Steelville High School’s girls’ basketball team capped off an exhausting stretch of games with an emphatic win on Feb. 4 over Bourbon.

Due to rescheduled games because of the snow, the Lady Cardinals played on three-straight days from Feb. 2 to Feb. 4 and five games in six days after playing on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31. Steelville fell to Vienna on the road, lost to Crocker on senior night before defeating Bourbon and is now 8-15 on the season. All of the Lady Cardinals’ games are detailed below. Steelville will finish its regular-season schedule on the road against Salem on Feb. 12 and in West County on Feb. 17. The Lady Cards will return home to host Districts on Feb. 23 or Feb. 24, and are awaiting its seed and first-round matchup.

Feb. 2 vs. Vienna

The Lady Cardinals were in a physical battle against the Vienna Lady Eagles where the two teams shot a combined 54 free throws. Steelville got out to a strong start and led 16-10 after the first quarter. Vienna responded in the second quarter with tenacious defense and held the Lady Cardinals to three points in the frame. The Lady Eagles went into halftime up 21-19 before they seized momentum in the third quarter.

Vienna erupted for 23 points in the third frame and were able to open their lead up from two points to 15 points heading into the fourth quarter. The Lady Cardinals showed fight and offensive cohesiveness in the final frame to score 21 points, but continuous whistles from the referees stifled any momentum they had as the Lady Eagles went to the free throw line repeatedly. Vienna finished the night with 25 makes on 33 free throw attempts and Steelville knocked down seven of 21 shots from the charity stripe. Steelville eventually fell 62-50 in a frustrating game that saw a lead dissipate and free throws prove to be the difference in the game.

Six Lady Cardinals scored baskets and three reached double figures, led by freshman Adalei Perkins, who came off the bench and knocked down four shots from beyond the three-point arc en route to a team-high 15 points in just 16 minutes of action. Jazmyn Hurd drained a trio of treys and finished with 14. Emeri Perkins hit a pair of shots from deep, a basket near the rim and three free throws for 11 points. Sylvia Davis, Marley Eilert and Kaylee Pitts each scored two for the Lady Cardinals.

Vienna senior Aubrey Schwartze scored a game-high 27 points and knocked down 14 of 16 attempts from the free throw line.

Feb. 3 vs. Crocker

Steelville returned home the following night to take on the 14-3 Crocker Lady Lions.

Lady Cardinal seniors Peyton Brooks, Aaleigha Decker and Marley Eilert were honored along with their families prior to tip-off. The Lady Lions showcased their three-point shooting ability in the first frame, knocking down six shots from downtown to take a 21-9 lead into the second quarter. Steelville played its best in the second quarter,  outscoring Crocker 15-10 in the frame to trim the 12-point deficit to seven heading to halftime. But that was as close as the Lady Cardinals would get as Crocker dominated the third frame with a 22-3 advantage and led 53-27 going into the final quarter. With an insurmountable lead, the Lady Lions coasted to a 64-36 victory over Steelville.

Adalei Perkins led Steelville in scoring in consecutive games for the first time this season, finishing with 13 points on a trio of shots from deep and a pair of close-range shots. Hurd scored 10 as the only other player in double figures for Steelville. Emeri Perkins added four, Pitts scored three, Davis and Brooklyn Thomas chipped in two and Decker and Brooks scored one point apiece. Crocker Juniors Tessa Danielson and Alexis Ament scored 25 and 18 points, respectively, to lead the Lady Lions.

Feb. 4 vs. Bourbon

In the finale of a strenuous week, the Lady Cardinals were able to pick up a dominant feel-good victory over the Bourbon Lady Warhawks. Bourbon came into the game on a six-game winning streak, but the Lady Cardinals quickly put an end to the chances of the streak hitting seven.

Emeri Perkins scored the first seven points of the game and Steelville’s pressure defense repeatedly forced turnovers that helped blow the game open early and give the Lady Cardinals a 29-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Steelville remained in control of the game throughout and its large lead gave head coach Phillip Gambill an opportunity to give extensive playing time to his young second team of freshmen Kaylee Pitts, Adalei Perkins, Alex Helms, Brooklyn Thomas and sophomore Claire Settles. Seniors Peyton Brooks and Aaleigha Decker played in their last regular season home game, and received an ovation from the crowd when they exited for the last time. Fellow senior Marley Eilert was out with an injury, but participated in senior night the night before.

Ten Lady Cardinals scored baskets as Steelville coasted to a 54-12 victory for its eighth win of the season, ending a four-game skid. The 12 points allowed by the Lady Cardinals were the lowest amount of points scored against them this season.

Emeri Perkins led the Lady Cardinals with a game-high 15 points. Adalei Perkins drained a trio of treys for nine points and Jazmyn Hurd added seven points. Thomas chipped in five, Sylvia Davis, Pitts and Settles each scored four, Decker hit a three-pointer, Helms added two and Brooks scored one. Kinzii Withorn scored four to lead the Lady Warhawks.