Cuba High School girls’ basketball team handedly defeated St. Clair on Feb. 2 for its third win in four days. The girls team previously defeated Grandview and Steelville in games last week before they handled St. Clair. Lady Wildcats are now 15-5 on the season and have a week off before they travel to Salem on Feb. 9 to take on the Lady Tigers. 

Feb. 2 game, Cuba vs. St. Clair

The Lady Wildcats had one day off following back-to-back games in less than a 24 hour period against Grandview and Steelville, but looked full of energy against St. Clair. The first quarter was nearly even as both teams exchanged baskets and Cuba led 15-13 at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Cats offense continued to hum in the second frame, as Cuba netted 19 points and turned its two point lead into an 11 point lead going into halftime. The black and gold played their best ball of the night in the third quarter, outscoring St. Clair 15-6 to balloon its lead to 20 points heading into the final period. The Lady Cats’ potent defense stood tall and allowed Cuba to cruise to the finish line with a 60-36 victory.  

Cuba’s swarming defense forced 30 St. Clair turnovers, which turned into 30 points on the other end. The Lady Cats also dominated near the basket, and had a 42-18 advantage of points scored in the paint. 

Leah Schmidt followed her 25 point scoring effort against Steelville with a game-high 24 points against St. Clair. Schmidt has not only found her scoring touch, but has filled the stat sheet in other categories. She grabbed six rebounds, dished out three assists and made three steals to go along with her leading scoring effort against St. Clair. Mya Garbo logged 14 points, eight assists, four rebounds and three steals. Jaylen Haffer had 11 points, five rebounds, eight assists and eight steals as Cuba’s lead instigator on defense. Freshman Addison McGinnis has looked more comfortable as the season has progressed and posted a solid stat line of nine points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals as Cuba’s sixth man. Brooklyn Tate chipped in two points, three rebounds and three steals to round out the Lady Cats scorers. Emma Talleur led St. Clair with 14 points and 12 rebounds. 

In addition to playing Salem on Feb. 9, a back-to-back game is scheduled on Feb. 12 in Mountain View against Liberty and on Feb. 13 in Bourbon. The Lady Cats’ next home game is at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 20 against Camdenton.