Kirkwood vs. Poplar Bluff: State Quarterfinals Standouts

Prep Girls Hoops Missouri was in the house at Francis Howell Central last weekend for the Class 5 state quarterfinals game between Kirkwood and Poplar Bluff. The underdog Mules controlled the tempo and took a 19-18 lead over Kirkwood at the half. The second half was a different story as Kirkwood opened with a 9-0 run to take control of the game and coast to a 44-33 victory over earn its fourth Final Four berth in the past five years. Here is a look at the top standouts from the Kirkwood-Poplar Bluff game: [player_tooltip player_id="106824" first="Natalie" last="Bruns"] (Kirkwood): The 6’0" 2020 forward was a dominant player in all facets of the game. She finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, three assists and five blocks while making all six of his free throws. Her overall length and versatility provided matchup problems throughout the day. Much of her offensive damage came in the second half when she got buckets in the low post. Her ability to play all five positions on the floor was a big factor in earning a Final Four berth for the third time in her stellar four-year career. [player_tooltip player_id="106811" first="Kiley" last="Bess"] (Poplar Bluff): The 5’11" 2020 guard finished her career with an excellent performance as she scored 18 points and displayed her fine all-around talent. The Saint Louis U. recruit scored 11 points in the first half as she staked the Mules to their first half lead. The versatile lefty can shoot the ball from 3-point range plus she can also force her way to the basket with crafty moves in traffic. Her passing skills were also impressive as she found open teammates when faced with double-teams. Tara Behnam (Kirkwood): The 5’10" 2022 forward enjoyed a solid game with six points and eight rebounds. She is an up and coming post player who can also really pass the ball. She did well in the high-low set with Bruns and she could also pass out of the lane. Emma Johnson (Poplar Bluff): The 5'8" 2021 guard scored six points and made two 3-pointers on the afternoon. She did a nice job of moving without the ball and finding the open spots when the Pioneers were paying a little extra attention to Bess on defense.