By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Quinn Aldridge could only sit and watch for so long.
The senior guard missed the past 2.5 weeks with a foot injury, trying to heal up in time for districts.
“I was itching to get back out there,” Aldridge said. “I was telling (the team) when we were playing Parkview (on Monday night) about how bad I wanted to be out there. I was ready to go.”
With their full lineup back on the court for the first time since early February, the Marshfield Lady Jays showed little to no rust.
Junior forward Peyton Ward scored a game-high 25 and Alridge added 17 points as Marshfield rolled to a 67-52 win over Willard in the Class 5 District 6 Tournament semifinals at Hillcrest High School on Wednesday night.
Marshfield, the top-ranked team in Class 5, also welcomed sophomore Izzy Cherne back to the lineup. She sat out Marshfield’s district opener Monday night as a precaution due to a sprained ankle.
Marshfield, which goes about nine or 10 players deep, had a chance to develop some of its supporting cast in the prior weeks.
“We really did well with them out, especially during the (time) Quinn was out,” said Marshfield coach Trish Marsh. “We had really big team wins against Rogersville and West Plains, and (Quinn) didn’t play in either of those. Other people stepped up, and I think that was key for us. They got valuable minutes down the stretch.”
Marshfield’s dynamic shooting and playmaking was on full display Wednesday. The Lady Jays made 10 3-pointers. Aldridge led the trey parade with five triples.
“Every day in practice, we make sure to get our shots up,” Aldridge said. “Sometimes we’ll come in before games to shoot around and get warm. That shooting is a big part of our game.”
Marshfield’s victory sets up another showdown with West Plains. The district title will be on the line this Friday night at Hillcrest.
The teams have played five times since last season, with Marshfield going 4-1 in that stretch including victories in last season’s district title game and, more recently, a double-overtime thriller in mid-February.
Marshfield is currently on a 14-game winning streak. All three of its losses this season have come against state-ranked teams (Principia, Strafford and Rock Bridge.)
“The pressure has been on us all year,” Marsh said. “There’s been a target on our back and we’ve gotten every team’s best shot. That’s going to continue. We have big goals. The next step is the next game.”
Willard (17-11 overall) kept pace with Marshfield for about two quarters on Wednesday night. The Lady Jays finished the first and second quarters with a flurry of 3s, then answered every potential Willard rally in the second half.
“We thrive in big games,” Marsh said. “The big thing is, we never succumb to a run. That’s going to happen this time of year, no matter who you play.”
For Marshfield, Ward had 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field plus eight rebounds.
Senior guard Elise Murray led Willard (17-11 overall) with 16 points. The Lady Tigers finish with a winning record for the first time since 2021, when they won districts.
Marshfield 67, Willard 52
Willard 7 19 11 15 — 52
Marshfield 18 21 10 18 — 67
Willard (17-11 overall) – Elise Murray 16, Kennidy Keller 12, Hadley McNatt 9, Addyson Smith 8, Harper Floyd 7
Marshfield (25-3 overall) – Peyton Ward 25, Quinn Alridge 17, Kendyl Dolan 9, Izzy Cherne 6, Tilly Greenfield 4, Molly Mohnen 3, Paris Peacock 2, Miley Austin 1
