Steelville High School’s girls’ basketball team picked up a win over West County on the road on Feb. 17 in its last regular season game of the season, which is detailed below. The Lady Cardinals finished its regular season with a 10-15 record in head coach Phillip Gambill’s first year at the helm. 

Steelville hosted the Class 3 District 8 Tournament from Feb. 23 to Feb. 27, and were seeded fourth. They faced off against fifth-seeded Laquey on Feb. 23, which will be detailed in next week’s edition. If Steelville wins that matchup, they will face the number one seed, Dixon at 5 p.m. on Feb. 25. The Lady Cardinals won districts last season as the number three seed and picked up a victory over KIPP St. Louis Sr. in sectionals of the Class 3 State Tournament before falling to Portageville in the quarterfinals.  

Feb. 17 vs. West County

The Lady Cardinals found themselves in a close matchup on the road against a solid 13-11 West County Lady Bulldogs squad in its final regular season game of the season. Steelville trailed 11-10 after the first quarter and tied the game at 23 heading into halftime. The Lady Cardinals held a slight advantage in the third period and led by three heading into the final frame. Aaleigha Decker, Jazmyn Hurd and Adalei Perkins all knocked down three-pointers in the final frame and Steelville was able to pull away with a 52-45 victory for its 10th win of the season.  

Hurd knocked down five triples and finished with a game-high 17 points to lead the Lady Cardinals. Peyton Brooks gave Steelville a scoring boost in the first half, scoring all 10 of her points in the first two quarters. Adalei Perkins scored eight, Decker and Emeri Perkins each netted six, Sylvia Davis chipped in four and Brooklyn Thomas scored two to round out the Steelville scorers. Junior Maylee Merrill tallied 16 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs. 

Gambill spoke afterward about the significance of the road win in his team’s last tuneup before districts. 

“Going on the road and getting the win was a huge win for us,” he said. “It was our last regular season game and it’s always great to go into postseason play with a victory. Our girls executed and made plays late in the game. I’m very proud of our group.”

Steelville’s junior varsity team won 19-2 over West County in a half-game prior to the varsity matchup, and finished the regular season with a strong 10-2 record on the year.