It was a do-or-die game, so the Mexico girls wanted its play to match.
For one quarter, the Lady Bulldogs played tight with Hallsville prior to losing 56-41 on Tuesday during the Class 4 District …
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It was a do-or-die game, so the Mexico girls wanted its play to match.
For one quarter, the Lady Bulldogs played tight with Hallsville prior to losing 56-41 on Tuesday during the Class 4 District 8 tournament first round in Centralia. Hallsville gained control in the second quarter by outscoring Mexico 21-9.
Mexico’s offensive struggles could be traced back to the first quarter, head coach Ed Costley said. Senior point guard Lexie Willer got into some foul trouble around that time.
“We lost rhythm when Lexie Willer picked up her second foul with a minute left in the first,” Costley said. “The second quarter, we could never get into our offensive sets and Willer picked up her third foul.”
Willer still finished with four assists and three steals. Claire Hudson led Mexico (9-18) with 14 points, Jo Thurman followed with 10 points, senior Messiah Simpson had six points, and senior Capri’Ona Fountain finished with four points and three assists.
Costley said Mexico was the “aggressor” in the first quarter as the Lady Bulldogs had a 5-1 lead that could have been even bigger prior to the quarter finishing 8-7 in Hallsville’s favor. The shooting opportunities were there, Costley said, as Mexico went 4-for-17 in the paint and 11-for-20 at the free throw line.
Defensively, Mexico showed some sense of urgency but couldn’t take advantage of Hallsville’s mistakes.
“We forced them into a number of turnovers, but they ended up being dead ball turnovers and we had no transition points for the game,” Costley said.
Costley said Thurman knocked down some 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to decrease the deficit to single digits, but Hallsville (15-12) was too strong with its inside attack.
When it comes to the season, Costley said there is much to be proud about. The Lady Bulldogs finished fourth in the North Central Missouri Conference at 5-5 and came away with two all-conference players in Hudson and Willer, as announced on Wednesday.
As for the season, it was a group learning to work with each other with so many new varsity players,” Costley said. “I’m thankful for our seniors Lexie Willer, Capri’Ona Fountain and Messiah Simpson fighting through the season and bringing positive energy to the team.”
