Late surge lifts Zumwalt West
NORMANDY — Fort Zumwalt West found its groove in the second half just in time to keep its postseason alive.
The Jaguars are heading to the Class 5 final four for the first time in school history after a 51-39 quarterfinal victory over Cor Jesu on Saturday at UMSL.
West (25-5) began to widen what was a narrow lead early in the fourth quarter. Paige Westbrook ran off a screen in the lane to the open wing and buried a 3-pointer for a 33-27 lead, and it quickly grew to 36-27 with 5:23 remaining after two Westbrook free throws.
“Coach said at halftime that the guards needed to start shooting the ball more, because they were doubling down on the post,” said Westbrook, who had a game-high 17 points. “I had an open shot, so I took it. We needed to get our crowd into it because their crowd was so loud.”
Free throws became increasingly important for the Jaguars, especially since the team had struggled from the stripe all season. West made 11 of 12 free throws in the final two minutes and converted 20 of 24 total in the second half.
“I guess all of our free-throw drills paid off,” Fort Zumwalt coach Monica Tritz laughed. “We’ve been horrible all year, so we’ve been shooting a little bit more in practice. They just came out and did it. They needed to focus; they needed to not get crazy like they tend to do, and they were fine.”
Cor Jesu (23-6) had used a swarming man-to-man defense in the first half to take a slim 16-15 advantage into halftime. The Chargers were switching and double teaming every time the Jaguars tried to penetrate the lane.
The Jaguars’ interior defense was just as potent, holding the Chargers’ post duo of Meg Riley and Kelly Schuering to two of five from the floor in the second half.
“They play pretty physical, and it came down to a physical game,” Cor Jesu coach John Neff said. “We never really got into an offensive rhythm. We’ve played against defenses that are that tough, but today it got the better of us.”
Incarnate Word 67, Poplar Bluff 33 — The Red Knights wasted little time ensuring their trip to the state finals, jumping out to a 21-2 first-quarter lead.
It was a dominating combination of stifling defense and a whole lot of Jazmin Hitchens on offense. While Incarnate was holding Poplar Bluff to three of 15 from the field in the first half, Hitchens was hitting from everywhere. She had 17 of her game-high 27 points in the first half as IWA (28-1) carried a 36-9 advantage into the break.
Incarnate Word will face Fort Zumwalt West in the Class 5 semifinals Thursday in Columbia, Mo.
