Bradleyville girls advance to program’s first state championship game

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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Bradleyville wants to soak-in the moment.

Through the weekend, through each game and even at halftime.

After all, they come from a town with a listed population of 80.

“We’ve never been to anywhere big before,” said Bradleyville senior Dorian Hayes. “This is huge for us.”

The Eagles are one win away from enjoying the moment of a lifetime.

Bradleyville used its speed and athleticism to overcome a taller Glasgow squad in Friday’s Class 1 girls’ basketball Show-Me Showdown semifinal at JQH Arena.

Sisters Kourtney and Gracie Shipley combined for 37 points as Bradleyville pulled away for a 51-34 victory. Freshman Tay Sims added nine points, 10 rebounds and four steals.

Bradleyville, making its first final four appearance in girls’ basketball, plays for the Class 1 state championship at 2:40 p.m. Saturday at JQH Arena against Class 1 No. 5 Mound City.

“It’s really cool, not just for us, but for the community,” said Bradleyville coach Autumn Thomas. “We had a get-together (Thursday) night in our town. Everyone came out. I’m excited for the girls but also (excited) for the community, too. They support us so well.”

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME

The Eagles didn’t show any nerves on the big stage.

Bradleyville saw its seven-point halftime lead cut to just one point on two occasions late in the third quarter.

Each time, Bradleyville responded with a Kourtney Shipley 3-pointer.

“It just seemed like the momentum drained from us from there,” said Glasgow coach Molly Monnig.

The Eagles led by four (32-28) entering the final quarter, where they scored the first five points to add extra cushion.

Glasgow went scoreless in the final four and a half minutes.

“It seemed like (Glasgow) would hit a shot, then Kourtney or Gracie would come down and answer right back,” Thomas said. “We just kept the pedal down. If they scored, we returned it on the other end.”

Bradleyville out-rebounded Glasgow, 48-37. The Eagles don’t have a player taller than 5’10”.

Glasgow started two girls listed at 6’0” or taller, including senior Jaden Monnig, who had a game-high 20 rebounds.

Gracie Shipley had a double double (21 points, 10 rebounds) for Bradleyville. Emily Williams had nine rebounds.

“We’re a good rebounding team and we’ve done it all season. That’s our game,” Thomas said. “We’ve had games where three girls have had 10 or more rebounds.”

Sitting on a seven-point lead at halftime, Bradleyville’s players chose to remain on their bench for the 10-minute break instead of walking to the locker room.

“I leave it up to them. I ask them: ‘Do you want to go back to the locker room or do you want to stay out here?’” Thomas said. “They said, ‘We’ll stay out here.’ So I just talked to them there.”

Added Kourtney Shipley: “We didn’t want to walk all the way back to the locker room.”

Three Bradleyville starters played the entire game: Emily Williams, Kourtney Shipley and Anna Turner. A fourth starter, Gracie Shipley, played 29 minutes.

Glasgow (22-8 overall) shot 12-for-55 from the field overall. Bradleyville went 17-for-54.

Bradleyville improved to 26-5 overall. The Mules have only lost one game since Jan. 8.

“(Since January), we’ve started playing together, as a team,” said Kourtney Shipley.

Bradleyville 51, Glasgow 34
Bradleyville 12 9 11 19 — 51
Glasgow 9 5 14 6 — 34

Bradleyville – Gracie Shipley 21, Kourtney Shipley 16, Tay Sims 9, Emily Williams 5
Glasgow – Jaden Monning 9, Molly Reynolds 8, Madisyn Parks 8, Abby Littrell 6, Kristin Stockhorst 3

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