LADY CATS FALL TO EUREKA

FARMINGTON -- The Fredericktown girls' state dreams ended Saturday night in frigid fashion.

Leading by as many as 14 points in the third quarter of their Missouri Class 3A quarterfinal basketball game at the Civic Center, Fredericktown netted just two points in the final nine minutes and fell 45-39 to Eureka.

The Lady Cats led 37-27 with 1:02 in the third quarter when Kristin Tripp scored a basket, but were outscored 18-2 over the final nine minutes.

Lindsey Merrill finished with 17 points and 21 rebounds for Fredericktown, which finished its season at 19-6. Merrill, who ran into second-half foul trouble, scored 13 of her points in the first half.

Eureka, behind a game-high 19 points from Molly Quinn, improved to 24-5 and moved into Friday's Final Four action in Columbia.

Fredericktown jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed until Meredith Henry's 3-point basket put Eureka ahead 38-37 with 6:24 left in the game. The basket was part of 13-0 run.

The Lady Cats, who closed their season at 19-6, took a 37-32 lead into the fourth quarter but could only muster a Kristin Tripp basket with 1:33 left in the game. Tripp's basket pulled Fredericktown to within 40-39.

Fredericktown connected on 1 of 13 shots from the field in the fourth quarter, while committing five turnovers and missing both its free throws.

Eureka sank six of its eight free throws in the fourth quarter.

Fredericktown led 18-9 after one quarter and 29-19 at halftime.