Naylor's Moriah Goodrum helps up Brooke Baccus against Clopton in a MSHSAA Class 2 quarterfinal game in Farmington on Saturday. (Alex Abate/DAR) [Click to enlarge]

By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer

FARMINGTON -- Naylor ran into a dangerous, deep opponent Saturday in the MSHSAA Class 2 quarterfinal.

Clopton used a 12-3 run in the third quarter and wore down the Lady Eagles 65-53 at the Farmington Civic Center.

"We just ran out of gas and made errors we don't usually make," Naylor assistant coach Gene Deckard said. "We played hard and I felt like the game came down to who had the most gas."

Samantha Yates scored 23 points for Clopton while Deaven Omohundro added 18 points as the Lady Eagles (24-3) advanced to the Show-Me Showdown for the sixth straight year.

Hailee Deckard finished her high school career by scoring a team-high 17 points, all but four coming in the first half. Brooke Baccus added 14 points and Moriah Goodrum scored nine for the Lady Eagles (24-3).

"The second half is what I believe turned the game," coach Deckard said. "They're 8-10 deep and very conditioned."

Already holding a double-digit lead, Clopton controlled the boards in the final quarter and slowed the pace of the game, robbing the Lady Eagles of any opportunity to climb back into the game.

The Lady Eagles (24-3) trimmed the lead to 13 on a 3-point play by Goodrum midway through the fourth but couldn't put together a run to get any closer than 10. With 3 minutes left, Clopton's lead stood at 61-43 following a 3-point play by Yates.

Clopton and Naylor began the game by trading baskets and racing each other from one end of the floor to the other. The Lady Hawks' quick hands on defense kept the Lady Eagles from easily dumping the ball down low to Hailee Deckard.

A fast-break layup by Yates gave Clopton a 7-5 lead midway through the quarter before Baccus put the Lady Eagles in front with her second 3-pointer. Deckard then followed her own miss to give the Lady Eagles a 10-7 advantage.

The Lady Hawks closed the quarter by scoring the next four points to lead 11-10 as Naylor struggled on offense, turning the ball over five times.

The Lady Eagles came out hot in the second quarter, opening with a 6-0 run behind baskets by Deckard, Cheyenne Ragsdale and Charissa Bridges.

A putback and free throw by Deckard made the score 19-12 in favor of Naylor midway through the quarter, but the Lady Hawks closed the quarter with a 12-4 run.

Omohundro's 3 and a basket by Yates trimmed the lead to two, and Yates put the Lady Hawks on top with a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds of the half.

The teams went into the locker rooms with Clopton holding a 24-23 lead thanks to the late run.

Baccus opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer from the left corner, but Gregory and Yates responded for Clopton. The pace quickened as the teams raced back-and-forth trading baskets.

Yates added another 3 and a layup to put the Lady Hawks up 33-30 around the 4:30 mark. Yates then converted a layup as she was shoved in the back to extend the lead to five points with 3:40 remaining and the momentum giving an edge to Clopton.

The Lady Eagles struggled with turnovers throughout the game, accumulating a total of 17. Their mistakes helped the Lady Hawks in the third quarter as they began to take control. After a 3-pointer by Gregory extended the Clopton lead to 41-33 with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter, consecutive Naylor turnovers forced the Lady Eagles to use a timeout to regroup.

A late 3 by Bridges sent the Lady Eagles into the third-quarter break trailing 45-36 after the Lady Hawks led by as many as 12 points in the quarter.

Naylor head coach Stephana Deckard said the unfamiliar surroundings may have played a role in the Lady Eagles' struggles.

"I think playing on a big court got to them," she said.

Clopton finished third last year in Class 2 and was second in 2006 after winning the title with a 32-0 record the previous year.