COLUMBIA - The No. 5 seed Lady Wildcats were outscored 34-28 in the second half of a season-ending loss to the No. 4 Lady Trailblazers in the Class 3, District 7 quarterfinals Monday night.
New Bloomfield led 13-11 after one quarter, but Tolton edged the Lady Wildcats 9-7 in the second quarter to tie the game at 20-all at halftime. The Lady Trailblazers owned a 35-34 advantage going into the fourth quarter and outscored New Bloomfield 19-14 over the final 8 minutes to clinch the victory.
Senior guard Makenna Branch logged a game-high 17 points to guide the Lady Wildcats, who finished with a 6-14 record. Junior forward Ellie Emerson added 12 points.
"I am extremely proud of how the girls played," New Bloomfield head coach Patrick Center said. "We've had a tough go to end the season - with being quarantined and snow days, we've had four games and two practices in the last three weeks.
"Tonight, they came out with a lot of energy and competed the entire game. They left everything on the floor and I told them after the game to walk out with their heads high. It didn't end the way we wanted, but they should be proud of the way they competed and the character they showed."
Grace Schieber and Lizzy Wright supplied 14 points apiece to pace Tolton (5-17). The Lady Trailblazers travel to top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Monroe City (22-2) for a District 7 semifinal matchup tonight.
In the other District 7 semifinal clash, the No. 2 seed South Callaway Lady Bulldogs (17-2) - ranked sixth - host No. 3 seed South Shelby (15-10) at 6 tonight.