Lady Jays earn win at Neosho – (Rebroadcast Available)

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By Mark Eddlemon

Marshfield put together an awesome first quarter at Neosho Thursday night, racing to a 26-10 lead over the Lady Wildcats en route to a 67-50 nonconference basketball victory.

Marshfield improved to 9-0 on the season. Neosho fell to 7-2.

It was a game of runs in the opening moments as Marshfield grabbed a 7-0 lead, only to fall behind 8-7 before going on a 10-0 run to take a 17-8 lead.

The Lady Jays hit 11-of-17 field goals, including 3-of-5 treys in the first period, and forced 6 turnovers with Coach Gary Murphy’s trademark pressure defense.

Senior forward Sara Jane Plemmons scored 6 first period points for Marshfield, and drew important fouls with her play on the low post, forcing Neosho to play without thier standout 6-1 freshman center Kayln Vlasin for much of the first half due to foul trouble. While Plemmons was scoring inside, the Lady Jays were getting 3-point shots from Morgan Smith, Jaysa Hartman and Amanda Gourley from the outside.

Plemmons added 8 points in the second period, and senior forward Lacey Boshe scored 9 points in the quarter as Marshfield maintained a 16-point lead at the break, 41-25.

Neosho got off to a fast start in the second half behind the play of twins Savannah and Lorelei Snow, 5-7 junior guards. The Wildcats cut the Marshfield lead to single digits before Plemmons and Lacey Boshe regained control of the game by scoring 5 points each in the third quarter, which ended with Marshfield up 55-39.

Lacey Boshe finished with 21 points, making 9-of-12 field goals, including 2-of-3 treys, and the only free throw she tried. The 6-0 senior Missouri State University signee also finished with 8 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, an assist and a steal.

Plemmons, a 5-11 senior, wound up with 19 points, hitting 7-of-10 field goals with a game-high 9 rebounds in the game. Plemmons also led the Marshfield defense with 3 steals and handed out 4 assists.

Smith, a 5-10 junior, handed out a game-high 6 assists in the contest, scoring 8 points with 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot for the Lady Jays.

Freshman guard Amanda Gourley was limited by early foul troubles and still managed to score 9 points in the game with a steal, an assist and a rebound for Marshfield.

Senior guard Jaysa Hartman finished with 4 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal for the Lady Jays.

Sophomore Ashley Boshe, a 6-0 forward like her older sister, finished with 4 points for Marshfield.

Freshman guard Alley Bruton added 4 points, 3 rebounds and a steal to the winning attack. Junior Anna Glenn had a steal for Marshfield and senior Kassie Hyde snagged a rebound for the Lady Jays.

Lorelei Snow finished with 15 points, leading Neosho scorers. She also had 4 steals, 3 rebounds and a blocked shot.

Savannah Snow scored 14 points and was impressive on defense with 5 steals and a blocked shot, handing out 4 assists for the Wildcats as well.

Vlasin finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, a steal and an assist in the game for the home team.

Marshfield returns to action on Dec. 27 in the first round of the annual Pink & White Tournament against Greenwood at McDonald Arena in Springfield. Marshfield, the defending champion, will play at 4:30 p.m.