Meadow Heights battles back, downs Oak Ridge for FSCB consolation title

The First State Community Bank Holiday Classic’s consolation title game brought No. 9 Oak Ridge and No. 11 Meadow Heights to the Show Me Center for a back-and-forth showdown, but Meadow Heights emerged victorious with a 44-38 win.

With the physicality of Rachael Hellebusch down the stretch, the Panthers willed their way out of a late deficit and into a big win in a consolation slugfest.

Still, with a great win against Oak Ridge, Panthers coach Tim Winkler made quick to point out the things that Meadow Heights could have improved on.

“We're doing a better job, believe it or not, of passing the ball and not forcing things, although we did that a lot tonight,” Winkler said. “We're doing a better job of it. Believe it or not. That's the thing we've got to really work on. If it's just not open, don't force it.”

Meadow Heights met Oak Ridge’s sluggish start with a rowdy offensive first quarter, spearheaded by a 3-pointer from Jaycee Shelton with less than a minute remaining in the period.

The Panthers’ big edge on the boards fueled a handful of second-chance opportunities and gave heed to a 14-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Reagan Howe split three trips to the free-throw line early on in the second quarter before the period’s first field goal drug the deficit down to one for the Bluejays.

With time waning in the second, Howe dropped a big and-1 in transition to give Oak Ridge its first lead of the day, but Lilee Boyle hit a triple to keep the game tied 19-19 at the half.

After a quiet start to the first quarter, the Bluejays started to click on both ends. Holding the Panthers to just five points in the second quarter, the success started to trickle down to the offense as the game unwound.

More of the same continued in the third quarter, with Oak Ridge taking the lead early and holding on for a 28-24 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Despite being in foul trouble, standout Panther big Rachael Hellebusch got a big and-1 conversion to start the fourth quarter and hit a layup on the next possession to grab the lead at 29-28.

Oak Ridge coach Julie Ward (left) applauds her team as it returns to the bench during the December 20, 2023 First State Community Bank Holiday Classic consolation championship game between the Oak Ridge Bluejays and the Meadow Heights Panthers at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Meadow Heights defeated Oak Ridge, 44-38.Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

Meadow Heights coach Tim Winkler whistled for a timeout tied 34-34 with 3:14 remaining but got a big illegal screen call on the ensuing play. But as the game continued, Meadow Heights won the swings and Oak Ridge didn’t have a response.

On a fight for a rebound under the Meadow Heights basket, Howe picked up her fifth foul and exited the game before Shelton went back and hit two free throws to pick up a 38-34 lead.

With the Bluejays down their leading scorer, they fought to claw back into the game but couldn’t come up with the points, losing 44-38 after holding a two-possession lead to start the fourth quarter.

The Panthers’ frantic comeback put the ribbon on a strong Holiday Classic run, rebounding from an early loss to Kelly with two impressive wins despite being seeded 11th in the field of 12.

“In the Chaffee Tournament we got seeded sixth and we finished fifth,” Winkler said. “I said ‘Okay, let's at least do that same thing.’ This time, at the very least, we received the 11th seed and finished ninth. So, we improved there again.

“Next on our schedule is our conference tournament. This win tonight should give us a second seed in that tournament.”

Shelton led Meadow Heights with 17 points in the win, while Hellebusch’s 13 finished second after dropping 7 in the fourth quarter.

Howe’s 13 points led the Bluejays in the low-scoring affair, with Madalyn Schemel and Kinsley Bogenpohl adding 8 and 7 points respectively.

Oak Ridge's Madyson Ruehling (left) fights off a Meadow Heights defender during the December 20, 2023 First State Community Bank Holiday Classic consolation championship game between the Oak Ridge Bluejays and the Meadow Heights Panthers at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Meadow Heights defeated Oak Ridge, 44-38.Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

Now over .500 on the season at 5-4, Meadow Heights has a new air about it after opening the season with little success or respect.

Winkler assured that the Panthers’ best basketball is still ahead of them after taking an impressive consolation championship on Wednesday night.

“It's hard to say right now in terms of our ceiling,” Winkler said. “We're a lot better now than we were at the beginning of the season.

“If we can keep our heads above water and compete and continue taking forward steps, playing these bigger schools and all these tournament games and so on will help us tremendously come districts.

“I'm thinking by district time, we could be a decent team, but we can't take any backward steps. We’ve got to keep moving forward, even with our baby steps.”