Centralia handles adversity to win five-set district semifinal with Boonville

The momentum changed in Centralia’s five-set district semifinal match on Thursday.

Centralia vs Boonville Districts Photo Gallery

The Lady Panthers’ primary setter also had a change after senior and assists leader Lexi Cook left in the second set with a knee injury. What didn’t change was Centralia’s determination to advance to its third straight district title match as Centralia defeated Boonville 25-21, 25-23, 20-25, 16-25 and 15-8 in the Class 3 District 7 tournament in Fulton to win its first five-setter in three tries this year and extend its winning streak to six matches.

Centralia (18-6) earned the right to face host Fulton (20-7-4) at 5 p.m. Monday, who beat two-time reigning district champion Hallsville in three sets on Thursday, but had to endure through several setbacks. The Lady Panthers came back to win the first set after trailing 16-10 and then took the second set despite losing Cook and then falling behind 22-18. 

Head coach Julie Crum said taking away a primary setter can adversely affect everybody on the court, especially since Cook eclipsed 400 assists this season and went into Thursday as the school career record holder at 874 assists. That is why, despite some shaky moments, Caris Finlay “took charge” to keep Centralia going through the deciding fifth set.

“Losing Lexi was tough,” Crum said. “Caris works her tail off to get to balls, and she tries to play smart and tricky, which is good. The setter is an important position. They touch the ball differently and have got different heights and different speeds then the girls have to adjust to that. They go with the one setter all the time, so we’ve got a little work to do (Friday).”

Crum said the Lady Panthers had to show some mental conditioning to overcome the sudden change at setter but also needed some physical conditioning since Centralia had only played two five-set matches all season, losing both of them, while Boonville (12-17-1) won both five-setters it played this season. Fulton and Father Tolton were the schools that Centralia lost to in five sets, but Boonville didn’t become the third thanks to some key contributors near the end.

Morgan Ross — along with Madilynn Hunter — led the team with nine kills. Ross said she is glad how the team persevered together after losing Cook.

“Lexi is a huge part of our team and a huge leader,” Ross said. “Filling those shoes is going to take all of us. All of us stepping in, listening to our coaches and just playing together really helped us out a lot.”

Crum said Ross and Addison Mabrey were tired but stayed stout upfront as Mabrey led with three blocks and picked up one in the fifth set. Raegan Anderson notched back-to-back service aces for a 10-7 Centralia lead in the fifth and had a “steady hand” by going 6-for-6 on serves in the final set, and Ryenn Gordon finished with seven kills and two aces, including the match point that bounced off the hands of a Lady Pirate.

“Last year, at our end of the season meetings, I asked the girls (what was important) and they were like ‘conditioning,’” Crum said. “In the last couple weeks, I’ve really tried to put that on them with sprints. They were tired so we’ll do some more conditioning on Friday and Sunday to get ready for Monday.”

Harper Forshee is one of the girls that made an immediate impact and helped Centralia take the second set even with a deficit, Crum said. Forshee recorded two kills, as did Hunter, in the Lady Panthers’ comeback and put down the set point before being embraced by an energetic Ross.

In that set, Ross surpassed 200 kills in a season for the first time in her career, putting her at 205 kills going into Monday, with a soft touch on the third point. Forshee returned from injury recently, and Ross has been recovering from a torn ACL she sustained in the middle of basketball season last winter. 

“For tearing my ACL this past January, I didn’t think I would be playing this season, honestly. I thought I would skip out and wait for basketball,” Ross said. “I;m so glad that I decided to play and that I get to play with these girls. They really set me up great every time. I’m super happy for us to be able to play at this level.”

Centralia’s 14-set winning streak — the longest for the program since 2021 — ended with its third set loss, but the Lady Panthers were determined enough for a victory Thursday, partially for a rematch with Fulton that will. Centralia lost the first meeting in August with the top-seeded Lady Hornets 25-12, 18-25, 25-23, 22-25 and 13-15. 

To sufficiently prepare for Fulton, Crum said Centralia needs to observe its shortcomings from the semifinal match, which includes setting and defense.

“One of the things we're going to work on is just getting low,” Crum said. “I always tell the girls, ‘If you’re low, you’re ready for a ball, and if you have to go down, you’re going to be fine getting back up.’ Sometimes, we get stuck watching (on defense). After watching them in that fifth set, with their determination, there’s nothing they can’t do.”

“Fulton’s going to bring the energy playing in their own gym,” Ross said. “They’re super consistent, they have great outside hitters, they’ve got a great libero, and they’re overall really solid. Playing together like we just did, we can take them or anybody.”

Stephens plays new course in return to state

Tess Stephens closes her Centralia golf career as a three-time state qualifier.

Stephens finished 31st in her first trip in 2021 when Centralia was still part of Class 1 and then finished 56th last year with the same score of 64-over par on the same course of Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club in Bolivar in her first foray in the Class 2 meet. This year, Stephens finished 52nd with a 67-over par at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club in Joplin on Monday and Tuesday.

Stephens had several double-bogeys or worse on Monday while playing a new state course for her as she finished the first day with a 31-over par on the par 72 course for a four-way at 43rd. On Tuesday, Stephens shot three pars compared to two on Monday, including on one par 3 hole she took eight shots to finish on the first day. Her round score resulted in a 36-over oar to contribute to her two-day score of 211 after needing eight shots on a par 4 four she owned a pat on the day before and needing 10 shots on the first hole’s par 4.

School of the Osage’s Hanna Maschhoff finished with a 153, or nine-over par, to become the state champion, and Osage won the team title with a 704, or 128-over par to win by a 32-stroke margin.