Quentin Voss News Today

Ella Lucas had been in a shooting slump. The St. Elizabeth senior isn’t anymore. She tossed in 20 points Friday night to lead the Lady Hornets to a 51-36 victory against the Higbee Lady Tigers in the title game of the Class 1 District 9 Tournament at Blair Oaks High School.

The St. Elizabeth Lady Hornets did their job defensively Saturday afternoon, holding the undefeated Meadville Lady Eagles to a season low in scoring. Problem is, Meadville also did its job defensively, holding St. Elizabeth to a season low in scoring. In a defensive battle, Meadville proved worthy of the state’s No. 1 ranking, holding St. Elizabeth to just eight made baskets in a 40-23 victory in the Class 1 quarterfinals at Moberly Area Community College’s Fitzsimmons-John Arena.

SALISBURY — The St. Elizabeth Lady Hornets had far from their best game rebounding the basketball, and they didn’t always take the best care of the ball, either. But they played man-to-man defense, and they played it exceptionally well.

The St. Elizabeth Lady Hornets couldn’t ever get over the hump. In Tuesday night’s Class 1 girls basketball sectional game against Walnut Grove, the Lady Hornets cut the Lady Tigers’ lead to two points on a handful of occasions. But they could never tie it or take the lead. Finally, the Lady Tigers were able to pull away for good. Walnut Grove went 16-of-18 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to take a 57-42 victory against the Lady Hornets at Camdenton High School.

Six lead changes, two ties and a last-second 3-pointer. And that was just the fourth quarter. St. Elizabeth’s Ella Lucas sank a 3 from the top of the key with 1.9 seconds left to propel the Lady Hornets to their first district title since 2014.

The offense wasn’t always there Tuesday night for the St. Elizabeth Lady Hornets. But, as it has been all season, their defense traveled with them. For the 15th time this season, St. Elizabeth held its opponent to less than 40 points. The offense showed up late in the first half, as the Lady Hornets cruised to a 67-36 victory against the Climax Springs Lady Cougars in the semifinals of the Class 1 District 8 Tournament at Blair Oaks High School.

The St. Elizabeth Lady Hornets played three games in a 26-hour time frame this weekend in the Calvary Lutheran Tournament, but they made it look like a walk in the park. St. Elizabeth cruised to a first-place finish Saturday night, leading all but the opening 90 seconds of a 48-31 victory against the Vienna Lady Eagles in the championship game.