South Shelby girls oust Palmyra from district tournament for fourth straight year

LEWISTOWN, Mo. — More of the same.

That’s what the South Shelby girls basketball team dished out to Palmyra in Thursday night’s semifinals of the Class 3 District 6 tournament at Highland High School.

South Shelby scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter en route to pulling away for a 56-38 victory before a crowd of about 580. 

The Cardinals’ victory marked the fourth straight year they had ousted Palmyra in the district tournament. The previous three victories had come in the district finals.

“It’s always a battle against Palmyra,” said South Shelby coach Luke Laughlin, whose No. 2-seeded club upped its record to 24-3.

South Shelby, which has won 10 of its last 12 starts, led 36-31 after three quarters. Then the Cardinals’ defense took over, smothering any would-be comeback attempt from No. 3 seed Palmyra (15-12).

“Our defense was locked down in the fourth quarter,” said South Shelby guard Callie McWilliams, who felt her team’s zone and man-to-man defenses were effective. “Holding them to one shot (much of the time) was a big key.”

McWilliams led South Shelby’s offense with a 17-point night, a performance she said was no accident.

“I was able to get some great looks — not just good looks, but great looks,” said McWilliams, who emphasized the Cardinals’ unselfish approach and superior ball movement were keys, especially in the final period when South Shelby outscored Palmyra 20-7.

South Shelby’s approach throughout the game was as simple as 1-2-3.

“We took care of the ball, hit our free throws and limited them to one shot (most of the time),” O’Laughlin said.

South Shelby’s overwhelmed Palmyra on the boards, outrebounding the Panthers 51-24. Belle Roush (17), Carlie Roush (8) and Bella Cook (8) combined for 33 of the rebounds. Belle Roush was South Shelby’s other double-figure scorer with 14 points.

South Shelby, 97-20 during the past four seasons, will play No. 1 Highland (24-3) at 2 p.m. Saturday for the district championship. Highland turned back No. 4 seed Monroe City 40-25 in Thursday’s other district semifinal.

“Highland got us earlier in the season, and the girls have been hoping to get another chance,” O’Laughlin said. “It should be a fun battle (involving) two good teams.”

Highland defeated South Shelby 38-35 on Jan. 31. That loss snapped a Cardinals’ streak of six straight victories over Highland. 

Palmyra’s Sydney Compton, who led all scorers with 27 points while connecting on five 3-point field goals, reflected on not only the game but her career.

“We came in expecting this to be a game of spurts,” she said, noting South Shelby’s fast start coming out of the fourth quarter. “We knew we had to take care of the ball because South Shelby is a very good team. Clare and I have played together since elementary school. I have always tried to keep the team first and be a humble leader.”

Compton and Clare Williams, both seniors, combined for 36 of Palmyra’s 38 points. Williams scored nine points and led Palmyra rebounders with eight. Compton and Williams are the only seniors on a Palmyra team that produced the school’s 16th winning record in the last 17 years.