Eagles’ season ends in sectionals
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Jefferson junior Kayla Schmitz finds rare space in the Mound City defense Tuesday during a 53-42 loss to end the Eagles’ season in the Class 1 Sectional round.
Two of Missouri’s top Class 1 girls’ basketball teams clashed for the fourth time this season on Tuesday night, and the outcome was as scintillating as a basketball fan could expect.
Although Jefferson won the last meeting between itself and Mound City in the championship bout of the North Platte Tournament, it was the Panthers coming away victorious this time around. A 53-42 decision went Mound City’s way on Tuesday night in the Class 1 Sectional round at St. Joseph Civic Arena, and the Eagles’ season has drawn to a close.
“I tip my hat to Mound City. They’re a very, very good basketball team,” Jefferson head coach Tyler Pedersen said. “They came and played very well tonight. It’s always unfortunate when you get to this time of year, but that’s what makes it exciting is that, at this time of year, someone’s got to go home. … There’s really only one team that gets to go out celebrating.”
At the 5:45 mark of the first quarter, Jefferson junior Kayla Schmitz scored her team’s first points of the game. However, it was Mound City tallying eight of the game’s first 10 points for an 8-2 lead in the early minutes.
With 4:25 left in the period, Schmitz’s and-one narrowed the gap to 8-5, but the Panthers extended their lead to 15-11 by the end of the first frame.
Mound City senior Kendey Eaton helped jumpstart the offense by consistently splitting Jefferson’s top two defenders in the 2-3 zone, slicing her way into the lane for layups, short jumpers or open passes. She pulled this move out of her hat for the first points of the second quarter, as well.
“(Eaton) did a great job attacking,” Pedersen said. “She was able to get in the middle of the lane and put us in a little bit of foul trouble in the first half. She creates a lot for them. Not only does she create for her teammates, but she can create for herself.”
The Eagles answered with a 6-0 run, eventually drawing even at 18-18 in the second period on a short jumper from junior guard Sarah Chor from the left baseline.
But the Panthers would recover to score the last five points of the half, holding Jefferson scoreless for the last four minutes, six seconds of the second period. Mound City held a 23-18 lead at intermission.
“They were playing good defense,” Pedersen said. “They do. They play good defense every possession. They play great help defense. I felt like we weren’t moving the ball as crisp as we normally do, and part of that is Mound City and their athleticism. … We didn’t attack as well as we probably could have.”
Both sides turned on the offensive jets in the third quarter after a defensive first half. Mound City scored seven of the first nine points of the frame, forcing a Jefferson timeout at the 6:42 mark facing a 30-20 deficit.
Eagles junior guard Kelsi McQuinn came out of the timeout to knock down a three-pointer at the top of the arc to end the run. With 1:45 to go in the period, McQuinn finished a layup that drew the Eagles back to within four points, 37-33, a margin that held at the end of the frame.
“We finally got a couple shots to go down from the perimeter in the third,” Pedersen said. “We had two threes in the game and they were both in the third quarter. Mound City was getting a lot in transition.”
McQuinn’s layup was part of the Eagles scoring the last four points of the third. That spurt continued in the fourth quarter to total an 8-0 streak, as Jefferson tied the game on a layup from Chor, 37-37.
But the Panthers again had an answer, racking up an 8-1 spree to extend the lead back to 45-38 down the stretch. The burst included a key three-pointer from junior Tess Phillips as Mound City began to narrow in on its bid for the quarterfinal round.
In the final six-plus minutes of the game, the Eagles mustered only four points.
Jefferson finishes the season 25-3 and will lose the following seniors to graduation: Vanessa Holtman and Jessie Henry.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Jessie Henry, one of two seniors for Jefferson, played her final game as an Eagle on Tuesday night. Jefferson fell in the Class 1 Sectional round to Mound City, 53-42.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Eagles junior Kelsi McQuinn saves a ball from going out of bounds during a 53-42 loss in the Class 1 Sectional round to Mound City Tuesday in St. Joseph Civic Arena.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Junior Sarah Chor squares her feet for a three-pointer on Tuesday night in the Class 1 Sectional round at St. Joseph Civic Arena. Jefferson lost to Mound City, 53-42.
