By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD, MO – With three teams ranked in the Class 5 top ten – and two more just outside receiving votes – It takes a little extra to win the toughest district in the state.
Fortunately for Marshfield, that little extra arrived Friday night in the form of Miley Austin.
Austin, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, scored 12 points off the bench to help lead the Blue Jays to a 65-51 victory over No. 6 West Plains.
Teammates Quinn Aldridge and Izzy Cherne each added 12 points to lead the Blue Jays.
In the third matchup this season between the two teams, Marshfield wasted little time establishing itself.
The Blue Jays jumped out to an early 16-5 advantage behind quick starts from both Austin and Aldridge, who combined for 10 points in the opening frame.
“I told them that West Plains is a great team, and to beat them three times would be very tough,” Marshfield head coach Trish Marsh said. “They’re going to have runs in them. We just have to survive those runs, and our kids answered every time.”
For West Plains, those runs would have to wait, as Marshfield’s defense smothered the Zizzers, allowing only a pair of uncontested shots in the first half.
The Blue Jays headed into the break with a 26-14 lead.
West Plains potent duo of Gillian Green and Ainsley McWilliams were held to a mere four points in the half – with Green held scoreless.
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A defensive priority, Green faced a rotating trio of Marshfield defenders on the evening, as Peyton Ward, Kendyl Dolan and Paris Peacock all took turns guarding the West Plains standout.
“{Green} is just a really good player, and she can go get a bucket any time,” Marsh said. “I think we were just continuing to rotate fresh bodies on her and just give a different look. Each of those players (Ward, Dolan and Peacock) bring something different to the table, and so I thought we did a good job. I know she kind of got loose on us with those right-hand drives late, but I was just really proud of their effort on her and all of them.”
As expected, Green helped trigger a West Plains rally late in the third quarter.
The 6-foot-1 sophomore poured in 10 of her game-high 20 points in the period to cut the lead to single digits (42-34).
The Zizzers rally continued into the fourth quarter, with Green determined to will her team to the finish.
After a conventional 3-point play cut the Marshfield lead to a mere six points, West Plains seemed on the verge of finally breaking through, especially with Marshfield’s 6-foot-2 phenom Peyton Ward held to a single basket through the first three quarters.
Queue Austin’s heroics.
On back-to-back possessions, the speedy guard found herself open lanes to the basket and completed a personal 4-0 run to stretch Marshfield’s lead once again.
“I just had a big adrenaline rush,” Austin said. “I was ready to be there for my team and be in the spots I needed to be in.”
Marsh was quick to praise Austin’s heads-up play during a crucial point in the contest when her team needed it most.
“When kids come off the bench and do something like that – big shot; big moment – you’re just so proud of them to be able to step up in that time and make something happen,” Marsh said. “For Miley, that’s huge – she’s just a sophomore. She gets minutes and, when she gets them, she makes the most of them.”
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An all-state honoree, Ward was content to play the role of point-forward and continuously find wide open teammates.
“Peyton is a smart player,” Aldridge said. “She knows when they’re face-guarding her, and she knows how to facilitate the ball and just get it to her teammates. I think that was huge for us, just knowing that she knows how to get us the ball.”
Ward added seven points in the final quarter, and Marshfield converted seven of eight free throws to hold off any further rally attempts.
For West Plains and head coach Christy Otter, the already difficult challenge against the Class 5 No. 1 Blue Jays was made even more so by the team’s unfortunate offensive struggles.
“We are absolutely in the toughest district in the state,” Otter said. “You know, the same year we have really great, high-level players, so does everyone else. There’s just such great talent in southwest Missouri, but the exciting thing is, our girls hang in there. I felt like we struggled getting the ball in the hole – this is our lowest scoring game of the entire year – but we were able to hang right in there with (Marshfield) tonight. We’re a great team, but we were not the best team tonight.”
After falling to Marshfield in the district title game in each of the past two seasons, West Plains ends its 2026 campaign with a 19-10 record.
“I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished, and tonight really had no indication of how good their last two years were,” Otter said. “I feel like they put Lady Zizzers basketball back on the map, and I think they generated so much excitement surrounding the program and our fan base. People are excited about the future of this program.”
The Zizzers graduate six seniors in Lucy Hafer, Zoe Scharnhorst, Shaylee Peterson, Zoe Shrubb, Cameron Brill and Jewella Willard.
“I hated the ending for these six seniors that I have,” Otter said. “They are amazing and wonderful kids. For me, coming in two years ago as a new coach and them not knowing me; not knowing anything as a staff, they welcomed us with open arms.”
Up next for Marshfield (26-3) is a March 13 sectional round matchup at Lebanon against Helias Catholic (13-15). The Crusaders defeated Jefferson City in the District 5 championship.
CLASS 5 DISTRICT 6 CHAMPIONSHIP: Marshfield – 65, West Plains – 51
West Plains 05 09 20 17 | 51
Marshfield 16 10 16 23 | 65
West Plains scoring: Gillian Green 20, Shaylee Peterson 10, Zoe Scharnhorst 9, Ainsley McWilliams 7, Lucy Hafer 5
Marshfield scoring: Quinn Aldridge 12, Izzy Cherne 12, Miley Austin 12, Peyton Ward 9, Kendyl Dolan 8, Josie Desha 6, Paris Peacock 4, Tilly Greenfield 2
