Bismarck settles for second at Valley

By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer

CALEDONIA — Lesterville committed only nine turnovers and torched the Bismarck defense for 26 points in the fourth quarter on Saturday night for a 69-61 championship victory at the Valley girls basketball tournament.

Freshman Taylor Cook scored a game-high 26 points and senior Kristan Jordan netted 23 points with eight rebounds for the Lady Bearcats (3-0), who entered the bracket as the No. 2 seed.

The contest was tied at 43-43 through three quarters, but Jordan put Lesterville ahead to stay with consecutive open three-pointers from the right corner. The second of two uncontested layups from Cook down the stretch made it 59-51 with 1:50 left.

Bismarck (2-1) reached the finals with convincing wins over Bunker and Viburnum, and started strong on Saturday by hitting seven of its first 10 shots from the field.

After Holly Blunt scored on a give-and-go play, Torrie Helms knocked down a three for a 15-6 lead late in the opening quarter. But Lesterville countered with a 13-0 off a series of steals, and carried a 28-26 advantage at halftime.

Lady Indians junior Brooke Taylor overcame foul trouble and a slow offensive start to score 20 of her team-high 24 points in the second half. Taylor attacked the basket for a layup then stepped back for a mid-range jumper on back-to-back trips, as Bismarck regained a 37-33 lead.

Blunt tallied 13 points and matched Taylor with eight rebounds for the Lady Indians. Tori Henson also hit double figures with 11 points, and Helms added nine.

Lesterville  8  20  15  26 - 69

Bismarck  15  11  17  18 - 61

SCORING:

Lesterville - Cook 26, Jordan 23, Stewart 10, Gutches 6, Alcorn 2, Dowler 2. 3-point FG - Jordan 4, Cook 2.

Bismarck - Taylor 24, Blunt 13, Henson 11, Helms 9, Fenwick 4. 3-point FG - Taylor 2, Helms, Henson.

West County 45, Viburnum 38

CALEDONIA — Freshman Paige Forshee scored a game-high 18 points on Saturday evening, and West County outscored Viburnum 12-6 in the fourth quarter for a 45-38 victory to claim third place at the Valley Tournament.

Each of the first three quarters saw the teams separated by no more than two points. West County (2-1) carried a 33-32 into the final eight minutes, and sealed the win with tough defense.

Katie Gettinger added eight points and Chelsie Kelly chipped in seven for the Lady Bulldogs. Viburnum (1-2) was paced by Paige Mayfield with 15 points.

Fredericktown 63, North County 62

POTOSI — Senior Kylie Oertel delivered a career performance with 38 points on Saturday, and the Fredericktown girls basketball team needed all of them to edge North County 63-62 for third place at the Potosi Tournament.

Oertel highlighted her clutch effort by converting 16-of-17 free throws for the Lady Cats (2-1), who trailed 34-32 at halftime. Megan Moser scored 12 points and Lauren Henderson added eight in the victory.

North County (2-2) also received an excellent game from sophomore guard Rilea Huff, who connected three times from beyond the arc and totaled 31 points. Kassi Hovis chipped in 11 points for the Lady Raiders.

The teams are scheduled to meet again on January 21 for a conference battle in Bonne Terre.