Blue Devils overcome sluggish start as Longcor, Byquist spark rally to beat Panthers in overtime

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The moment nearly swept the Quincy High School girls basketball team away.

Playing in the Sophie Cunningham Classic at Columbia College’s Southwell Complex on Saturday, the Blue Devils had the opportunity to meet Cunningham, the former Mizzou standout and current Phoenix Mercury guard, and experience what it is like to play in a high-caliber shootout.

“I could tell they were in awe of the moment,” QHS coach Brad Dance said. “They were soaking it all in.”

That lasted a couple minutes into their game against St. Louis Principia.

“Once the game starts, it’s business as usual,” Dance said. “It took them a little while to get there.”

The Blue Devils eventually did, overcoming an 11-point third quarter deficit to force overtime and scoring 16 points in the extra period to come away with a 64-61 victory over the Panthers, ranked second in Missouri Class 3.

“The way they battled, the way they continued to work, I couldn’t be prouder,” Dance said. “We just kept chugging and plugging away. I was talking to them in a timeout and telling them, ‘We’re in it. We’re right here.’ They just had to believe it.”

Quincy (13-5) struggled early, shooting 30.8 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range in the first half. Principia built a five-point halftime lead and pushed it to an 11-point advantage less than a minute into the third quarter.

“Our girls were very much on their heels in the beginning,” Dance said. “In the second and especially in overtime, we were the aggressor.”

Sophomore guard Myley Longcor played a significant role in that. She went 7 of 14 from the field and 5 of 10 from 3-point range, scoring a game-high 20 points to go with six rebounds and two steals.

“She was huge,” Dance said. “The way she rebounded was impressive. Any shot to her side, she took it upon herself to go get it.”

Sophomore forward Jada Brown was doing the same, despite going up against Principia 6-foot-2 all-state forward Dasia Scott. Brown finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, while Scott had 17 points and seven rebounds and went 6 of 22 from the field.

The big bonus came from sophomore guard Cameron Byquist, who sat out most of the week with an injury but came off the bench in the first quarter when Madelyn Hamby suffered an ankle injury. Byquist scored a career-high 13 points to go with two assists and two steals.

“She did a heck of a job,” Dance said.

Hamby returned to score three points and will be available Sunday when the Blue Devils face Strafford at 2 p.m. on the third and final day of the Classic.

“This is a top-notch run weekend,” Dance said. “They do a heck of a job with this event.”