At 7:39 p.m. on Feb. 13, the Montgomery County girls basketball team had a big celebration in Lincoln County.

The Wildcats won their fourth straight Eastern Missouri Conference title and their eighth overall after topping the Elsberry Indians 36-18 in their conference finale. It’s the first time in program history MCHS captured four consecutive titles.

The Wildcats finished their conference season at 10-0 and won their 41st straight league game. MCHS hasn’t lost an EMO game since Feb. 11, 2019, when it fell to Elsberry.

The Wildcats cruised past the Indians in a battle of undefeated teams. Elsberry came into the contest with an 8-0 record and a win over the MCHS could have put the Indians in first place in the league standings with one conference game remaining.

But with the win, the Wildcats not only ended Elsberry’s hopes of a conference title, but they also snapped the Indians’ 19-game winning streak. Elsberry dropped to 20-5.

MCHS also is 20-5. The Wildcats are guaranteed to finish with their third straight season with 20 or more wins. They wrap up their regular season at 6 p.m. on Feb. 16 with a home game against Moberly at Ballew & Snell Court.

The Wildcats stormed to a 7-0 lead over the Indians and never looked back. Elsberry got within 9-7 after getting a three-pointer earlier in the second quarter, but MCHS responded with a 6-0 run to take a 15-7 lead.

Senior Carson Flake, who helped the girls volleyball team win its fifth straight EMO crown last fall, scored a game-high 13 points, including 10 in the first half. It’s the fourth time this season she scored in double digits.

Defense also was a key factor in the Wildcats’ win. MCHS held the Indians to their lowest point total of the season and forced them to make 18 turnovers, nine in each half. The Wildcats outscored Elsberry 11-0 in the third quarter.

Junior Olivia Shaw, who was part of the volleyball and cross country teams that won conference titles last fall, finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. Junior Malia Rodgers, a member of the conference winning cross country team, scored six points and junior Maddy Queathem added five.

MCHS made 52 percent (15 for 29) of its shots.

The Wildcats won all 10 of their conference games by double digits. They won all of their league contests by an average margin of 27.5 points.

MCHS also beat Elsberry for the fourth straight year. Last year, the Wildcats edged the Lincoln County school 38-35 at Ballew & Snell Court.