Miller, Ash Grove split super night before snow storm

Rain was falling in Ash Grove Tuesday night as the Ozarks prepared for the worst winter storm in nearly 10 years. The competition was hot inside indeed, as Ash Grove and Miller boys and girls faced off. First up, was a fantastic matchup featuring the 3rd-ranked Miller Lady Cardinals taking on Missouri State signee and McDonalds All-American game nominee Khloe Moad from Ash Grove.
Miller has been known for a 2-3 zone that has driven opposing coaches mad. They don’t necessarily do anything special other than playing that zone better than anyone else and they showed that again in the opening quarter of this one as the Lady Pirates only got five points to fall. Miller didn’t necessarily light up the scoreboard either, as threes from Claudia Hadlock and Kaylee Helton and a bucket from Payten Richardson was all the Lady Cardinals could muster, but held an 8-5 lead after one.
Claudia Hadlock had a fantastic second quarter as she got eight of Miller’s 10 points to fall. However, it was Ash Grove with a balanced attack led by Brittany Gilliland’s four points allowed the Lady Pirates to crawl back to an 18-17 deficit going into the half.
The third quarter was a war of attrition, as both teams traded buckets, but Miller held a slight lead for the majority of the quarter until Moad drilled a corner three with about 2:30 remaining to take the lead from Miller. Ash Grove took a 27-25 lead into a decisive fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was another back and forth battle for the lead. Ash Grove took the lead, and an Emma McClelland elbow jumper gave the Lady Pirates a 29-25 advantage. Then Hadlock erupted…again. First, she found Alyssa Hill with a full-court dime to give Miller a 35-33 lead. The Lady Pirates wouldn’t score again and Hadlock scored 11 in the final quarter to cap off the game-high 29 points as Miller would win 41-33.
The win moves the Lady Cards to 17-3 on the season. They have a busy week this week, as they took on Pleasant Hope Monday, Stockton on Tuesday, and will take on Lockwood, Thursday.

Scoring for Miller:
Claudia Hadlock 29, Alyssa Hill 6, Payten Richardson 3, Kaylee Helton 3    

Miller boys
The boys game lacked the excitement that the girls game offered to say the least. Brenden Thom of Miller scored the first three points of the game, but then it was all Ash Grove. Three threes from Brock Mooneyham played a big part in an 18-0 run to end the quarter leading 18-3.
The run wasn’t done yet as Mooneyham, Sam Moreland, and Brady Nicholson all contributed to scoring the first 13 points of the second quarter to extend the run to 31-0 as the Pirates led 31-3 towards the middle part of the second quarter. Thom and Kaleb Groesbeck did catch fire a bit to end the quarter, but it was Ash Grove that held a commanding lead into the half 39-13.
The entire second half was dominated by Ash Grove as the Pirates would secure the turbo-clock win, 60-29.
The loss moves the Cardinals to 5-13 on the year. They will follow the same schedule as the girls as they took on Pleasant Hope, Monday, Stockton on Tuesday, and will return home Thursday for a battle with Lockwood.

Scoring for Miller:
Brenden Thom 12, Kaleb Groesbeck 8, Alex Pennington 3,    Garrett Stewart 3, Nate Hill 2, Logan Nield 1