Eagle girls log landmark win

Joplin High School's girls basketball team logged its fourth straight win with a 49-18 victory Tuesday night over Springfield Central High School at Kaminsky Gymnasium.

Head coach Brad Cox scrawled the number 17 on the board in the Eagles locker room as motivation ahead of the Eagles matchup with the Bulldogs.

Why 17?

It had been 17 years since the Joplin girls were above .500 in the month of January.

“After the game I put a big old “X” on that 17 and said, “It hasn’t been 17 years anymore,” Cox said. ”I’m very proud of our girls for going out there and taking care of business. It was a little close at the beginning, but we were able to stretch it out.”

During its four-game winning streak, the Eagles have outscored opponents by an average margin of 27.5 points.

The first quarter was close for Joplin, but the Eagles were able to take a 9-6 lead into the second period and poured in 20 points in the second quarter while holding the Bulldogs to a scant 4 points.

Solei Parker got the ball rolling for Joplin in the second quarter with a steal and score that made it an 11-6 game.

Freshman Adwen Barstow increased the lead to 13-6 off an Alissa Owens assist and another Parker steal that resulted in an Owens layup, making it 15-6 with 5:36 left before the half.

Parker wrapped up the second quarter the same way it began, with a steal and score. The Eagles went into the locker room with a 29-10 lead.

Joplin opened the second half with an 11-0 run that included two scores each by Owens and Payton Cunningham and a Parker bucket off the break.

Annalise Freeman stopped the bleeding for Central with a trey at the 3:25 mark that made it a 40-13 game, but the Eagles closed out the third quarter with an 8-0 run to take a 48-13 into the final frame with a running clock.

Clara Moody hit a trey for Central to make it 48-16, Joplin’s Ella Kroll netted a free throw and Central’s Samantha Githieya scored to make it a 49-18 final.

Three Eagles finished in double digits: Owens paced Joplin with 18 points, Parker finished with 12 and Cunningham pitched in with 11.

Annalise Freeman accounted for half of the Bulldogs scoring, finishing with 9 points.

The Eagles (6-5) travel to Carl Junction High School on Monday. Joplin fell in a 51-47 overtime game to the CJ Bulldogs in their meeting on Dec. 13.