finished with 15 points and five blocks, four coming in the second half, to guide New Bloomfield. Kelley provided 12 points, while Madi Craighead had 11 points and six steals.
"It was a pretty good finish, but we didn't hit our free throws down the stretch," Brett Craighead said. "If we did that, the game wouldn't have been as close.
"As for Sam, we just have to keep her out of foul trouble. She's a big part of our offense - when they buckle down on her, it opens up our outside shots. She's a good athlete and is good around the basket, we just have to keep her in the game."
Klatt topped the Lady Lions with 12 points and Wilson contributed eight.
New Bloomfield is the top seed for next week's 79th-annual Tipton Tournament. The Lady Wildcats play No. 8 seed LaMonte in the first round at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Calvary Lutheran is seeded eighth for next week's Eugene Invitational Tournament. The Lady Lions go up against top-seeded Osage in first-round play at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Stevie Johnson can be reached at (573) 826-2423, or on Twitter @Stevie_FSun.