Girls' 20-7 season ends with first‑round loss in districts

Webb City won the first half but not the second Monday as the Cardinals were upset by Willard in the opening round of the Class 5 District 6 tournament at Hillcrest.

The Cardinals led 39-23 at halftime and were ahead  51-49 with 4:46 left in the game. But Willard’s Tigers made two 3-pointers and 7 of 8 free throw attempts to win 62-55.

Tiger Elise Murray led all scorers with 25 points.

Abby Sargent and Addie Burns led Webb City with 15 points each. Adalyn Maxwell added 10.

That the Cardinals, with a 20-7 record, were seeded fourth speaks to the strength of the district.

Fifth-seeded Willard was defeated Wednesday in the semifinals by No. 1 seed Marshfield 67-52.

As webbcitycardinals.com statistician Tim Workman notes, this was the 50th season for Webb City girls basketball since it was restarted in 1975-76.