Lady Tigers all shoot top-20 scores in Carthage
Each of the five players on Nevada High School's girls golf team finished in the top-20 — two of whom placed in the top-five, including one who shot a new personal record and another who won the individual championship — Tuesday at the eCarthage.com Invitational.
Freshman Emree Cameron won her third consecutive tournament title, shooting an eagle and three birdies en route to a 1-over-par 72 — three strokes better than the next closest golfer. Cameron, who started on hole no. 10 at the Carthage Golf Course, shot a 35 on the back nine and a 37 on the front.
Junior Riley Severance's 95 (+24) was a new personal best and earned her a fifth-place medal. Starting on hole no. 8, she shot a 46 on the back nine and a 49 on the front.
"Riley had the round of her life," NHS head coach Brian Leonard said. "She was really excited."
Sophomore Paige Hertzberg added a 14th-place finish with her score of 102 (+31), while senior teammates Libby Barrett (108) and Katie Pennington (109) finished tied for 17th and 19th, respectively.
Nevada's combined score of 377 (+93) placed it second overall as a team, six back of host Carthage, which also edged out NHS by one stroke last week in Joplin.
The Lady Tigers will get their next chance to beat Carthage (and a few other schools) at their first home event of the season: the Lady Tiger Invitational Friday at Frank E. Peters Golf Course.
"What they did today, with Carthage having home course advantage, only beating us by six, I know the girls want to beat them," said Leonard, who's never had a girls team win the home tournament in his 17 years of coaching at NHS — but likes its chances this week. "They know we've never won our own tournament. They're just waiting for that first victory."