Willard Lady Tigers defeat McDonald Co. in district opener

Tigers season comes to an end with loss to Neosho in opening round
 
The Willard High School girls’ and boys’ basketball teams both started Class 5, District 6 play last week, with the Lady Tigers besting McDonald County and advancing to the semifinals, while the Tigers saw their season come to an end with a loss to Neosho.
Girls
The Lady Tigers opened Class 5, District 6 play at home on Saturday, Feb. 26, and easily knocked off McDonald County in a first-round game, 74-43.
Willard romped to a 40-18 lead by the half, and cruised the rest of the way.
“I was proud of our intensity and effort during tonight’s game,” said head coach J. J. Adamson. “It is good to get a district win and give yourself a chance to continue your season.”
Carolina Crawford led Willard with 23 points and Brielle Adamson ended the game with 15 points.
Willard traveled to Branson on Tuesday, Feb. 22, for their final regular season game and came home with a 67-61 loss.
Branson held a solid lead most of the game but Willard clawed their way back, coming to within five points, 47-42, in the third. But Branson held on for the six-point victory.
“A tough loss on the final game of regular and conference season,” said Adamson. “I thought our kids battled back but we just weren’t able to make enough plays down the stretch.”
Kailyn Washington led Willard with 22 points.
The Lady Tigers are now 12-15 on the season and were scheduled to host Webb City tonight in the semifinal round of the Class 5, District 6 Tournament. The championship game is scheduled for Friday night.
Boys
The Willard High School boys’ team saw their season come to an end as they lost to Neosho, 78-67, in their opening round game at home on Saturday, Feb. 26, in the Class 5, District 6 Tournament.
The Wildcats took an early 21-14 first quarter lead and then had to battle the rest of the way to hold that lead. Neosho led 37-32 at the half and 53-46 by the end of the third quarter, before outscoring Willard 25-21 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
“Overall, it was a great season,” said head coach Jeremy Dresslaer. “We finished above .500 and we accomplished a lot of great things. Our JV and 9th grade teams have won the most games in over 10-plus years for the second consecutive season. The future is
bright.”
Trey Pulford paced Willard with 24 points, Brett Hall added 16 points and Gavin Davis ended the game with 13 points.
Willard traveled to Branson on Tuesday, Feb. 22, for their final regular season game and fell to the host Pirates, 58-52.
A back and forth matchup saw Willard take the lead in the third quarter, 39-35, but Branson answered back in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Tigers 23-13 for the six-point
win.
“Branson came out and played with a lot of purpose,” said Dresslaer. “They forced 20 offensive rebounds, yet we still had plenty of opportunities to win the game. We gained some good production out of our role
players.”
Davis led Willard with 15 points, Haden Brown had 13 points and Hall ended the game with 12 points.
Willard completed their season with a 14-13 overall record.