Cuba High School girls’ basketball teams won two road games in less than 24 hours against Grandview in Hillsboro on Jan. 30 and Steelville on Jan. 31. The Lady Cats are now 14-5 on the year with seven games remaining in the regular season. 

The Lady Cats played in St. Clair on Feb. 2, which will be detailed in next week’s edition. Cuba will have a week off before playing on Feb. 9 in Salem. The Lady Cats will then play back-to-back games on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 in Mountain View against Liberty and in Bourbon. 

Jan. 30 vs. Grandview (Hillsboro) 

Coming off a 32 point scoring performance in an overtime loss to Hermann, the Lady Cats’ offense erupted against the Grandview Lady Eagles. Cuba netted 24 points in the opening frame, which set the tone for a throttling of Grandview. The Lady Cats poured in at least 24 points in the first three quarters, before Cuba head coach Evin Farris pulled his starters halfway through the third quarter. Cuba’s swarming defense has been the catalyst for their success this season, and the Lady Cats’ gave up just two points in the first quarter and one point in the third period. Cuba coasted to a 82-18 victory for its 13th win of the season. 

The Lady Cats had five players score in double figures for the first time this season. Mya Garbo scored a game-high 21 points, swiped eight steals, grabbed four rebounds and dished out five assists. Leah Schmidt scored 16 points in just 19 minutes of action and had six assists and five steals. Brooklyn Tate recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jaylen Haffer scored 12 points, grabbed nine rebounds, made six steals and dished out three assists. Addison McGinnis scored a season-high 12 points, grabbed three rebounds and snagged six steals. Lili Dickens added three points and Makayla Wells and Kylie Dulaney each chipped in two points. Eydie Thole netted five points to lead the Lady Eagles.  

Jan. 31 vs. Steelville

The Lady Wildcats’ swarming defense continued in the first quarter against the Steelville Lady Cardinals. Cuba didn’t allow a point in the first quarter and led 10-0 going into the second frame. Steelville fought back in the second quarter, but the Lady Cats still took a 25-13 advantage heading into halftime. Schmidt was aggressive from the start and netted 14 first-half points, single-handedly outscoring the Lady Cardinals. 

Inspired in the third quarter, the Lady Cardinals went on a 8-0 run to turn a 12 point deficit into a four point game. But after a timeout from Farris, the Lady Cats responded with a 14-0 run of their own to regain control of the game. Steelville junior Emeri Perkins drained a three-pointer at the end of the third, but Cuba still led 39-24 heading into the final period. Steelville outscored the Lady Cats in the fourth quarter, but most of their damage came late and Cuba came away with a 50-43 victory. Cuba’s win was the Wildcats only victory over the Cardinals in the quadruple header between the two schools. The Lady Cats’ JV team lost 22-5 in a half-game following the varsity game. 

Schmidt finished with a game-high 25 points and was a pest defensively, swiping seven steals. Haffer put on a strong double-double performance with 11 points and a whopping 18 rebounds to lead Cuba’s front court. Garbo drained a pair of three-pointers and finished with 11 points, five assists and a steal. Tate scored five points, grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals. Perkins scored 17 points to lead the Lady Cardinals.