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Day: January 22, 2021

Webb City’s Weathers recognized as Missouri POY by MaxPreps

Posted on by Jason Peake

Webb City senior Devrin Weathers has been recognized as the 2020 Missouri High School Football Player of the Year by MaxPreps.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior running back ran for 1,782 yards and 28 touchdowns, leading John Roderique’s Cardinals to an 11-2 records and a spot in the Class 5 semifinals.
A Kansas State-signee who also returned kicks and caught an occasional pass, Weathers compiled 2,069 all-purpose yards, with 29 total touchdowns.
Weathers rushed for at least 100 yards in all but two games this past fall, averaging 9.7 yards per carry.
Weathers recorded over 4,500 rushing yards in his prep career and scored 59 touchdowns. He earned a number of all-state, all-region, all-district and all-conference honors throughout his standout prep career with the Cardinals.
Weathers was named the 2020 Central Ozark Conference Offensive Player of the Year and the Southwest Missouri Football Coaches Association’s Offensive Player of the Year for Class 5.

MORE ON WEATHERS: 

Webb City’s Weathers makes it official, signs with Kansas State – SoMo Sports (somo-sports.com)

 

A RARE FEAT: K-State recruit Weathers set to become a three-year starter at running back for Webb City – SoMo Sports (somo-sports.com)

WRESTLING: Joplin, Neosho, Seneca earn wins

Posted on by Jason Peake

JOPLIN 54, KICKAPOO 30

Joplin recorded six wins by fall in a prep wrestling dual with the Chiefs on Thursday night.
Sam Melton (106 pounds), Freddy Cerrato-Martinez (120), Rocky Walker (126), Josiah Vaughn (132), Jack Stanley (152) and Brendon Mynatt (160) all recorded pins.

Kickapoo won by fall at 113, 138, 145, 170 and 220. Joplin’s Brayden Thomas (182), Aiden Short (195) and Gunner Price (285) won by forfeit.

Joplin’s Josiah Vaughn is pictured during Thursday’s dual with Kickapoo. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

NEOSHO 35, OZARK 30

Recording wins by fall for the Wildcats were Raymond Hembree (106) and Cayden Auch (160), while Landon Kivett earned a technical fall, 20-4, at 120.
Neosho’s Hayden Crane (132), Collyn Kivett (152), Jacob Fry (195) and Eric Renner (220) all earned decisions.

SENECA 62, MONETT 16

The Indians received wins by fall from Dalton Duley (113), Clayton Swadley (145), Gabriel Commons (170) and Jakob Tate (220), while Zane Cotten recorded a tech fall at 195.
Seneca’s Andrew Manley (132) and Ethan Umfleet (182) earned decisions.

GIRLS HOOPS ROUNDUP: Carl Junction pounces on Pittsburg early in road win

Posted on by Lucas Davis

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Carl Junction jumped out to a double-digit lead after the first quarter and never looked back in a 75-43 win over Pittsburg on Thursday. 

Carl Junction (10-4) wasted little time gaining momentum against Pittsburg, outscoring the Dragons 18-8 over the course of the first eight minutes. The Bulldogs held the pace into the fourth quarter before outscoring Pittsburg 26-8 down the stretch to ballon an already formidable 14-point cushion en route to the win.

Destiny Buerge led the Bulldogs with a game-high 26 points, while Jessa Hylton finished with 18. Kylie Scott scored 10 and Khloe Burk added nine. 

 Carl Junction is on the road against Monett for a 7:30 tip on Monday.

COLLEGE HOOPS: Missouri Southern drops home games to Fort Hays State

Posted on by Jason Peake

Fort Hays State swept an MIAA basketball doubleheader from Missouri Southern on Thursday night inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

FORT HAYS STATE WOMEN 70,  MISSOURI SOUTHERN 49

The Lions hung tough in the first half before the Tigers pulled away with a big third quarter.
Kaitlin Hunnicutt led Missouri Southern (4-7) with 12 points, while Amaya Johns added 10. Madi Stokes had seven rebounds.
Jaden Hobbs led Fort Hays (8-2) with 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
The Lions used a 10-5 run to tie the game at 12, but the Tigers used an 11-2 spurt to go up 32-26 at the break.
Fort Hays outscored Southern 24-9 in the third period to pull away for good. The Tigers held the Lions to 2-of-10 shooting and forced four turnovers during the quarter.
The Lions host No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney at 1:30 on Saturday inside the Leggett & Platte Athletic Center.

FORT HAYS STATE MEN 102, MISSOURI SOUTHERN 94 OT

The game was deadlocked at 82 at the end of regulation before the Tigers outscored the Lions 20-12 in the extra session.
Stan Scott scored a career-high 32 points for Southern (5-6) on 11-of-20 shooting. Scott also had 10 rebounds and four assists.
Southern standout Cam Martin contributed 19 points and 11 boards, while Lawson Jenkins had 14 points to go along with five assists and five rebounds. Avery Taggart had a career-high 11 points off the bench, while RJ Smith contributed nine points, seven boards and five assists.
Jared Vitztum paced Fort Hays State (4-7) with 32 points and 15 rebounds, while Kaleb Hammeke also scored 32 points.
The Lions opened the game on a 14-1 run, but the hosts were only up 37-35 at the break.
The Tigers held a slim lead for a large part of the second half, but a 3-point play by Scott with 15 seconds left tied the game at 82. The Lions got a late defensive stop to force overtime.
The Tigers took a five-point lead right away in the extra session.
Southern hosts Nebraska-Kearney at 3:30 on Saturday.

BOYS HOOPS ROUNDUP: Joplin, Thomas Jefferson earn wins; Carthage, CHC and McAuley suffer losses

Posted on by Lucas Davis

JOPLIN 86, GATEWAY CITY ELITE 69

LEBANON, Mo. — Always Wright poured in a career-high 40 points to lead Joplin past Gateway City Elite in the opening round of the Lebanon Hall of Fame Classic on Thursday.

Wright knocked down four 3-pointers in the first quarter to pace Joplin out to a 23-16 lead. The Eagles (9-4) took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter and outscored the Lions 21-13 over the final eight minutes to close out the win.

Wright scored 16 points in the third and 24 of his 40 in the second half, knocking down seven 3-pointers on the night. All Wright finished with 21 points in the win for Joplin, scoring 11 points in the second quarter. Carson Wampler added nine, while Terrance Gibson finished with eight. 

Joplin takes on Lebanon in the next round at 7:30 on Friday night. 

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON 61, SARCOXIE 41

LIBERAL, Mo. — Top-seeded Thomas Jefferson clinched a spot in the Tony Dubray Classic championship game after using a staunch defensive effort in the first half to build an insurmountable lead by the intermission on the way to the win over Sarcoxie in the semifinals on Thursday. 

The Cavaliers (12-1), who have won 10 straight games, led 17-8 after the first quarter after knocking down five 3-pointers as a team in the opening eight minutes while limiting the Bears to just three field goals. Drew Goodhope had one make from the perimeter, while Dhruv Gheewala and Caden Myers each knocked down two 3-balls in the first quarter. 

Thomas Jefferson, which led 29-15 at the half, outscored Sarcoxie each of the final three quarters on the way to the win. 

Myers led Thomas Jefferson with 23 points, making four 3-pointers in the win. Gheewala finished with 16 and three treys. Goodhope added 11 points with three 3-pointers.

Jason Molette led Sarcoxie with 12 points, while Terio Asterio finished with 11.

Thomas Jefferson takes on Galena at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday at Liberal High School. 

 

EMPORIA 61, CARTHAGE 39

CHANUTE, Kan. — Carthage got down early and never recovered in a 61-39 loss to Emporia in an opening-round game of the Ralph Miller Classic at Chanute High School.

Emporia led 18-9 at the end of the first quarter and 37-15 at the half.

The Tigers outscored the Spartans 13-10 in the third quarter, but still trailed by 19 entering the fourth period.

Joel Pugh scored 15 points and made four 3-pointers to lead Carthage. Max Templeman added nine points, while Clay Kinder had five.

Carthage plays Coffeyville at 3 on Friday.

 

ERIE 40, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 27

CHEROKEE, Kan. — Erie defeated College Heights in the semifinals of the Lancer Classic. 

The Cougars, now 8-7, will play for third place on Saturday. 

Undefeated Erie (9-0) led 9-6 at the end of the first quarter, but the Cougars led 16-15 at intermission.
The Red Devils outscored the Cougars 17-6 in the third period and 8-5 in the fourth quarter to stay unbeaten.
Miller Long scord 14 points to lead the Cougars, while Curtis Davenport added six.

The College Heights girls (12-1) will play Erie in the event’s championship game at 7:40 on Friday night. 

The Cougars beat McAuley Catholic 46-37 on Wednesday in the semifinals. 

 

PARSONS 71, MCAULEY CATHOLIC 40

CHEROKEE, Kan. — In a game at the Southeast Lancer Classic, Parsons led 23-5 at the end of the first quarter and the Vikings were up 40-15 at the half. 

Thomas Black led the Warriors (4-8) with 10 points, while Joe Staton and Daniel Wagner contributed six points apiece and Joe Lupicki had five. 

Joe Paige scored 12 points for Parsons. 

McAuley plays Southeast at the Lancer Classic at 2:40 on Saturday. 

GIRLS HOOPS: Joplin’s defensive effort leads to lopsided win over Hillcrest

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Joplin stepped up on the defensive end to lock Hillcrest down in the final three quarters to earn a 50-26 win over the Hornets on Thursday night inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.

The Eagles and Hornets went into the second period tied at 12s. Joplin’s defensive pressure limited Hillcrest to three total field goals in the second and third quarters combined, allowing the Eagles to build a 19-point advantage to start the final quarter. Joplin pushed the lead to more than 20 early in the fourth, cruising to the win.

“We saw a lot of good things tonight,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “Defensively, about halfway through the second quarter and on, I thought we did a really good job, holding them to eight points in the second half. 

“Offensively, it was a struggle, and it is going to be a struggle for us every night. It’s the unforced errors—the missed two-foot shots, the missed free throws and the unforced turnovers. Those are things we have to clean up because we are not good enough offensively to make up for those errors. We’ll continue to work on it and get better.”

With the win Joplin, which finished with four wins all of last season, climbs to within two wins of a .500 record at 6-8.

“I think we are fine,” Floyd answered when asked where he felt his team was at to this point in the season. “It’s all about perspective. What we keep trying to talk about is looking forward. … Everyday, we have to compete against ourselves and be the best version of ourselves that we can be. Once we get to that, the wins will take care of themselves.”

Nine different players scored for the Eagles in the win. Emma Floyd led Joplin with 10 points, with Brooke Nice and Brynn Driver each finishing with nine. Lily Pagan added seven points, while Isabella Yust scored six.

“It is huge, not only for this year but for the future,” Floyd said about continuing to need to see the balanced scoring throughout his rotations. “We have to have girls that can score. When we establish the program here and are at our best, we are going to have four, five or six girls right around double figures every night. We want to spread the ball around and be equal opportunity.”

Kiley Coffelt led Hillcrest with a game-high 12 points, while Faith Askin was second in scoring with six points.

After a first quarter filled with five lead changes, Joplin and Hillcrest were deadlocked at 12-12 heading into the second period.

Joplin’s Isabella Yust drives to the hoop in the Eagles’ win over Hillcrest on Thursday. Photos by Shawn Fowler.

The Eagles started the second quarter on a 10-3 run to build a 22-15 lead with 5:25 left in the half. Pagan started the run with a fast-break score off a turnover before Driver knocked down a 3-pointer off a Floyd steal. Following a 3-pointer from Coffelt, Driver scored inside and sank a triple from the top of the arc.

“We love for our defense to turn into transition basketball,” Floyd said. “If we could not set up in the half-court offense, that would be great. I thought we did a better job of pushing the pace tonight. We did have some breakaway opportunities.”

Coffelt knocked down another 3-ball before Joplin finished the second quarter out with the final five points fueled by buckets from Yust and Pagan.

As impressive as the defensive pressure was in the second quarter, it was even more formidable in the third quarter. Joplin and Hillcrest traded baskets to open the second half before the Eagles closed out the third quarter on a 10-1 surge to take a commanding 39-21 advantage. Yust and Nice each had four points in the third.

“In the first quarter, we were playing zone and just weren’t rotating well and weren’t all on the same page,” Floyd said. “(Coffelt) was getting wide open looks from the 3-point line. We switched to man and that cleaned some things up a little bit. … They were challenged at halftime to come out and take care of business. I thought they answered that call and really came out and got after it defensively.”

Bailey Ledford drilled a 3-ball to open the scoring in the fourth, pushing Joplin’s lead to more than 20 points for the first time, 42-21, and cruised the rest of the way. The Eagles held the Hornets to five points in the final quarter, making it three quarters of single-digit scoring for Hillcrest in the loss.

UP NEXT

Joplin hosts Pittsburg, Kansas, for a 7:30 p.m. tip on Tuesday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.

BOYS HOOPS: Webb City tops Fort Scott in tourney opener

Posted on by Jason Peake

FRONTENAC, Kan. — After a disappointing setback last Friday, it’s safe to say the Webb City Cardinals were more than ready to get back on the court by the time Thursday night arrived.

That extra incentive definitely showed. 

Ignited by a fast start, Webb City took control early and never trailed in a convincing 75-60 win over Fort Scott at the Freeman Sports Medicine Shoot-Out at Frontenac High School.

Webb City bounced back nicely from last week’s road loss at Ozark, a setback that snapped the Cardinals’ eight-game winning streak. 

“Our guys were frustrated with that loss at Ozark, so it was good to get that taste out of our mouths,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “We had a lot of energy at the start of the game and we were sharing the ball well.”

Ranked fourth in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Webb City improved to 10-2.

The Cardinals led 16-2 right away and 36-14 in the second quarter en route to a commanding victory. 

“We had a great start,” Horn said. “I thought we were really good defensively. We were moving our feet and challenging shots. We were able to do some good things offensively in the halfcourt. It was really a great start to the game.”

NAMES & NUMBERS

Webb City had a balanced attack, as four players scored in double figures. 

Senior guards Nickhai Howard and Mekhi Garrard scored 17 points apiece. Howard also had 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals, while Gararrd grabbed seven rebounds and handed out four assists. 

Junior guard Cohl Vaden added 16, hitting four 3-pointers, while senior forward Luke Brumit contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.   

Webb City made 30-of-63 field goal attempts (48 percent), including eight treys. 

Gavin Pytlowany led Fort Scott (5-4) with 17 points. The Tigers shot 49 percent (20-of-41) for the game. Fort Scott turned the ball over 16 times. 

GAME RECAP

Utilizing full court pressure, the Cardinals were able to convert Fort Scott turnovers into points the other way.

When they didn’t get turnovers, the Cardinals were able to pick apart Fort Scott’s 2-3 zone defense. 

A mid-range jumper from Howard capped an early 10-0 run. After five straight points from Max Higginbotham, Webb City led 21-6 at the end of the first quarter. 

Vaden’s third trey of the second period and a hoop in transition from Garrard gave Webb City a 36-14 advantage with four minutes left in the first half. 

Fort Scott closed the half on a 12-2 run, with all but two of those points coming at the charity stripe. By the break, Webb City led 38-26.

“I think we may have gotten a little lackadaisical late in the first half, so we have to play cleaner,” Horn said. “When you have a team down, you really have to close them out. We had some different guys in there, so our seniors have to lead us through those stretches and keep us focused in those situations.” 

Horn gave the Tigers credit for making a run.

“Fort Scott has a nice team,” Horn added. “Their point guard (Pytlowany) is a nice player. He’s hard to stay in front of and he challenged our guards.” 

The Tigers trimmed their deficit to eight early in the third period, but the Cardinals responded nicely to take a 55-41 cushion into the fourth quarter. 

Brumit scored seven points early in the fourth period before hoops from Vaden and Howard extended Webb City’s lead to 69-54 with 3:30 remaining.

“We kept our confidence high, we kept shooting and we kept pursuing rebounds,” Horn said of his team’s play in the second half. “We were getting good looks. And if you give us a second chance, we’re generally going to make good on it.” 

THIS ‘N THAT

Webb City takes on Frontenac at 7 on Friday night before concluding the event at 2:30 on Saturday against Nevada.

The event, previously known as the Kansas Army National Guard Invitational, is a four-team round-robin tourney this year due to COVID, with Nevada and Webb City joining Kansas squads Frontenac and Fort Scott. 

 

NEVADA BOYS TOP HOSTS

In Thursday’s nightcap, Nevada defeated Frontenac 66-48.

The Tigers led 31-19 at intermission and 46-35 after three periods of play. 

Logan Applegate scored 24 points to lead the Tigers, while Logan McNeley had 15 and Lane McNeley chipped in 10. Jordan Fudge led the Raiders with 23 points. 

Nevada meets Fort Scott at 4 on Friday. 

In Thursday’s girls games, Frontenac defeated Nevada 63-36 and Chanute beat Fort Scott 42-37.

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