Joplin girls beat Springfield Central, 43-35

Dec. 21—Joplin exploded in the second quarter, getting 17 points and grabbing a 22-14 lead at halftime over Springfield Central.

The Eagles maintained that advantage and held on for a 43-35 win.

Joplin (3-7) trailed 8-5 after the first quarter. Six points from Alissa Owens, 5 from Ashley Phillips and 4 from Bailey Owens in the next period boosted them in front of the Bulldogs (0-5).

"I thought the girls played extremely hard," Joplin head coach Brad Cox said. "We had a great first half. We went through a little drought in the third and early fourth quarter but we were able to respond and come out with a victory."

The Eagles were led by the Owens sisters, as Bailey tallied 18 for the game and Alissa finished with 12.

Free-throw shooting was a plus for Joplin as well. The team shot just under 75%, making 11 of 16 attempts. Central was just 8 of 16. Alissa Owens made 6 of 8 charities to get half of her 12 points on free shots.

Talia Dyson led Central with 18 points while Desteny Pierce added 10 points.

Joplin is coming off of a 36-28 win over Monett on Tuesday night. The Eagles have now scored 40 points or more for the second time. The first time came in a loss to Waynesville.

"We hope to use this win to motivate us when we come back against Seneca in January," Cox said.

Seneca (1-7) is up next for Joplin as the Eagles will travel there for a 7:30 p.m. start on Thursday, Jan. 4.