For never playing a state Final Four game, the Centralia girls were composed.

Centralia Girls at State Final Four Photo Gallery

The Lady Panthers’ defense kept improving in Friday’s Class 3 semifinal game against top-ranked El Dorado Springs at Mizzou Arena, leading the Lady Bulldogs 32-26 through three quarters before losing 52-41. El Dorado Springs qualified for its third straight state title game with the chance of winning its second state championship in three years while Centralia refocuses on St. Pius X (Festus) (24-6) at noon Saturday.

“No one expected us to come out and do that, and that’s exactly what we did,” head coach Megan Brinkmann said. “It just came down to a defensive stretch in the fourth quarter. Maybe we didn’t capitalize on our end, and they did on theirs. In two or three minutes, they did to us what exactly we did to other teams to get here in this postseason run.”

El Dorado Springs (28-3), who averaged 62.6 points per game this season, hadn’t been limited so much offensively since losing 50-31 to Arkansas school Northside in a December tournament. The Lady Bulldogs were held to 12 points in the first quarter, then nine and finally five points to give Centralia (25-5) the lead after each quarter.

Following some tough interior work by post AbiGayle Schmitt — who finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks — El Dorado Springs had back-to-back 3-pointers from Tenlie Steward (nine points and two 3-pointers) and reigning all-state player Neely Schaaf (13 points and two 3-pointers. The Lady Bulldogs hit three 3-pointers to overtake Centralia with around five and half minutes left after only hitting two through three quarters, impressing Brinkmann with the effort before Centralia was outscored 26-9 in the fourth to end its nine-game winning streak.

“We knew they were definitely capable of shooting 3s because, as a team, they shoot 38 percent,” Brinkmann said. “We have a very similar style — both dribble drives — and I didn’t think we got as many good looks. I thought our helpside (defense) was great, and we got them into long possessions and were able to get a stop and push and go.”

Brinkmann said Schmitt’s play “really opened up that stretch in the fourth” after putting back some misses and drawing fouls, where she was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. The rest of the Lady Bulldogs were 7-of-19 from the line and were 1-of-6 on foul shots through one half while Centralia maintained a 26-21 halftime lead by going 7-for-8 at the line.

Shelby Lewis, who is a senior captain along with Morgan Ross and Raegan Anderson, made her presence felt on the glass with eight points and 10 rebounds. Ross matched her with eight points and five rebounds, and Anderson knocked down a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

Two younger members of Centralia’s backcourt, Ryenn Gordon and Braylin Brunkhorst, made key plays for the Lady Panthers to help build up their early advantage. Gordon led Centralia with 15 points and three steals, giving the Lady Panthers a needed bucket with a floater in the lane sometimes, and Brunkhorst finished with six points, seven rebounds and two steals.

“These three seniors here, who are my captains, set the standard,” Brinkmann said while pointing to Ross, Anderson and Lewis during the postgame press conference. “They talk, they communicate and they hold people accountable. While we have younger talent, these seniors here are the floor generals and are calling and doing stuff without having me tell them.”

Brunkhorst spent a lot of time defending the all-stater Schaaf, who had seven points through one half, so then McKinli Mays made up for her with 10 points at halftime before leading El Dorado Springs with 14 points. Brinkmann said Centralia’s rotations just weren’t there in the fourth quarter as other Lady Bulldogs broke loose to hit shots.

“I put my best defenders on (Mays), but we’re all best defenders,” Brinkmann said. “We knew tendencies, like (Mays) likes to get to the rack definitely on that right side down the slot. Shelby showed early help with backside rotating. We just tried guarding them the best we did, and I thought we bothered them until late in the fourth.”

Brinkmann doesn’t want to use inexperience as an excuse since, for the first three quarters, it didn’t matter. She thought her players were composed during that time and just let a talented team have a big run late in the game. There is another game tomorrow, though.

“We were excited to get another week of basketball,” Anderson said. “We lost this one, but we have a chance to end our season with a win tomorrow, which only teams get to do per class. That’s pretty cool.”