The Marshfield Lady Jays put together a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter Friday night on their way to a 56-49 victory against the Helias Lady Crusaders in a Class 5 state quarterfinal contest. The run turned a 45-39 lead by the Lady Crusaders with five minutes left into a 52-45 deficit with less than :30 remaining of the game.
The Helias Lady Crusaders tallied a season-high in points Wednesday night, opening Class 5 District 5 Tournament play with an 88-53 victory against the Camdenton Lady Lakers at Union High School.
It’s an experienced group of Helias Lady Crusaders. And they are going to try to use that experience to their advantage. “We are adding new stuff, bringing back some old stuff,” Helias coach Garrett Wiggans said as the Lady Crusaders prepare for tonight’s season opener against the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons at Rackers Fieldhouse. “We are evolving our game.”
The No. 2 seed Jefferson City Lady Jays and top-seeded Helias Lady Crusaders knew they would be in for a battle in the Class 5 District 5 Tournament title game at Washington High School. And that is exactly how it played out, as the Lady Jays took an early lead and held on for dear life late for a wire-to-wire 43-41 victory for their fifth district championship in the past seven seasons.
It was won on the defensive end. “My kids have defensively been playing like this all year long,” Jefferson City Lady Jays coach Kay Foster said after Monday night’s 53-31 victory against the Helias Lady Crusaders at Fleming Fieldhouse.