Lady Pirates finish second in annual Morrisville Tournament

Pirates take third in Morrisville tourney, will host Greenfield Wildcats Friday night
 
The Lady Pirates basketball team made the trip last week to Morrisville to compete in the Eighth Annual Morrisville Tournament and came home with a second place finish.
In the championship game, Ash Grove took on Walnut Grove on Saturday, Dec. 6 but lost to the Lady Tigers 44-40 in a close game.
The Lady Pirates led 11-5 after the first quarter but Walnut Grove battled back, outscoring Ash grove 10-4 in the second quarter to tie the game at 15-15 at the half. The Lady Pirates retook the lead in the third quarter by outscoring Walnut Grove 12-10 to lead 27-25 heading into the final quarter of play. A 19-point fourth quarter secured the victory for Walnut Grove, as the Lady Pirates managed to get only 13 points to lose by 4 points.
Bristol Lathrop led Ash Grove with 16 points, Millison Sapp added 15 points, and Brooke Nicholson ended the game with 10 points.
On Friday, Dec. 5, the Lady Pirates defeated Bolivar 43-41 in the semi finals of the tournament. The Lady Liberators took an early 11-7 first quarter lead but the Lady Pirates were able to narrow that lead to 15-14 by halftime. In the third quarter, Ash Grove scored 14 points to take a 28-21 lead into the final quarter of play. Bolivar did outscore Ash Grove 20-15 in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough as the Lady Pirates held on to win by five points. Sapp had 17 points in the victory.
Ash Grove opened the tournament by defeating Stockton 57-45 on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Stockton led 13-10 after the first quarter but the Lady Pirates came storming back to take a 27-22 halftime lead. The Lady Tigers added 14 points in the third quarter to take a 36-31 lead. In the fourth quarter, Ash Grove shot the ball well, scoring 16 points and putting the game away.
Lathrop led with 25 points, Nicholson added 12 points and Sapp ended the game with 11 points.
Ash Grove is now 3-1 on the season and were scheduled to play at Diamond last night and will host Greenfield with Golden City this Friday night.

Boys’ basketball
The Ash Grove High School boys team also traveled to Morrisville last week to take part in the 54th Annual Morrisville Tournament, coming home with a third place finish.
The Pirates defeated Osceola on Saturday in the third place game, 52-31.  Ash Grove jumped out to a 19-11 first quarter lead and stretched that lead to 34-15 by the half. In the third quarter, the Pirates outscored the Indians 13-9 to make it 47-24 by the end of the quarter. Ash Grove would add another five points in the fourth quarter to take the win. Easton Rust paced Ash Grove with 23 points.
“We defended and rebounded really well which allowed us to get out in transition,” said head coach Grant Willimason. “Taking home third place was the icing on a really solid week of growth for us.”
In the semifinals, the Pirates fell to Stockton 45-41 on Friday. The Tigers led 12-7 after the first quarter and 23-21 at the half. In the third quarter, Ash grove outscored Stockton 12-10 to tie the game at 33-33. The Pirates scored just eight points in the final quarter, while Stockton had 12 points to win the game by four.
Rust and Jaden Hance both had 10 points in the loss.
“I was very proud of our effort and toughness in this game,” said Willimason. “We showed grit on the defensive end and gave ourselves great opportunities on the offensive end. We put ourselves in a position to have a chance late against a good team which is all we can really ask for.”
Ash Grove reached the semifinals of the tournament with an easy 76-52 opening round win over New Covenant Academy on Wednesday. The Pirates led 14-7 after the first quarter and 38-23 by halftime. Both teams scored 17 points each in the third quarter, but a 21-point fourth quarter really put the game out of reach for New Covenant Academy. Rust once again led Ash Grove with 27 points and Alex Acosta added 14 points in the win.
“We knew NCA would come out with intensity and want to play at a fast pace and our guys matched that,” said Wiliamson. “We were able to jump out to an early lead and never look back. There are some things to clean up as we continue to progress throughout the season but overall, a great night.”
Ash Grove is now 2-2 on the season and were scheduled to play at home against Spokane last night and Greenfield on Friday night.