The inclement weather postponed two games for the Lady Cardinals, but Steelville still played twice on back-to-back days.

The Lady Cardinals lost to Southern Boone in the consolation finals of the St. James Tournament on Jan. 30 before falling to Cuba at home in the third matchup of the day between the Cardinals and the Wildcats on Jan. 31 as JV and varsity boys and girls contests were played. Both games are detailed below.

Steelville is now 7-13 on the season and 0-2 in the Gasconade Valley Conference (GVC). Due to rescheduled games, the Lady Cardinals then played three days in a row, beginning with a road game on Feb. 2 in Vienna. Steelville hosted Crocker on Feb. 3 for senior night, which will be detailed in next week’s edition. The Lady Cards will host Bourbon on Feb. 4, which was rescheduled from Jan. 27 due to the snow. Steelville will then have a week off before wrapping up its regular season on the road on Feb. 12 in Salem and on Feb. 17 in West County.

Jan. 30 vs. Southern Boone

The Lady Cardinals returned to St. James to compete in the consolation finals of the St. James Invitational Tournament against the Southern Boone Lady Eagles after the original game was postponed a week due to the snow and frigid temperatures. The Lady Eagles got out to a fast start and took a 21-9 advantage over Steelville in the first frame. The rest of the game was an uphill battle for the Lady Cards, who fought back to make it a close game. Steelville hunkered down on defense and gave up just five points in the second period, and headed into halftime down 26-18. The Lady Cards’ outscored Southern Boone by three points in the third frame to cut the eight-point deficit to five going into the fourth quarter. But the fourth quarter was even as Steelville was unable to close the gap and eventually fell 46-41.

Steelville head coach Phillip Gambill said afterward he was happy with his team’s effort despite the loss.

“I was proud of our overall efforts tonight. We had a first quarter we wish we could have back, but our girls pressed forward and played solid basketball the last three quarters,” Gambill said. “I thought our defense was solid. We missed a lot of easy baskets, which we thought determined the outcome. But overall, I am proud of our efforts and most of all, our no-quit mentality.”

Emeri Perkins knocked down a trio of three-pointers, three shots from close range and seven free throws to finish with a game-high 22 points. Jazmyn Hurd scored nine, Alex Helms added five, Marley Eilert chipped in four and Aaleigha Decker added one for the Lady Cardinals. Ayla Yung netted 16 points to lead Southern Boone.

Jan. 31 vs. Cuba

The Lady Cardinals played their second game in less than 24 hours against a strong Cuba Lady Wildcats team. Cuba’s tenacious defense shut out Steelville in the first quarter and took a 10-0 lead into the second frame. The Lady Cardinals didn’t score until Adalei Perkins knocked down a pair of free throws with 5:48 left in the quarter. Steelville started to find its offensive rhythm as the rest of the period went on, but went into halftime trailing 25-13.

The Lady Cards came out of halftime looking inspired.

Hurd knocked down a pair of three-pointers to lead Steelville on a 8-0 run to dwindle the deficit down to four points. But after a timeout from Cuba head coach Evin Farris, the Lady Wildcats responded with a 14-0 run of their own to regain control of the game. Emeri Perkins drained a three-pointer at the end of the third frame, but the Lady Cards still trailed 39-24 heading into the fourth. Steelville outscored Cuba 19-11 in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit and the Lady Cardinals fell 50-43.   

Seven Lady Cardinals scored baskets, led by Emeri Perkins, who poured in a team-high 17 points. Hurd added six on her back-to-back three’s in the third frame. Adalei Perkins added five points on a three-pointer and a pair of free throws. Brooklyn Thomas scored five points all in the fourth quarter, on a trey and a tough finish at the rim through traffic. Kaylee Pitts added three and Sylvia Davis scored two to round out the scoring for the Lady Cards. Leah Schmidt scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Lady Wildcats.

Steelville’s junior varsity team defeated Cuba 22-5 in a half-game following the varsity game. Claire Settles scored seven, Adalei Perkins added six and Pitts added five points in the winning effort. The Lady Cardinals’ junior varsity team is now 8-2 on the season.