The Higbee girls had a lot to celebrate last Tuesday night. A ceremony was planned for after the game to celebrate junior Ronnie Welch, who had reached 1,000 career points the Thursday before. But once the final buzzer sounded, the roistering reached fever pitch after the Lady Tigers came from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat rival Brunswick 66-62.

“It was kind of crazy,” Welch said after the game.

The Higbee gym was at full capacity, with student sections battling it out for what turned out to be a classic night of high school basketball.

“I’m really proud of the Higbee community. They helped us make some good memories tonight,” said Higbee Coach Tanner Burton.

The next home game is expected to be just as boisterous as the Lady Tigers play to clinch the CLAA title before a home crowd on Senior Night and Courtwarming.

“There are no bigger steaks. It’ll be fun,” Burton said about the upcoming conference matchup with Braymer.

Things looked great for Higbee starting off. After a back-and-forth opening to the game, the Lady Tigers jumped ahead on the first of three 3-pointers by sophomore Lauren Spilman to go up 13-10. By the end of the first quarter, the Tigers held a 21-17 advantage.

Brunswick cut the deficit to one point on a 3-pointer by junior Katie Cook just seconds into the second quarter. Higbee answered with a triple from senior Alie Mitchell to kick off a five-point run and maintain a lead.

But Brunswick regrouped with a quick five points to stay close and, for the rest of the quarter, would match Higbee point for point.

Cook spurred on her Lady Wildcats with four 3-point baskets in the second quarter. She scored 13 of her team’s 15 points to go into halftime down by one point, 33-32.

Once going, Cook was nearly impossible to stop. She made two more 3-point shots in the third quarter as Brunswick outpointed Higbee 22-10 to take an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Higbee struggled against the rallying Lady Wildcats, turning the ball over on idle passes and missing typically easy baskets.

The tigers closed the gap to nine points on a putback by Welch in the opening seconds of the final period. But moments later, Brunswick pushed its lead to 14 points on another triple from Cook, her seventh of the night on 11 attempts, and a free throw from senior Emma Stowers.

That’s when Burton took his team out of its zone defense in favor of man-to-man.

“We had to change something because they were going to stall the ball,” he said. “We called a timeout and went to man. And from there on out, I think it just made them uncomfortable and nervous.”

The change kicked off a 12-point run through the end of the game, sparked by a free throw from Spilman on the second intentional foul call of the night on Brunswick junior Cadence Meyer.

The Lady Tigers then found their groove in transition, turning steals and rebounds into layups and easy buckets.

After giving up eight points in the first half of the final quarter, Higbee held Braymer scoreless for the final 3:44 of the game, aided by a pair of missed free throws from Lady Wildcat freshman Emery Reichert with 46.4 seconds remaining.

“We were just playing our game, and then they just started hitting shots like crazy,” Welch recalled after the game. “Once we figured out what they were doing, we just started stealing it and scoring layups. Because that’s all we really needed. I knew we could fight, and I knew we could end up with a win.”

Higbee retied the game on five straight points from Mitchell, with her second 3-pointer of the night, making the score 62-62.

“Allie Mitchell did what seniors do,” Burton said. “She owned it tonight. In that fourth quarter, she really turned the tables and put us out there and gave us a chance to win.”

Spilman and Welch each converted one of two free-throw attempts to put the Lady Tigers in the lead by two. Ultimately, it was a final trip to the line that made the difference. With it being a one-possession game with 7.7 seconds left, Meyer fouled out to send Spilman to the free-throw line. The sophomore was as cold as ice as she walked to the line and converted both to put the game out of reach and give the Lady Tigers a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

“Seeing them bounce back the way we did tonight, I kind of expected it. That’s what we do. That sets the tone for the rest of the season for us,” said Burton.

Welch led all scorers with 27 points on 10-for-23 shooting from the field and converted seven of 11 free-throw chances. She also led both teams with eight steals and pulled down five rebounds while dishing out three assists.

“She’s a special athlete,” Burton said. “She works for what she gets. She averages almost a triple-double. It just shows you the effort that’s being shown out there on the court. And our teammates flock to that. It’s really exciting.”

Mitchell posted 18 points with a pair of 3-point shots and six rebounds with four steals. Spilman added 13 points with two 3-pointers, four rebounds, two steals, and a bock.

Senior Isabelle Welch finished with just two points after sitting out much of the game in foul trouble but led the team with nine rebounds.

“I challenged her to be a great teammate, and you saw that,” Burton said. “You can’t teach that kind of maturity.

“Success breeds success, and it’s really special to see them get that.”

Cook led Brunswick with 23 points on an incredible 7-for-11 shooting from the arc. Sophomore Joslynn Brown added 16 and an astounding game-high 20 rebounds. Stowers posted 11, followed by Meyer with six points and 11 rebounds.

Tuesday’s victory marked the second time this season Higbee has defeated Brunswick. The first time was a 68-38 rout in the semifinals of the Northwestern Tournament, on a night the Lady Cats were without Meyer.

“They didn’t have Meyer, who is a really solid player,” Burton said. “We knew it would be a different ball game tonight. And it was. They hit a lot of shots on a run in the third quarter, and we had to chip away.

The win now puts Higbee one game away from a CLAA championship. Next, they must defeat Braymer on Feb. 12 for the conference title.

Beating any team three times in one season is a tall order for anybody. It’s likely Higbee and Brunswick will tip off again in this week’s CLAA Tournament. Higbee is seeded first and Brunswick second. The teams will square up once again should both teams reach the final.

Next up, Higbee faces Milan (11-7) for a neutral-site Groundhog Day game on Friday in Harrisburg for the Mid-Missouri Invitational. The Lady Tigers then turn around and head for Jefferson City the next morning to face the third-ranked team in the state for Class 1, Delta (16-1), at 10 a.m. at Helias High School for the Central Bank Shootout.