By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
DESOTO -- The Washburn Rural girls battled the Liberty, Mo. Blue Jays in the championship game of the DeSoto Hardwood Classic on Saturday afternoon.
In a game of ebbs and flows, Liberty won the closely contested title game, 47-46.
Washburn Rural came out of locker room for the start of the game on absolute fire. Senior Ella Hirschi scored the first eight points with two 3-pointers, causing Liberty to take a timeout with 5:25 left in the opening quarter. Freshman Brynn Anderson joined the scoring column with a basket to extend the lead to 10-0 before the Blue Jays scored their first basket with 4:12 remaining in the quarter. The teams exchanged points over the last four minutes and the Junior Blues led 14-5 after the first eight minutes.
The second quarter represented a flip of the script, with Liberty taking control throughout the second quarter while Washburn Rural committed seven turnovers. The Blue Jays outscored the Junior Blues 11-4 over the first four minutes, cutting the Rural lead to 18-16. Liberty took its first lead of the game with a little over a minute remaining before halftime at 20-19 on a basket by senior Enslie Dryer. The Blue Jays finished the half on a 13-3 run to take a 26-21 advantage to the locker room.
The third quarter saw Liberty extended its lead to seven points on three different occasions while Washburn Rural could get no closer than five points in the entire quarter. Liberty junior Elecea Norman scored 10 points in the quarter, including the final six, giving Liberty a 41-32 lead heading into the final stanza.
Over the first 3 minutes, 17 seconds of the fourth quarter, Washburn Rural was able to cut the lead to 45-41, coming from senior Josie Carlgren’s six points, a Anderson bucket and a free throw by senior Hallie Walker.
After holding Liberty scoreless for almost three minutes, Brynn Anderson scored five straight points, with the last bucket being a step-back three pointer, giving Rural the lead, 46-45. The teams traded scoreless possessions over the next minute and Liberty’s Enslie Dryer hit a layup with 20 seconds remaining to give Liberty the 47-46 lead. The Junior Blues had multiple chances over the final 20 seconds, but couldn’t get a shot to fall.
Washburn Rural was led by Brynn Anderson’s 22 points and six rebounds. Hirschi was the only other Rural player in double figures with 12 points. Walker pulled down 10 rebounds.
Liberty was led by Halle Branstetter with 14 points off the bench and Norman scored 13 for the victorious Blue Jays.
Washburn Rural will be in action next week with two road contests. On Tuesday, the Junior Blues will play Shawnee Mission Northwest and on Friday, they will take on Barstow, Mo. in a doubleheader with the boys.
LIBERTY, MO. 47, WASHBURN RURAL 46
Liberty 5 21 15 6 -- 47
Washburn Rural 14 7 1 14 -- 46
Liberty (5-0) -- Norman 5-10 0-2 13, Kruse 0-5 0-0 0, Dryer 4-14 0-1 8, Clark 2-6 0-0 6, Graviatt 2-9 2-2 6, Branstetter 4-6 2-4 14, Atkinson 0-4 0-0 0, Faceson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-53 4-9 47.
Washburn Rural (2-1) -- Rutherford 1-6 0-0 2, Hirschi 5-7 0-0 12, Walker 0-1 1-4 1, Anderson 9-18 3-5 22, Carlgren 4-7 0-0 9, Hinck 0-0 0-0 0, Petersen 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-40 4-9 46.
3-point goals -- Liberty 9 (Branstetter 4, Norman 3, Clark 2), Washburn Rural 4 (Hirschi 2, Anderson, Carlgren). Total Fouls -- Liberty 11, Washburn Rural 9. Fouled out - none. Technical fouls - none.
