Day: December 5, 2020

JOPLIN, Mo. — Joplin saw a nine-point cushion early in the fourth quarter over Pittsburg turn into a three-point deficit with less than three minutes to play before rallying behind two key defensive plays from Always Wright and Dante Washington to earn a 61-60 win over the Dragons on Friday.

“You hear a lot of coaches say there are four or five possessions that ultimately decide a game,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “Always’ steal was one of them. Dante’s steal was the next one, but the other part of that play was we won the 50-50 ball. That is exactly what we talked about at the end. If you are going to compete and win in the COC, there are two things you have to do—you have to execute on the offensive end and you have to get stops when it matters. … We faced some adversity and we found a way to win. … I was really pleased with that.”

Joplin led 50-41 early in the fourth when Pittsburg scored 11 straight points to take a 52-50 advantage. Senior Javon Grant, who scored a game-high 34 points, accounted for nine of the points that included a hand-in-his-face 3-pointer at the 3:45 mark to give the Dragons the lead.

“Javon Grant is just really good,” Hafer said. “For a guy that hadn’t been able to practice and do some things, wow, he was incredible.”

Joplin freshman All Wright was fouled on a successful drive to the hoop and sank the and-one free throw on the next possession to take the lead right back for the Eagles.

Grant sank another 3-pointer from the top of the key, and after a free throw from Joplin, Pittsburg’s Brett O’Hara scored on the break to put the deficit at 57-54 with less than three minutes to play.

Joplin junior Always Wright, who was in foul trouble early and didn’t score in the first three quarters, came up with his first basket of the game in a big spot, drilling a 3-pointer with 2:34 left to tie the game at 57-57.

“I am sitting there thinking to myself as we are getting late in the game, and I already know what’s happened, but I am thinking ‘what are we doing on our last few possessions?’”, Hafer said. “One thing I do know is that is Always is going to have the ball somewhere to make a play or make a shot. … That was a beyond-college 3. It was deep. When he stepped into it, I thought this is the one that is going to go. I felt really good about it. I trust he has the confidence to make that shot, and we want him to make that shot.”

Pittsburg used a free throw with the 2:20 mark to go up one and held possession of the ball beyond the perimeter on the wing with the intent to run the clock out before Always Wright came up with a steal and coasted to the other end for an uncontested fast-break layup to give Joplin a 59-58 lead with 50 seconds to play.

“He is growing as a player,” Hafer said. “He is very important. The areas he has to grow into from a leadership standpoint is to continue to impact the game in other ways.”

Washington deflected a pass for a steal in the backcourt on the ensuing defensive possession, with Joplin coming up with the loose ball with the lead in hand.

“Dante was really good down the stretch,” Hafer said. “He hustled and played hard all night.”

Always Wright ended up at the charity stripe shortly after and sank two crucial free throws that pushed the margin to 61-58 with 22.3 seconds to play.

“When it came down to it, he hit the big 3, he gets the big steal and finish and he hits the two free throws to win the game,” Hafer said. “That’s what really good players are going to do. We talk all the time about the fact you can’t be one dimensional and you have to find ways to impact the game in other ways. In the last two possessions when we needed stops, he was instrumental in us getting the ball back. That is going to be a key to our success.”

Pittsburg looked for a game-tying 3-pointer on the other end before settling for a layup by Haiden McCoy to trim the lead to one with 2.6 seconds left for the game’s final basket, sending Joplin to the win.

STATS

Washington led Joplin, which had three players in double-figure scoring, with 15 points, while All Wright scored 12. Dominick Simmons added 10, and Carson Wampler finished with eight.

“We had three guys in double figures and one guy a bucket away,” Hafer said. “We’ve got to have that balance. That’s pleasing.”

Aside from Grant’s 34, McCoy added 13 and Malakai Courtney finished with seven. 

HONORING SEVERAL

It was Senior Night for the Eagles, as the school wanted to move up the ceremony that would normally be the last home game of the season for precautionary reasons dealing with COVID, with Fielding Campbell, Micah Bruggeman Simmons, Malik Williams, Wampler, Zayshon Hugley and trainer Jake Saunders all being recognized before the game.

“It feels like a normal Senior Night because we don’t play again here until January,” Hafer said with a laugh. “I am happy for those guys because they’ve earned this. … They are such wonderful kids and they embody exactly what we want in our basketball program. They are academically successful, great young men, well spoken and represent our program in a matter that makes you proud. They do everything that you ask of them. For that, I am eternally grateful.”

BUILDING UP TO A CLASSIC FINISH

Joplin jumped out in front with a strong start to the game, leading Pittsburg 12-5 midway through the first period. Wampler paced the way for the Eagles early, accounting for eight of the first 12 points with two 3-pointers. Washington scored the Eagles’ final six points of the first quarter, knocking down a 3-pointer and a layup on the break off assists by Always Wright, to take a 19-15 lead into the second quarter. 

Pittsburg started the second quarter on a 7-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 22-19, on a Grant 3-pointer from the wing. Grant accounted for all seven points in the run. That was the first of six lead changes in the second quarter. 

Without Always Wright on the floor for the majority of the second quarter because of foul trouble, Joplin was able to close the first half on a 10-2 run to take a 37-31 lead into the intermission. Bruggeman had five points in the run, while All Wright converted an old-fashioned three-point play and Simmons hit a floater with three seconds left in the half.

Joplin opened the second half as strong as they closed the first, building an 11-point, 47-36 lead on a three-point play from All Wright, who hit a baseline floater while drawing the foul with 2:50 to play in the third. 

“All finally had a couple of really good takes that he got fouled on and finished,” Hafer said. “It was frustrating for him, and me as a coach, because he had a couple early that didn’t go and they were a little more uncharacteristic. Then he settled in, and that is one of his strengths, getting to the rim through contact and finishing.”

Courtney hit a 3-pointer and Campbell scored on a drive to send the game into the fourth with Joplin on top 49-39, setting up an exhilarating final quarter.

UP NEXT

Joplin takes part in the Carthage Boys Invitational, which is slated to start Dec. 10.