Lady Jays rally to top Republic

The Lady Jays had to rally to get past arch-rival Republic 56-52 in a thrilling Central Ozark Conference basketball game at Marshfield High School on Monday night.

Marshfield’s pressure defense came up big down the stretch, and senior Jaysa Hartman repeated her role as a Lady Tiger killer, nailing a 3-point shot which gave Marshfield the lead for good as the Lady Jays improved to 17-0 overall and 3-0 in the COC.

Republic, which fell to 12-4 overall with a second setback to Marshfield, led 42-39 entering the final period, and had a chance to tie on two possessions in the final seconds.

“I thought our defense was good,” Marshfield coach Gary Murphy said. “We got some big plays late, and Jaysa Hartman reached into her bag of tricks again for another big shot. Just a typical Marshfield/Republic game, I guess.”

The Marshfield attack was balanced with three players scoring 11 or 12 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in the game.

Republic was led by Kara Blankenship with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, an assist and a block.

The Lady Jays jumped on top 18-12 after one period, working the ball inside to Sara Jane Plemmons for 6 points, and the Boshe sisters, Lacey and Ashley, for 4 points each.

Marshfield extended the lead to 9 points after a 3-pointer by freshman Amanda Gourley in the second period. But Republic stayed close as Blankenship, a 5-9 senior, scored 16 points in the first half.

The Lady Tigers came out of the locker room roaring in the third period, outscoring Marshfield 18-9 in the stanza as senior Kayla Arnold scored 6 points to spark the visitor’s attack.

Marshfield got a pair of big field goals from junior Morgan Smith in the final period, and Lacey Boshe also scored 4 points for the Lady Jays down the stretch, with Plemmons added 3 fourth-quarter points.

But it was Hartman who put the Lady Jays on top 52-49 with a 3-point shot which brought the Marshfield fans to their feet, burning a Republic defense which had been daring her to shoot all night. Hartman then hit a free throw which gave the Lady Jays a 4-point advantage after an outstanding defensive stand.

Kyla Arnold hit a long 3-point shot for Republic to keep the visitors in the game until the final free throws by Lacey Boshe.

Lacey Boshe, a 6-0 senior, led Marshfield with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists. Lacey Boshe hit 5-of-7 field goals and two pressure free throws in the game.

Senior Sara Jane Plemmons added 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting at the line in the game. Plemmons added 8 rebounds and a pair of assists to the winning effort.

Junior Morgan Smith also scored 11 points for the Lady Jays, making 5-of-6 shots from the field, including a trey, with 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals and an assist in the game.

Gourley, a freshman guard, finished with 7 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals for Marshfield.

Ashley Boshe added 5 points, 2 rebounds and an assist to the winning attack.

Anna Glenn scored 4 points with 3 rebounds and an assist for Marshfield, drawing key defensive assignments with the game on the line down the stretch.

Hartman also finished with 4 points, handing out 4 assists with 3 rebounds and a steal.

Freshman Kayla Baldwin had a rebound for the winners.

Marshfield struggled from beyond the arc, making just 3-of-14 3-point attempts.

Republic made just 2-of-8 from 3-point land. The Lady Tigers made 10-of-12 free throws, and Marshfield hit 11-of-14 charity shots.

The Lady Jays won the battle of the boards 38-24, but Republic’s press forced 15 turnovers.

Kyla Arnold finished with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal for the Lady Tigers. Kyna Daniel scored 9 poionts with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal for Republic. Hannah Daniel added 5 points while Elle Aston and Lindsay Kittrell each scored 2 points for the Lady Tigers.

Marshfield will be back in action Saturday afternoon with a triple header against visiting Waynesville which tips off with freshman action at 1 p.m.

The Lady Jays will honor Marshfield basketball alumni during the games, and there will be alumni games following the Waynesville game.

"Waynesville has a very good team," Murphy said. "Last I checked, they were 11-2. I’m looking forward to the game because we’ll be honoring our alumni, and it will be good to see those young women again."

MarshfieldWebTV.com will be unable, because of a technical problem, to rebroadcast the Republic game tonight. We are sorry for the inconvienence.  Click on pic’s below to enlarge.