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WARRENSBURG, Mo. | Hickman Mills was primed for an upset.
The Cougars made bad passes, they missed shots that had fallen all season, they tripped over their own feet trying to dribble across half court.
But on Saturday night, it didn’t matter: Hickman Mills was not about to be denied.
The Cougars picked up a 47-38 win over Lee’s Summit in a Missouri Class 5 girls quarterfinal game in the Multipurpose Building at Central Missouri.
“This group of girls has poise,” Hickman Mills coach Steve Cassity said. “I knew they were going to keep fighting. There really wasn’t a moment when I was worrying.”
Hickman Mills, 29-0, trailed much of the second half and didn’t take the lead for good until fewer than 3 minutes remained in the game.
The win put the Cougars in the Missouri Class 5 semifinals for the first time since 1986. They’ll play Incarnate Word Academy at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
The first sign that Hickman Mills might be in trouble came late in the third quarter. Lee’s Summit led 24-22 when Hickman Mills point guard LeAndrea Thomas went down near center court because of what looked to be a leg injury.
With Thomas on the bench, fellow senior Candice Akers hit a jump shot and tied the game.
“We were in a funk,” said Thomas, who did return to the game. “We just weren’t sure when we were going to come out of it.”
Thomas and Polly Harrington each had 11 points for Hickman Mills.
Lee’s Summit’s Desiree Smith led all scorers with 14 points.
Both teams started sloppily, combining for 23 turnovers. Hickman Mills took an 8-0 lead but couldn’t pull away in the first two quarters.
Lee’s Summit, 18-11, ended its season after making an improbable run through the playoffs. The Tigers were seeded in the bottom half of their bracket during districts.
Hickman Mills was able to put to rest any angst after being upset in the quarterfinals last season.
“Last year we fell short,” Thomas said. “This year we want to achieve our goal.”
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