By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Tournament palooza is finally over for the Chadwick Lady Cardinals.
The final tally: Two championships, 13 games in 22 days, a few practices here and there, and a firm 10/10 on the exhaustion scale.
“It’s been game, game, game,” said Chadwick senior Rae Little.
Chadwick ended the gauntlet on a high note Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Cardinals defeated Mountain View Liberty 41-32 in the championship game of the Seymour Lady Tiger Invitational.
Little led the way with 18 points as Chadwick scored the game’s first 11 points and withstood Liberty’s second-half comeback.
“This team is a bunch of gutsy players,” said Chadwick coach Jim Pendergrass. “I told them before the game today, ‘The tougher team is going to win this game.’ We were the tougher team today.”
Sophomore Emily Landry added 10 points for Chadwick, which improved to 14-4 overall. The Lady Cardinals (No. 6 in MBCA Class 1 state rankings) are gunning for their fifth straight district title this season – with a new head coach leading the way.
“The transition to a new coach can be hard, but I feel like our team has handled it well,” Little said. “We’re playing more (man-to-man) defense this year, but it’s gone very well.”
Added Chadwick senior Millie Burkhart: “Our team chemistry is something that really helps with that.”
Pendergrass, who spent last season as an assistant at Nixa following a long tenure at Kickapoo, has kept the Lady Cardinals rolling in his first season at the school.
“The transition has been easy because we have coachable kids who work hard,” he said. “And you have supportive parents. Basketball is important in Chadwick, and basketball is important to these kids. I’m really proud of them.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Saturday marked Chadwick’s fourth game in as many days. The Lady Cardinals showed no signs of tired legs, however, scoring 11 unanswered after the opening tip and leading 20-8 by halftime.
“We did a good job of making it really difficult on them,” Pendergrass said. “Our goal was to try to eliminate (Liberty’s) 3-point opportunities because that’s what gets their team going.”
Liberty came to life in the third quarter, behind 3-pointers from Ella Phipps and Chloe Jester. The Lady Eagles were within 25-22 entering the fourth quarter.
Little, who was sick most of the week, saved her best for last. She scored 13 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter to seal Chadwick’s victory.
“This is the first day I’ve actually felt good all week,” Little said.
In addition to the Seymour Tournament, Chadwick participated in three other January tournaments. The Lady Cardinals finished runner-up in the Pleasant Hope Tournament (vs. Walnut Grove) and Stockton Tournament (vs. El Dorado Springs).
After losing in the finals of the Pleasant Hope Tournament, the Lady Cardinals won the championship of the Sparta Tournament less than 24 hours later.
A week prior to that, Chadwick played a rare same-day doubleheader for its pool play games in the Sparta Tournament. The doubleheader was necessitated by a weather postponement (snow) and already being booked for other tournaments.
“Exhausting,” Burkhart said of the four-week stretch. “We’ve barely had any time to practice. We learn everything quickly, on the go.
“We’ve only improved from each tournament. The tougher games, championship games like this, is what makes us better. It’s preparing us to go on past districts and all that.”
Hadley Chowning and Delani Ellett had eight points apiece to lead Liberty. The Lady Eagles return to action Monday night at Cabool.
Chadwick’s next tournament will be districts. Before then, the Lady Cardinals begin the final stretch of the regular season, starting with a Monday night (Feb. 3) game at Hurley.
“We’re finding out who we are, and that’s what a team needs to do through the season,” Pendergrass said. “You’re always preparing for the playoffs to get ready for the postseason… This has been a great stretch for us.”
Chadwick 41, Liberty 32
Liberty 4 4 14 10 — 32
Chadwick 11 9 5 16 — 41
Liberty (11-7 overall) – Hadley Chowning 8, Delani Ellett 8, Korie Lind 4, Shelby Holdt 4, Ella Phipps 3, Chloe Jester 3, Addyson Rutledge 2
Chadwick (14-4 overall) – Rae Little 18, Emily Landry 10, Macy Landry 5, Ella Herd 3, Lydia Combs 2, Elly Dunn 2, Millie Burkhart 1
