East Prairie hangs on for win over Bloomfield

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — The East Prairie girls’ basketball team used a strong first-half performance and clutch shooting down the stretch to knock off Bloomfield on Monday, Jan. 2.

The Lady Eagles (3-8) won 37-31 over the Lady Wildcats (3-8) behind a game-high 15 points from both Katie Brewer and Bella Sutton.

“Getting off to a good start was critical for us,” said East Prairie coach Scot Davis. “We came out playing pretty well after Christmas break. I felt like our energy throughout the game was the key for us.”

Bloomfield was able to cut the lead to three points late in the fourth quarter but Alison Miller buried a critical free throw with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game to extend the lead back to two possessions.

“That sealed the game for us,” Davis said. “Hopefully this win will help propel us forward, and we can keep this momentum going throughout the second half of the season.”

Abbigail Heaton scored 12 and Mollianne Dodd had 11 to lead Bloomfield.

East Prairie travels to Oran (8-3) on Thursday, Jan. 5, while Bloomfield will next compete in the Stoddard County Activities Association Conference Tournament, beginning Jan. 9.

EAST PRAIRIE 37, BLOOMFIELD 31

East Prairie 11 10 6 10 — 37

Bloomfield 5 5 9 12 — 31

__East Prairie (37) —__ Katie Brewer 15, Bella Sutton 15, Chloe Jackson 4, Lydia Valencia 2, Alison Miller 1. FG: 15. FT: 5-13. F: 16. (3-pointers: Brewer 1, Sutton 1. Fouled out: none.)

__Bloomfield (31) —__ Abbigail Heaton 12, Mollianne Dodd 11, Kaelyn Conner 2, Natalie Sills 2, Maci Jones 2, Kendall Phillips 2. FG: 12. FT: 7-24. F: 12. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none.)