Missouri Southern State University announced on Tuesday that Director of Athletics Jared Bruggeman will step down with the conclusion of the winter sports season, effective March 16.
Bruggeman has held the position at MSSU since 2009.
A press release from MSSU said Bruggeman will continue to serve Missouri Southern through May, working on athletic department fundraising projects and collaborating on the potential development of a sports management program.
During Bruggeman’s tenure, MSSU’s athletics facilities expanded through fundraising efforts, including Warren Turner Field, the North Endzone Facility, an indoor golf practice facility, turf and a video board at Fred G. Hughes Stadium and the overhaul of the strength and conditioning center at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
Bruggeman oversaw multiple MIAA and individual NCAA championships, individual awards and accolades for teams, student athletes and coaching staff. In 2020, student-athletes at MSSU posted a cumulative grade point average above a 3.00 for the sixth-straight semester.
Cori Reid, the current Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Event Management, will lead MSSU Athletics as the school’s interim athletics director beginning in mid-March.
Reid previously served in the same position at MSSU from 2012-14. During her time away from Southern, Reid served as the athletics director for Neosho High School.
Reid graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in sports and fitness management and a master’s in sports administration.
Day: January 5, 2021
McDonald County boys use big third quarter to knock off Carl Junction
ANDERSON, Mo. — A lack of defensive stops doomed the Carl Junction boys basketball team in Monday’s 89-70 loss to McDonald County.
Up six at the break, the Mustangs erupted for 33 points in the key third quarter to pull away for good.
“We didn’t get out and guard,” Carl Junction coach Justin Pock said of the third quarter swing. “They got the ball inside and we didn’t put up much resistance. I didn’t think our defensive effort was there tonight. Giving up 89 points is way too many.”
“All year we’ve struggled in the middle two quarters,” McDonald County coach Brandon Joines said. “Tonight, we knew it was a new year and we had to be a new team. We wanted to play four quarters of basketball and we finally did. We put it together. Our kids stepped up and played their game. I’m proud of that one.”
Senior guard Sincere Williams led Carl Junction with 20 points, while classmate Isaiah Hefner added 10 on three treys and a free throw.
Three others scored nine points for Carl Junction—Alex Baker, Kyler Perry and Jaden Cherry. The Bulldogs went 8-of-19 at the foul line.
Five players scored in double figures for the Mustangs, who were able to pound the ball inside again and again.
Pierce Harmon and Teddy Reedybacon scored 18 points apiece to lead McDonald County, while Cross Dowd added 15 points. Eli McClain scored 13 points and Garrett Gricks added 12.
Harmon and Dowd buried three treys apiece, while Cole Martin hit two 3-pointers.
“Tonight they worked hard and they earned it,” Joines said of his team’s effort. “Offensively, our post players put up over 40 points and our guards put up over 40 points. That is a solid team effort in my opinion. If we play like that, we’re going to be tough to play. We just have to do it consistently.”
McDonald County led 16-12 at the end of the back and forth first quarter.
The Bulldogs put together a 10-0 burst in the second quarter and the non-conference clash was deadlocked at 31.
But the Mustangs finished the first half on a 7-1 run, with Dowd scoring all seven points.
The fired-up Mustangs got going in a big way in the third quarter, putting up 33 points to take a comfortable 71-55 lead into the fourth quarter.
During the third period, the hosts were able to get out in transition, get shots at point-blank range and also created turnovers.
“We had a lot of offensive opportunities, but we turned it over too much and gave it right back to them,” Pock said.
A 9-2 surge pushed McDonald County’s lead to 20 at 67-47. Hefner hit two 3-pointers late in the third period for CJ, but the Bulldogs still trailed by 16.
The final frame was nearly even, but the big deficit was too much to overcome for the Bulldogs.
Pock noted his team continued to play hard until the final horn.
“Our guys will always play hard,” Pock said. “I haven’t seen them give up at all. Our guys don’t put their heads down. They fight through. That’s what we have to continue to do.”
The Bulldogs will take on the host Joplin Eagles at 7:30 on Wednesday night at the Kaminsky Classic. McDonald County hosts Monett on Friday.
First half surge leads Carl Junction girls to lopsided win in ‘21 debut
ANDERSON, Mo. — Looking anything but rusty after a long layoff, the Carl Junction girls basketball team was clicking on all cylinders from the start.
In a 2021 debut to remember, the Bulldogs rode a 26-0 run in the first half to a commanding 60-24 non-conference victory over McDonald County on Monday night.
“The Christmas break was good for us,” Bulldogs coach Brad Shorter said. “We got a lot of work in. We were able to clean up some things over the break and I think it showed tonight. The kids were hungry when they came out tonight. Our kids came out and played hard.”
Sophomore guard Destiny Buerge scored 19 points to lead the Bulldogs, who improved to 7-2. Buerge scored 13 points in the opening frame.
Junior Jessa Hylton added 15 points for Carl Junction, while sophomore Hali Shorter and freshman Kylie Scott contributed nine points apiece. Hylton hit three 3-pointers, while Shorter hit two treys and Scott buried one. Senior Hannah Lee scored six points and junior Ellie Lawson rounded out the scoring with two points.
Senior Kristen Penn led the Mustangs (3-7) with nine points, while junior Adasyn Leach added seven.
Carl Junction hadn’t played in more than two weeks, but it was hard to tell.
The Bulldogs put together a game-changing 26-0 surge that spanned the majority of the first quarter and the beginning of the second period to take control. By then, Carl Junction held a comfortable 28-3 advantage.
The hosts finally stopped the spurt, but Hylton, Hali Shorter and Scott all hit treys late in the first half and the Bulldogs were up 42-14 at halftime.
While the Mustangs struggled offensively against Carl Junction’s zone defense, the Bulldogs created offense from their defense or simply picked apart McDonald County’s halfcourt defense.
“We made the extra pass quite a few times tonight,” Shorter said. “That gave us some really clean looks. And Destiny and Jessa are a great tandem up top. They were able to get a lot of steals and run-outs at the top of our zone, and that always helps our offense. I thought we just played good team basketball.”
Penn scored seven points early in the third quarter for the Mustangs, but the Bulldogs closed the period on a 10-3 burst to take a 56-24 lead.
With that, there was a running clock in the final frame.
Carl Junction hosts Glendale on Thursday night in another non-conference clash.
KATIE SCOTT RECOGNIZED AGAIN
Former Carl Junction standout Katie Scott, now a freshman at Grand Canyon, has been named the Western Athletic Conference’s women’s basketball player of the week for the third consecutive time.
Scott scored 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds and three steals this past Sunday in a 106-55 win over Park. Scott has scored 20 or more points in six of her team’s nine games and is leading the WAC in scoring with 20.7 points per game.
GIRLS HOOPS: McAuley Catholic’s early effort on both ends leads to dominating win over Lockwood
After nearly 14 days off following the holiday break, McAuley Catholic girls basketball showed zero signs of rust on the way to a convincing 48-17 win over Lockwood on Monday.
“I thought it was great,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said of his team’s start to the second half of the season. “We’ve had a few girls out who were unable to practice for a variety of things — injuries, covid. So, we were down two starters the entire time during the break. We’ve been practicing with reserve players a lot. I think getting that extra time with those reserve players really helped them have the confidence to step in without any real letdown once they are in the game. I thought it was a good game to have out of the break to get us back on the winning track and propel us for the rest of the season.”
Junior Kayleigh Teeter led McAuley (5-4) with 22 points, 12 coming in the first half. Junior Kennedy DeRuy finished with nine points, while senior Gliza Damaso and sophomore Lily Black added six points apiece.
The Warriors’ defense set the tone in the win, holding the Tigers scoreless from the field in the first quarter on the way to an 8-2 lead. Teeter and DeRuy each had 3-pointers in the opening period. Lockwood went scoreless through the first four-plus minutes of action before Adrien Neill sank two free throws and the 3:10 mark for the Tigers only points in the period.
“We knew they were kind of a young team,” Howard said. “And we know what type of offense they like to run, so we were really prepared for that. We knew we were going to switch it up and give them a bunch of different looks. Our main goal was to contain them, close out on the shooters, box out and give them limited opportunities to score. I think we did a good job with that.”
McAuley’s offensive production caught up to the defense in the second quarter, with the Warriors starting the stanza on a 12-2 run over the first four minutes to build a 20-4 cushion.
“We told them not to let up and keep playing hard defensively,” Howard said. “The defense will eventually turn to offense, and that’s what it did. I thought we tired them down just a little bit in the second quarter. We were able to create some turnovers and score some easy baskets in transition. That really sparked our offense.”
Teeter accounted for seven points in the run, while Damaso added a score on the drive and Kloee Williamson knocked down a 3-ball.
The Warriors closed the first half with a drive by Teeter and an offensive rebound and putback score by Black with two seconds left to head into the intermission with a 24-8 advantage.
McAuley started the second half as fast as they finished the first. After both teams traded baskets out of the break, the Warriors scored the final 13 points of the third quarter to balloon the lead to 39-10 with one period to play.
“We talked about not letting up and keeping the gas pedal down,” Howard said of his team’s start to the second half. “Don’t be content or think that this game is over because sometimes they can get stagnant when they think the game is in control. That was really our main focus … and I thought they did a really good job of that tonight.”
Teeter scored seven in the run, while DeRuy, Black and Avery Gardner contributed baskets along the way.
The Warriors initiated the running clock in the early portion of the fourth quarter en route to the win.
UP NEXT
McAuley hosts Wyandotte (Oklahoma) on Thursday.
