Compton’s second half scoring barrage helps Palmyra pull away from Monroe City in CCC tilt

MONROE CITY, Mo. — A quiet first half did not shake Sydney Compton’s confidence.

Instead, the Palmyra senior forward channeled whatever frustration built up in the opening 16 minutes into dogged determination.

After just two points and no made field goals in the first half of Tuesday’s Clarence Cannon Conference clash with Monroe City, Compton exploded for 22 points in the second half to help Palmyra run away with a 68-44 win.

“I definitely didn’t start like I normally do,” Compton said. “It’s not always going to be your game. Everybody has the times that they’re on. I was more focused on giving the ball to my teammates because I knew they were on. I took my time getting into it, but I pulled through. I’m just happy we got the win like we should have.”

Palmyra coach Kelsey Stuart’s halftime chat with Compton restored that confidence.

“We talked positivity with her at halftime,” Stuart said. “I told her, ‘Hey, it just takes one shot.’ Then she just took off from there.”

Compton capped a six-point third quarter with a three-point play with 38.7 seconds left that extended Palmyra’s lead to 46-30.

That bucket was a sign of things to come. Compton cranked it up a notch in the fourth quarter with 16 points and two more three-point plays, both of which she made with her left hand from just outside the lane near the baseline.

“She was definitely determined to get her own,” Stuart said.

Compton felt more like her usual self in the second half.

“I definitely was,” Compton said. “Coming back after not having the first half that I normally do was definitely really exciting and it pumps me up a lot, but I just always try to stay humble.”

Fellow senior Clare Williams scored 25 points of her own — 13 in the first half and 12 in the second.

“We definitely took over in that second half,” Williams said. “Our transition was just tremendously good, and we were setting the tone on the offensive and defensive ends.”

While Williams was able to slash to the rim and create scoring chances for herself, she knew when it was time to let Compton go to work.

“When she nods her head, I know she wants it, and she’s going to go to the hoop,” Williams said. “She’s very strong on the inside. She had a slow start, but I’m glad she found her groove.”

While Compton struggled to find that groove in the first half, freshman Avery Wisehart picked up some of that scoring slack. Wisehart knocked down two 3-pointers in the first quarter and had 12 points in the first half.

“I was very confident. I went out there and knew I had to step up,” Wisehart said.

Palmyra led 29-23 at halftime, and Monroe City junior guard Naaron Hays drained a 3-pointer 30 seconds into the third quarter to trim that deficit to three, but Monroe City never got any closer. Palmyra outscored Monroe City 17-6 the rest of the quarter and 22-12 in the fourth quarter.

“I thought only being down six at half we were in a good spot,” Monroe City coach Adam Rung said. “Then they just came out and played better than us in the second half. They got out in transition, and they were really, really dangerous in the open court. We were not very good there. Against their zone, we weren’t patient like we needed to be. They got to all the loose balls and created second chance points. They definitely played better than us and were a lot tougher tonight.”

Monroe City (15-7, 1-3 CCC) was without Audri Youngblood, the team’s leading rebounder, due to a sprained ankle she suffered in practice on Monday.

“She’s a big part of what we do,” Rung said. “She’s a good presence inside for us. She allows us to do some things with our pressure, but for a half, we were right there with them. You have to play with the hand you’re dealt, and tonight we did that for a little bit, but we didn’t do it well enough.”

Palmyra (12-10, 3-2 CCC) avenged a loss to Monroe City in the third place game of the Tony Lenzini Tournament on Jan. 24 at Palmyra.

“It means so much more,” Compton said of this win. “I don’t even know how to describe it. We should have definitely won at our own tournament. I just think we were down on ourselves and weren’t really playing as a team. Just the fact that we were able to pull through tonight on their home court means a lot.”