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Killer Crossover: Beshore leads Lady Tigers to comeback victory over No. 8 ranked Logan-Rogersville, 54-47
The Nevada Lady Tigers are champions again.
After securing the Big 8 Conference West division crown via last Friday’s thrashing of McDonald County, they returned to the court for Monday’s Big 8 crossover championship game at Wynn Gym and emerged with a 54-47, come-from-behind victory over the visiting Logan-Rogersville Lady Wildcats.
In a matchup featuring the top teams from the Big 8 East and West divisions, Logan-Rogersville, the No. 8 ranked team in the most recent Missouri Class 4 poll, blitzed Nevada with a 9-0 run to open the contest.
Maci McHenry’s three upped the Lady ’Cats’ advantage to 12-1, with their lead swelling to 22-8 at the conclusion of the opening frame.
Providing a nice boost, Nevada reserve guard Tylin Heathman scored on the opening possession of the second quarter, and dropped in six of the Lady Tigers’ first 10 points, as Nevada trailed 22-10.
With 5:35 remaining in the first half Logan-Rogersville opened a 27-12 lead, via Sophia Nixon’s coast-to-coast lay-in and trip to the charity stripe. Nevada, however, closed out the half strong, with a Lindley Ferry pull-up jumper capping a 8-2 spurt and trimming Nevada’s deficit to 29-20 at the break.
Nevada came out scorching the nets in the second half, as Payge Dahmer’s triple from the left wing quickly sliced the Logan-Rogersville lead to 29-23.
Lady Tiger point guard Calli Beshore began to take over, dropping in Nevada’s next seven points. Beshore’s mini-offensive explosion was punctuated by her devastating crossover dribble and blow-by of Nixon for the lay-in, leaving the Lady ’Cats clinging to a 32-30 lead.
Nevada knotted the contest when Ferry threaded a pass from the high-post to a cutting Alison Bower for the reverse lay-in.
Not known as a major offensive weapon, Ferry continued to come up big for Nevada. Following a Hailee Lundine 3-ball, Ferry increased Nevada’s advantage to 39-35 after coming up with a key offensive rebound and stick-back late in the third.
Beshore’s drive-and-dish to Bower for a mid-range jumper early in the fourth put Nevada up 41-37. Trailing 42-39, things completely unraveled for the Lady ’Cats after Jordyn Gault’s potential game-tying three rattled in-and-out, and was followed on the other end by Dahmer’s seemingly back-breaking triple, resulting in a 45-39 Nevada lead near the midpoint of the fourth.
Nevada slowly increased their lead as the Logan-Rogersville offense grinded to a virtual halt. Nevada held a 51-41 advantage with one minute remaining, en route to the comfortable victory.
“We started competing at a higher level than how we started the game defensively,” explained Nevada head coach Brent Bartlett. “And, our shots started falling in the second half.”
Bartlett noted that key momentum swings included Bower drawing a charge early in the second half, followed by a Dahmer 3-ball.
“I thought Calli, Ty, and Lindley really played great tonight,” an elated Bartlett said.
Beshore concluded with a team-high 14 points, and was a menace with her killer crossover. Over on the Logan-Rogersville sideline head coach Denny McHenry seemed perplexed by his squad’s inability to contain Beshore, and limit the damage she was able to do via the crossover, putting several Lady ’Cats on roller-skates, including one defender who tumbled to the floor.
“I practice my crossover every day,” Beshore said of her signature move. “It gives me confidence, and allows me to dish to a teammate or look to score.”
The victory ups Nevada’s record to 18-4 overall, while Logan-Rogersville falls to 18-7.
In the junior varsity contest Nevada (11-6) prevailed, 41-38, as sophomore point guard Abby Harder went off for a game-high 14 points.
Up next
The Lady Tigers return to the court for Friday's non-conference home tilt with visiting Smith-Cotton High School.