JEFFERSON CITY - Rock Bridge Coach Jill Nagel has told her girls basketball players all season that if they held their opponents under 40 points, they would win.

Mission accomplished last night in front of a standing room-only crowd at Rackers Fieldhouse. The eighth-ranked Class 5 Bruins survived a cold shooting night by playing tenacious defense to grind out a 44-35 win over Helias on senior night.

"That’s our goal every time out," Nagel said. "We feel like if we hold teams under 40 points, we’re going to win the ballgame, and we did that."

The Bruins (22-2) shot 38 percent from the field and 56 percent from the foul line. They committed nine turnovers in the third quarter to help the pesky Crusaders (14-9) hang around.

But to the Bruins’ credit, they made plays when needed. With Rock Bridge up by six and time winding down in the third quarter, Claire Schaeperkoetter settled into the left corner and buried a three-pointer to beat the buzzer and give the Bruins a nine-point lead heading into the fourth.

Then, with a minute to go in the fourth and a seven-point lead, Rock Bridge forced a critical five-second call, the 21st Crusader turnover of the game. The Bruins made 5 of 7 free throws in the fourth to clinch the game.

"The kids play a lot older than what they are," Nagel said of her starting lineup, which includes two juniors, a sophomore and a freshman.

Schaeperkoetter led the Bruins with 14 points, including two 3-pointers and three clutch free throws down the stretch. Katherine Harry added 10 of her own, while helping the Bruins hold a decided advantage on the boards. Andrea Seabaugh poured in eight, including a desperation 3-point heave as time expired in the first half.

"We know we didn’t play our best tonight," Schaeperkoetter said. "But we fought our way through it to get a grind-out win."

Both teams used variations of a 1-3-1 zone to force turnovers and generally get their opponent out of rhythm. The Crusaders shot 25 percent from the field and turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter alone but only trailed 8-7 heading into the second.

Neither team could get much offense going the rest of the way. Helias shot 35 percent from the field for the game, but made 10 of 12 free throws and forced 16 turnovers.

The Bruins’ lead could have been bigger if they had finished some of their attempts underneath.

"The shots are going to fall," Nagel said. "We’re a good shooting team. That doesn’t worry me at all."

Senior co-captain Rachel Drennan injured her right knee on a fast break in the first half and did not return. Nagel said she would be evaluated by Rock Bridge medical staff today.

The Bruins ended the regular season with a 21-game winning streak intact.

"You come on the road, you don’t shoot the ball well, and you get a win by nine points," Nagel said. "We’ll take it."

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