By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Just one quarter into their first state appearance in 23 years, things were looking bleak for the West Plains Lady Zizzers.
Senior guard Mackenzie Brunson, a two-time all-state player, had left the game for good with a knee injury.
“I got a little worried, I’m not going to lie,” said West Plains forward Ashton Judd. “But I knew we just needed (other players) to step up. We had the talent to win.”
The Lady Zizzers pulled through minus their star player, defeating Union 46-43 on Thursday night in the Class 5 Show-Me Showdown semifinals at JQH Arena in Springfield.
Judd, a 5’11” junior, had 17 points and 11 rebounds, nearly matching her season averages.
West Plains scored the game’s final six points.
Union, which hadn’t led since the first quarter, went up 41-40 after Reagan Rapert’s 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining.
“The girls really fought and found a way,” said West Plains coach Scott Womack. “We were playing girls in new positions and new roles.”
West Plains plays Whitfield at 4 p.m. Saturday at JQH Arena in the Class 5 state championship game.
West Plains will be seeking its second state championship in program history. The Lady Zizzers were state champions in 1998 in their only other final four appearance.
Womack said he had a simple message for his team during and after Thursday’s game.
“Do it for Kenzie,” Womack said. “I told them at halftime Kenzie wasn’t coming back and we needed other people to step up. This group has been resilient all year long. We’ve had a girl out with COVID, we’ve had other girls out with injuries. They just find a way and they believe in each other.”
Brunson initially suffered her knee injury late in the first quarter. She returned in the second quarter but soon went down again.
“She tweaked it the first time and they thought she was OK. She went back out and the same thing happened,” Womack said. “We’re trying to be cautious with it. I hate it for her, a senior and two-time all-state player. She’s our leader.
“She was over there coaching and cheering as hard as anybody. She’s still a big part of this team. This (next game) will be for her if she doesn’t get to play.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Minus Brunson, West Plains built an eight-point lead early in the second half. Union soon erased that and trailed by only three points entering the fourth quarter.
The Lady Cats went ahead 41-40 on Rapert’s trey at the 2:54 mark. Rapert fouled out on West Plains’ ensuing possession.
“You hate it for her, but it sure helped us,” Womack said. “It changed the dynamics of their game. Their tempo isn’t quite as fast.”
The sudden deficit didn’t faze West Plains.
The Lady Zizzers retook the lead on a pair of Judd free throws after Rapert fouled out, then extended it to 44-41 when Drew Harris scored.
“We had enough time on the clock that I was still pretty confident,” Judd said. “I knew we had to do the little things right. (Rapert) fouled out and by then I knew we’d be fine. I knew we had it.”
Union, trailing 44-43, missed a go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining. After two Judd free throws, the Lady Cats had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds but again missed from deep.
Winning without Brunson became a true team effort for West Plains.
Harris battled on the inside for six points and rebounds.
“(Harris) does so much dirty work for us,” Womack said.
On defense, West Plains guard Georgia Osborne limited Rapert to 14 points, about 10 below her season average.
Sophomore reserve Zoey Williams played an unexpected 23 minutes.
“Coach (Womack) always tells our bench players, ‘Be ready, because you never know what’s going to happen,’” Judd said. “In this situation, our best player comes out. I’d say (our backups) were ready. They did a really good job and kept us in the game.”
West Plains’ defense also limited the 3-point happy Lady Cats to just 4-for-21 shooting from the perimeter.
“We didn’t knock the shots early and then we got tight,” said Union coach Pat Rapert. “Some of the girls stopped looking at the rim and weren’t a threat for us, and we need them to be a threat. That’s just the way we play. We have to be assertive and I didn’t think we did that.”
West Plains 46, Union 43
West Plains 13 14 10 9 — 46
Union 8 11 15 9 — 43
West Plains (28-3 overall) – Ashton Judd 17, Allysa Joyner 10, Georgia Osborne 7, Drew Harris 6, Mackenzie Brunson 2, Kaylea Dixon, Zoey Williams 2
Union (18-2 overall) – Julia Overstreet 18, Reagan Rapert 14, Emily Gaebe 6, Megan Siedhoff 5
