Cuba High School’s girls’ basketball team won a trio of road games on Feb. 9, Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 against Salem, Liberty (Mountain View) and Bourbon, respectively.

The Lady Cats won all three games by at least 20 points, and seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. Cuba has won six games in a row and are now 18-5 on the season. All of their games are detailed below.

The Lady Wildcats are in the final stretch of its regular-season schedule, and will play in Licking on Feb. 19 before hosting Westminster Christian Academy on Feb. 20 for its last game before districts begin. Cuba will host districts, and are still awaiting seeding and opponents, which will be detailed in next week’s edition.

Feb. 9 vs. Salem

The Lady Wildcats traveled to Salem to take on the Lady Tigers after a week off following its Feb. 2 win in St. Clair. The first quarter was close, as both teams seemed to be testing each other out and Salem took a 9-8 lead going into the second quarter.

Cuba head coach Evin Farris must’ve given a pep talk for the ages in between quarters because the Lady Cats exploded for 28 second-quarter points and were able to turn the deficit into a 14-point lead at halftime.

Cuba’s hounding defense has been a staple this season, and flexed its muscles in the third quarter, giving up just three points in the frame to help stretch its lead to 21 points. The fourth quarter was even, as both teams scored 16 points, and the Lady Wildcats coasted to a 62-41 victory for its 16th win of the season.

Cuba’s three-point shooting hasn’t been its forte this season, but the Lady Cats shot a stellar 6-for-12 from deep and held Salem to 2-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc. The Lady Wildcats were also strong on the glass, out-rebounding the Lady Tigers 38-27.

Four Lady Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Leah Schmidt, who registered her third-straight game with 24-plus points, and finished with a game-high 25 points. Schmidt has asserted herself as Cuba’s leading scorer of late, and shot an efficient 10-for-15 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range against Salem.

Mya Garbo tallied 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and seven steals, leading the way for Cuba’s ferocious defense. Jaylen Haffer was an assist away from a triple-double, and logged an exemplary stat line of 12 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and three steals. Brooklyn Tate scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Addison McGinnis logged two points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Freshman Paisley May led Salem with 10 points and four steals.

Feb. 12 vs. Liberty (Mountain View)

Cuba played its fifth of seven straight road games on Feb. 10 in Mountain View against the Liberty Lady Eagles. Both teams got out to strong starts on offense and the Lady Cats led 23-17 at the end of the first frame. Cuba used a 13-7 advantage in the second quarter to stretch its lead to 12 heading into halftime.

The Lady Wildcats continued to show that they are stronger in the second half, and blew the game open as time went on. Cuba led 49-32 after the third period before dominating the final frame. The Lady Wildcats held Liberty to just two points in the final frame and scored 19 fourth-quarter points, themselves. Cuba was able to double the Lady Eagles’ scoring total and the Lady Cats cruised to a 68-34 victory, its 17th win of the season.

Schmidt logged her fourth-straight game of 20-plus points, and scored a game-high 20 points to lead Cuba. Garbo netted 17 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Haffer put together another near triple-double performance of 15 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Tate added seven points, four rebounds and three blocked shots, Annica Farris scored six points and grabbed two rebounds and McGinnis added three points, a rebound and a steal for the Lady Cats. Morgan Smith scored 13 points to lead the Lady Eagles.

Feb. 13 vs. Bourbon

The Lady Wildcats played the following night against Gasconade Valley Conference foe, the Bourbon Lady Warhawks. Cuba showed no ill effects on playing in back to back nights and led from start to finish.

The Lady Cats held a 15-4 first quarter advantage before blowing the game open in the second period. Cuba went on a 23-3 run in the quarter and went into halftime up 37-7. The Lady Wildcats’ swarming defense held Bourbon scoreless for the entire second half, and Farris rested his big three of Garbo, Haffer and Schmidt for the final 10 plus minutes of the game. Cuba eased to the finish line with a 48-7 win for its 18th victory of the season.

Schmidt’s 20-point scoring streak was snapped because of her limited playing time, but she still netted an impressive 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting and three steals in just 18 minutes of action. Garbo picked up a rare double-double of points and steals, netting 12 points and a whopping 13 steals in 23 minutes of game-time. Haffer scored seven, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out six assists and swiped two steals. Freshmen McGinnis and Makayla Wells each scored five points and Farris added two points for the Lady Cats. Freshman Bree Bouse scored five points and grabbed four rebounds to lead the Lady Warhawks.