LADY CATS claw through TJ basketball tourney

Open season with 4-0 record

The Thomas Jefferson season-opening basketball tournament hasn't been the kindest of tournaments for the Lady Wildcats; in fact, last year Diamond witnessed late game leads disappear, one on a final twenty-five foot desperation buzzer beater...the other, two made free-throws AFTER time had expired. All of that changed last weekend as the Lady Cats, the 4th seed in the eight team tourney, eclipsed the top seeded Eagles 48-28 in the Championship game. The three-game journey started with a 49-26 victory over Sarcoxie on opening night. The Wildcats played well in all phases of the game, especially in transition where the quick guards (Shelton, Carneal, Gilbert, Strausbaugh, Morgan, Moreland, and Stewart) created easy baskets for teammates throughout the contest. In the semi-final game on Thursday night, the Wildcats would have to face a familiar conference foe...College Heights Christian School. Again, Diamond's defensive presence and offensive prowess proved too potent for the Cougers, 40-30. Coach Brimacombe commented that the kids "really played well" in the openers, "out-working the other kids on the floor." The two wins set up the championship showdown on Saturday at 5:30. The opponent...#1 seed and conference front runner -- Jasper Eagles. The Lady Wildcats, in their first tournament championship in over a half a decade, opened the game on an 8-1 run before the Eagles tried to regroup with a time-out. The break in the action didn't work as Diamond opened up an even larger lead, taking a 24-12 lead into half-time. During the intermission, patience on offense and continued pressure defensively were stressed...which is exactly what happened as the Cats outscored Jasper 15-7 in the third to capture a 48-28 victory and a tournament title. Offensively, Megan Wilson, Bri Carneal, and Emily Gilbert led the team in scoring during the tournament, scoring 39, 31, and 26, respectively (Gilbert had four 3's, while Audra Shelton hit two from behind the arc). Gilbert led the team in assists with 11; Carneal and Kourtney Moreland each had 5 during the three game stretch. Defensively, Carneal led the team in steals with 10...Shelton had 5 and Moreland finished with 4. Wilson had a whopping 10 blocked shots...Mychael Strausbaugh had an additional 5 and freshman Stephani Thomas had 1. It was Wilson who also led the team in rebounding with 25...Thomas had 16, and Moreland grabbed 13 as well. The Lady Wildcats also won their home opener against Wheaton (a game the Wildcats lost last year) 39-19 on Monday. The victory was the fourth of the season...all of which have been by double digits. Coach Brimacombe has been pleasantly surprised by the early season success, but notes that "we still have a LOT of things to work on." Congratulations girls...and good luck as you attempt to keep your streak alive this Friday at home versus Lamar.

Sub Navigation

• HS Boys Basketball
• HS Football
• HS Girls Basketball
• HS Wrestling

Top