The Eureka Lady Tornadoes traveled to Neodesha on Friday, Feb. 6, to take on the Bluestreaks in a matchup featuring two of the league’s top teams. In a hard-fought contest, Eureka pulled away late for a 62-52 victory, keeping their perfect record intact.
Both teams came out a little tight, trading turnovers and missed shots early. With just under five minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Neodesha struck first with five straight points before Eureka’s Elle Coulter got the Lady Tornadoes on the board by knocking down two free throws.
The teams settled in and traded baskets the rest of the quarter, with Coulter scoring seven points to keep Eureka within reach. Neodesha held a slim 10-13 lead after one.
Eureka ramped up the defensive pressure in the sec-ond quarter, igniting a 10–0 run that shifted momentum. The run began with a Brenna Rucker three-pointer, followed by another triple from Britta Mongeau and a strong finish from Rucker. That surge gave Eureka the lead for good, and the Lady Tornadoes carried a 27–24 advantage into halftime.
Mongeau opened the second half by drilling a three from the top of the key, setting the tone for the quarter. The two teams traded baskets until Mongeau again found the bottom of the net from the same spot, pushing Eureka’s lead to 10. Neodesha answered with an old-fashioned threepoint play, but Eureka remained steady and took a seven-point lead into the final period.
The fourth quarter belonged to Coulter, who opened with a three and matched her first-quarter production with seven more points in the final frame. Each time Neodesha made a push, Eureka had an answer. Down the stretch, the Bluestreaks were forced to foul, and Rucker and Arabella Shepherd calmly converted at the freethrow line to seal the win and keep Eureka atop the league standings.
Rucker led all scorers with 22 points and added another double-double with 12 rebounds. Coulter finished with 17 points, while Mongeau and Shepherd chipped in six each. Lydia Mason, Sydney Lindamood, and Alaina Westerman each scored three, and Hannah Perrier added two. Shepherd also led the team with seven assists.
