3 Barry County schools in 7-team Southwest Holiday Tournament

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

Three Barry County teams will join four other Missouri schools at the 12th Annual Southwest Girls Holiday Tournament, which starts on Friday and wraps up on Monday.

Southwest was voted the No. 1 seed, and Wheaton and Purdy took the No. 5 and No. 6 seed, respectively. Also competing will be No. 2 East Newton, No. 3 Seneca, No. 4 Forsyth and No. 7 SWMO Rush.

With just seven teams instead of eight, the first two rounds of play will be different. Southwest, Wheaton and Forsyth will play a round robin, with the winner advancing to Tuesday’s championship, and East Newton, Seneca, Purdy and SWMO Rush will play a four-team traditional bracket, with the winner advancing to the championship. 

The Lady Trojans and Lady Bulldogs will kick off the action at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, East Newton and SWMO Rush follow at 4 p.m., and Seneca and Purdy square off at 6 p.m. Forsyth and Wheaton is the only Saturday contest, at 1 p.m., and on Monday, the East Newton-SWMO Rush loser and Seneca-Purdy loser play at 12:30 p.m., with the winners playing at 2 p.m. The championship is on Tuesday at 5 p.m. following the third-place game at 3:30 p.m. and fifth-place game at 2 p.m.

Shawn Johnson, Southwest girls basketball coach, said as the No. 1 seed, the Lady Trojans’ immediate goal is to focus on the process and not the pressure.

“We want to play our style of basketball — defend, share the ball and compete for four quarters every game,” he said. “We understand that every opponent will be motivated to play their best against us, so our emphasis is on preparation, effort and execution. We need to defend at a high level every possession, communicate, rebound, and take pride in getting stops. Tournament games are often decided by effort and toughness, and that has to be our foundation.”

Johnson said the key to success for Southwest is taking care of the basketball and making good decisions under pressure. 

“Limiting turnovers and getting quality shots will help us control tempo and momentum,” he said. “Just as important is staying mentally tough and staying focused on the next play. If we play unselfishly, trust one another, and stay locked into our game plan, we’ll give ourselves a chance to be successful in every game we play.”

Jessica Dermott, Wheaton girls basketball coach, said defense will be key for the Lady Bulldogs.

“Our goals are competing every game, working hard defensively and getting stops,” she said. “We’re looking for the juniors to continue to get stronger on offense and taking control of the games.”

Stephanie Heman, Purdy girls basketball coach, said the Lady Eagles are focused on competing.

“We hope to compete in every game and maybe come out with a win or two,” she said. “We have to play well defensively, limit turnovers by taking better care of the ball and shoot with confidence.”