Webb City used a 15-3 run in the third period to pull away.
The Cardinals led 16-13 at the end of the first quarter, but trailed 38-36 at intermission.
Webb City outscored Harrisonville 19-5 in the third period before the fourth quarter was nearly even.
Cohl Vaden scored 17 points to lead the Cardinals, while Trenton Hayes had 13. Luke Brumit and Alex Martin contributed 11 points apiece and Mekhi Garrard and Nickhai Howard scored 10 points apiece.
Webb City (12-3) plays the host Eagles (13-2) at the Nixa Tournament on Wednesday.
THOMAS JEFFERSON 73, JASPER 37
JASPER, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson’s relentless pressure on both ends of the floor led to an early double-digit lead that was never relinquished as the Cavaliers cruised to their 13th win of the season on Tuesday.
Thomas Jefferson (13-2) held Jasper scoreless in the first quarter while putting up 21 points on the offensive end to jump out quickly. Drew Goodhope knocked down a 3-pointer on the way to seven first-quarter points, while Jay Ball added six and Dhruv Gheewala scored five.
The Cavaliers scored 21 points in each the second and third quarter to build a 63-27 advantage with eight minutes to play.
Gheewala and Goodhope led the way for Thomas Jefferson with 16 points apiece. Ball and Caden Myers added 12 each, while Noah Hamlett put up 11 in the win.
Thomas Jefferson is at Golden City on Thursday.
KICKAPOO 89, JOPLIN 69
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Joplin Eagles hung tough early with a formidable foe, but ultimately fell short on Tuesday night, as Kickapoo defeated their former Ozark Conference rival 89-69.
Kickapoo led 17-14 at the end of the first quarter and the Chiefs were up 40-30 at intermission.
The hosts put up 26 points in the third period to Joplin’s 17 for a 66-47 advantage. The fourth quarter was even for the final margin.
Joplin’s Always Wright scored 24 points, while All Wright added 21. Dante Washington also reached double figures for the Eagles (10-6) with 10, while Terrance Gibson chipped in nine points.
Kickapoo had three players score at least 21 points. Trevon Brazile scored 23, Anton Brookshire added 22 and Isaac Haney had 21.
The Chiefs (10-2) are ranked third in Class 6.
Joplin is at East Newton on Thursday.
SPRINGFIELD CENTRAL 48, CARL JUNCTION 41
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction took a 33-32 lead into the final eight minutes of action before Springfield Central outscored the Bulldogs 16-8 down the stretch to earn the win.
Carl Junction trailed 27-23 at the half before Josh Cory’s five-point third quarter led the Bulldogs to a lead to start the fourth. Cory led CJ with 13 points, while Sincere Williams added 10. Blake Poorman scored nine.
Carl Junction is at Neosho on Feb. 2.
WHEATON 62, MCAULEY 37
Wheaton outscored McAuley in every quarter on the way to the win over McAuley Catholic.
Kelton Park scored scored eight points in the first quarter to help stake Wheaton out to a 16-10 lead. The Warriors (4-10, 0-2 Ozark 7) trailed by double digits at the half, as Wheaton continued to pull away through the final horn.
Daniel Wagner led McAuley with 15 points, while Thomas Black scored 11. Matthew Dohmen scored six.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Carthage defeated Webb City 59-12 on Tuesday night.
Recording wins by fall for the Tigers were Bradyn Tate (113 pounds), Carlos Reyes (120), Kip Castor (126), Eli Sneed (138), Davion King (145), Brett Rockers (170) and Anthony Salas (220).
Carthage’s Braxdon Tate earned a major decision, 10-0, at 152, while Luke Gall edged Roger Carranco 8-6 at 182.
At heavyweight, Carthage’s Alexis Vasquez defeated Kole Carr, 15-5, a major decision.
Webb City’s Jacob Ott won by fall at 195. Webb City’s Dominic Boles defeated Cody Reeves 7-2 at 132, while Brayden Hollingsworth edged Grey Petticrew 2-0 at 160.
MARSHFIELD 42, CARL JUNCTION 32
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. —Carl Junction’s Dexter Merrell (138), Cole Stewart (145) and Jesse Cassatt (182) all pinned their opponents.
Carl Junction’s Max Matthews recorded a tech fall at 113, winning 15-0.
At 285, Carl Junction’s Kameron Bennett earned a 5-4 decision over Maguire Wilson.
In another close one, Mashfield’s Marcus Gritts defeated Dylan Frazier 6-5 at 126.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Led by a number of stellar performances, and with its overall team depth on full display, Carl Junction’s girls repeated as team champions at the Central Ozark Conference Swimming and Diving Championships on Tuesday night at Webb City’s Buck Miner Swim Center.
The Bulldogs finished on top of the team standings with 307 points.
Carl Junction coach Stephanie Miller noted it was a memorable night for her Bulldogs, who concluded a long day by posing for photos with the COC championship plaque.
“This was great,” Miller said. “I love the competition and the close races. I’m really proud of the girls. It’s sometimes harder to come in and defend a title, so I’m really proud of them. It was a lot of fun.”
Carl Junction won six events and took second in two others. The Bulldogs also swam some record-setting times along the way.
“It’s just a blessing,” Miller said. “My whole team was in the water tonight. No one was in quarantine. Everyone’s healthy, so I’m just so thankful for that. It’s just a blessing to be in the pool. We’re not taking that for granted.”
Carl Junction’s depth showed, as the Bulldogs scored big points in nearly every event.
“I’ve got 18 girls and I’m pretty sure all but two scored points tonight, which is phenomenal,” Miller said. “That’s just amazing. We won a lot of races, but when we didn’t win, we still recorded our best times.”
Carthage took second with 259 points.
“We performed OK,” Carthage coach Braden McBride said. “We had some personal bests and I was proud of that. We were a swimmer short, but I don’t think it would have made a ton of difference. Carl Junction is just loaded. But I thought we did pretty well overall. We saw some improvements. They’re all getting better.”
Webb City finished third with 202 points.
“For the most part, I thought we did fantastic,” Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman said of his team’s showing. “There was a lot of very inspired swimming. It feels good. This is always an exciting meet. They always get inspired. I love it. It was nice to see some lifetime bests out of some kids. We weren’t expecting those until the state meet. There were just so many time drops.”
Ozark (186), Nixa (150), Republic (78) and Joplin (75) rounded out the standings.
The Carl Junction Bulldogs pose with the COC championship plaque at the conclusion of Tuesday’s meet.
CARL JUNCTION RESULTS
The Bulldogs won all three relays.
“We loaded our relays tonight and had some girls do all three,” Coach Miller said. “I haven’t done that before. But we have good relays and they have fun, so why not?”
Carl Junction’s 200-yard medley relay team of Skyler Sundy, Abigail Wilson, Sophia Hensley and Alanza Montez recorded a state-qualifying time of 1 minute, 57 seconds.
The 200 freestyle relay featured Emma Lacey, Montez, Sundy and Chloe Miller and also swam a qualifying time of 1:43. The time is a COC record and a new pool record.
Carl Junction’s 400 freestyle relay capped a stellar meet for the Bulldogs. Swimming the relay were Chloe Miller, Montez, Sundy and Lacey. Their time of 3:51 is a COC record and was also a pool record.
Chloe Miller, Lacey and Sundy all won individual events.
Miller touched the wall first in the 200 freestyle in 2:02, while Lacey won the 50 freestyle in 25.95. Both swam state-consideration times.
Sundy’s winning time of 1:01 in the 100 backstroke is not only a state-qualifying mark, but also a COC record.
Miller was the runner-up in the 500 freestyle, while Lacey and Wilson took second and third in the 100 breaststroke. Lacey swam a state-qualifying time in the breaststroke (1:09.6).
Madeleine Garoutte took third in the 100 butterfly, with Hensley fourth in the same event. Carsyn Smith was fourth in the 100 backstroke.
Also for the Bulldogs, Montez took sixth in the 50 free, Carsyn Smith was sixth in the 200 free, while Hensley and Wilson finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 200 individual medley.
Abigail Holcomb finished seventh in the 500 free, with Kennedy Johnson eighth, while Bryn Neria was ninth in the 100 freestyle.
Carl Junction’s Abigail Holcomb competes during Tuesday’s COC swim meet at Webb City. Photo by Israel Perez.
CARTHAGE RESULTS
Carthage’s Madison Riley won the 100 butterfly with a consideration time of 1:02.
The Tigers were second in two relays, the 200 medley and the 400 freestyle.
Riley, Aubree Santillan, Nadya Housh and Hope Fultz competed in the medley, with Riley, Cassidy Smith, Housh and Fultz swimming the freestyle.
Santillan and Riley placed second and third in the 100 backstroke.
Smith took third in the 100 freestyle and Fultz was fifth.
Housh and Ava Lacey took third and fourth in the 500 free, while Housh placed third in the 200 IM, with Santillan fifth.
Lacey and Fultz finished fourth and fifth in the 200 free. Smith was fifth in the 50 free, Victoria Martinez took fifth in the 100 fly, while the Tigers finished fifth in the 200 free relay (Smith, Santillan, Martinez, Lacey).
Carthage’s Cassidy Smith competes during Tuesday’s COC meet. Photo by Israel Perez.
WEBB CITY RESULTS
Sophia Whitesell won the 500-yard freestyle in a state-consideration time of 5:32.
“Sophia was on fire tonight,” Klosterman said. “She kind of surprised me tonight in the 500. She’s never gone that fast. It was a lifetime best.”
Whitesell also placed second in the 200 IM with a time of 2:19.
Skylar Powell finished third in the 50 free and was fourth in the 100 free.
Webb City’s 200 medley relay team of Ella Holt, Makenzie Storm, Whitesell and Olivia Honey placed third.
The Cardinals were fourth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Powell, Holt, Hally Philpot and Avery Mitchell competing.
Webb City was also fourth in the 400 free relay, with Powell, Philpot, Mitchell and Whitesell swimming.
Also for the Cardinals, Holt was fifth in the 100 backstroke, Storm took fifth in the 100 breaststroke, Philpot placed sixth in the 100 free, while Mitchell was seventh in the 50 free and the 100 breaststroke.
In the diving competition, Webb City’s Kyndie Crockett was the runner-up with a score of 275.5.
Webb City’s Sophia Whitesell is pictured during the COC meet. Photo by Israel Perez.
JOPLIN RESULTS
The Eagles placed fourth in the 200 medley relay, with Mairi Beranek, Taegen Smith, Allie Lawrence and Mya Johnson competing.
Joplin’s team of Lawrence, Sophia Schwartz, Ava Perrin and Johnson were sixth in the 200 freestyle relay, while Lily Rakes, Schwartz, Beranek and Perrin placed sixth in the 400 freestyle relay.
Beranek finished ninth in the 100 backstroke, with Schwartz 12th.
Smith was ninth in the 100 breaststroke, while Megan Walser and Rakes were 11th and 12th, respectively, in the 500 freestyle.
Kennedy Schwartz finished 11th in the 100 butterfly, Lawrence was 12th in the 100 free, Rakes finished 13th in the 200 free and Smith was 13th in the 200 IM.
Pictured is Joplin’s Megan Walser. Photo by Israel Perez.
MEET NOTES
Nixa’s Lillie Blevins was the diving champ with a state-qualifying score of 388.65.
Republic’s Karissa Metzger won the 100 breaststroke in a COC record and state-qualifying time of 1:09. The time was faster than the previous pool record that was set in 1984.
“There were a lot of impressive times,” Klosterman said, noting several records. “That just says a lot about our conference. It’s getting better. I love seeing the close races and there were a lot of close races for first place tonight. And that’s just so fun to watch.”
This was the third year the conference held an official girls swim meet. Webb City won the inaugural event in 2019 and Carl Junction won it last year.
No fans were allowed at this year’s event, but Webb City hosted a live stream of the meet.
“It’s hard to have a meet with no spectators, but I think the atmosphere here was still pretty darn good and the racing went great,” Klosterman said. “I hope there were a lot of people watching from home.”
Olivia Honey of Webb City is pictured. Photo by Israel Perez.
Carl Junction’s Louise Collette is pictured. Photo by Israel Perez.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage and Hillcrest tipped off Tuesday night in a back and forth boys basketball game that would come right down to the buzzer.
In the end, Hillcrest would leave town with a 56-53 win.
Hillcrest made the first basket, but Carthage responded by going on a 6-2 run thanks to two baskets from sophomore Max Templeman and a field goal from senior Silas Templeman.
The Hornets responded to nearly pull even, but freshman Justin Ray of the Tigers hit two 3-pointers to give Carthage a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair, as each team exchanged runs.
Carthage started with a 5-0 run, as the Templemans continued their big games. Hillcrest answered with a 7-2 run. With just two minutes left, the Tigers had three straight rebounds on the same possession that eventually led to an ‘and one’ from Silas Templeman.
The Tigers also had baskets from senior Sam Feurt and junior Caden Kabance to end the half on an 8-2 run. They led 27-19 at the break.
Neither team was able to establish a solid run in the third quarter, exchanging baskets for the entire period. Max Templeman added two more field goals, Kabance added one and junior Joel Pugh added a basket and two free throws.
Hillcrest scored 14 points of their own, pulling the score to within five. Carthage continued their solid night of rebounding to maintain their lead of 37-33 heading into the fourth.
“We are a small team, and basically we have to start five guards,” Carthage coach Nathan Morris said. “The fact that we were able to battle on the boards like that was huge. Rebounding was something we keyed in on at halftime. We didn’t grab a couple there at the end that hurt us, so it’s something we still want to keep working on.”
Despite Carthage leading the entire game, Hillcrest wasn’t ready to call it quits quite yet.
Max Templeman continued his streak with two more baskets, giving him 17 points on the night.
After a quiet third quarter, Silas Templeman went off for eight points, with three field goals and two free throws. He had 15 points. Ray also added a basket, and Kabance hit two free throws.
The Hornets similarly made almost all of their baskets, most of them threes, to tie the game at 53 with just under a minute left.
After regaining possession on a rebound, Hillcrest held the ball as the clock ran out and Crishawn Haggard drained a three on a buzzer-beater to give them a 56-53 win.
“It’s frustrating to lead for almost the entirety of the game and to not be able to close it out,” Morris said. “Our guards were better tonight. We have three really young guards and, on some nights, they struggle, but tonight they played really well. We are not a big team, so we must keep complete energy for 32 minutes. We’re getting there and I know this team is hungry to get there.”
Despite a strong finish, it was the slow start to every quarter that plagued Joplin in its 53-50 loss to Pittsburg on Tuesday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
Pittsburg used a significant scoring run to start each quarter, which ultimately resulted in Joplin fighting its way back all game long, trailing by as much as 18 points in the fourth quarter. The Eagles closed the contest out with a tremendous surge, but never had a chance at a game-tying shot.
“That is something we just talked about in the locker room—we have to start quarters better,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “The third quarter all season seems to be our bugaboo. Maybe we just need to skip halftime and keep on playing. We have to figure out how to put 32 minutes together. I told the girls that I was extremely proud (of the finish). I think we were down 15 with three minutes to go. That is great. But we have to learn to not dig ourselves into that hole and be engaged right from the get go.”
The Dragons jumped out to an early 11-2 lead before the Eagles (6-9) rallied with the final six points of the first to trim the lead one, 11-10. Emma Floyd, Lily Pagan and Brynn Driver all had baskets to close out the first for Joplin, with Driver’s counting for a three-point play.
Pittsburg started the second period on a 7-3 run to push the margin to 18-13 by the 3:35 mark. Jaqueline Hall had a steal and a score on the break and Madden Petty knocked down a 3-pointer.
“She is a really good player,” Coach Floyd said of Petty. “We just had trouble staying in front of her. We have to be disciplined in our defense. I thought she and (Hall) were able to get inside and get to the paint all night long to create a shot for themselves or create for somebody else, and we have to be better than that. Our girls know that.”
With Joplin trailing 25-20 to start the second half, Pittsburg opened the third quarter with the first four baskets, with AJ Fornelli accounting for a pair of those buckets, to extend the lead to double digits for the first time, 33-20.
The Dragons led by as much as 16 in the third before Joplin closed the quarter with scores from Brooke Nice and Driver to cut the margin to 41-29. Pittsburg used a 9-3 run to open the fourth to send the lead up to a game-high 18 points, 50-32, with less than four minutes to play. Petty led the surge with five points, including a 3-pointer.
The Eagles, like they had several times over the course of the game, fought their way back down the stretch to cut the lead to two possessions, 53-48, on a 3-pointer from Driver with 9.8 seconds left as part of a 16-3 run. Joplin added a basket at the buzzer but never had a chance at the tie. Driver accounted for seven points during the run, while Pagan and Floyd both scored four to lead the way.
“I think a lot of it is just having the mindset of what we are doing,” Coach Floyd said when asked what differences he saw from his team from the start of each quarter to its finish. “We can’t wait to be punched in the mouth. We are a very reactionary team, but we’ve been preaching all year we want to be the aggressor.”
TROUBLE AT THE STRIPE
Joplin struggled from the free-throw line in the loss to Pittsburg. The Eagles shot 6-for-15 from the charity stripe in the first half before making just 1-of-5 free throws in the second half to finish with a 7-for-20 conversion rate.
“We told the girls that we miss anywhere from 12 to 15 free throws tonight and we lost the game by three,” Coach Floyd said. “I don’t know what it is. We take time in practice to shoot them when we’re tired and when we are fresh. We just have to be able to step up to the line and knock down free throws. They are free points. … Those are killers.”
SCORING LEADERS
Driver led Joplin with a team-high 17 points, while Pagan scored 12 and Floyd added 10. Nice contributed eight.
Petty scored a game-high 24 points to lead Pittsburg, with Hall adding 11 in the win.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City and Parkview played at a back-and-forth pace over the first two quarters before the Cardinals distanced themselves late in the third period behind a strong defensive effort on the way to a 60-49 Senior Night win over the Vikings on Monday inside the Cardinal Dome.
“I thought early in the game, especially in the first half, we were just trading buckets with them,” Webb City coach Lance Robbins said. “We weren’t guarding to our potential, and that was one of the main things we talked about at halftime. … We made some adjustments defensively … and we were able to generate some turnovers out of that, which led to some easy buckets. I am just proud of the kids’ effort defensively in the second half and being able to adjust.”
SENIOR NIGHT
Webb City honored three seniors before the game with a Senior Night ceremony—Jaydee Duda, Sierra Kimbrough and Raven Vaughn.
“Sierra, Raven and Jaydee have done a good job all four years they’ve been here,” Robbins said. “Their leadership on and off the floor is something we appreciate. We know all three of them have bright futures ahead of them, but we are certainly going to miss them. We’re glad we were able to send them out on a positive note on Senior Night tonight.”
SCORING LEADERS
Duda led Webb City with a game-high 23 points, while Kimbrough added 13. Kate Brownfield scored nine, while Josie Spikereit closed with eight.
Kamri Ouck led Parkview with 20 points, while Mikaela Whalen finished with 19. After both players combined to score 29 in the first half, Webb City limited the duo to 10 points in the final two quarters.
“I think we decided to help off of a player we felt wasn’t going to be as effective offensively to just to put somebody else in the lane so whoever was guarding (Whalen or Ouck) had help,” Robbins said. “Early in the game, we didn’t have that and they were able to get by us. That was the biggest adjustment—just sticking somebody in the lane to clog it and take away their angles to score the basketball.”
GAME ACTION
The first half saw seven ties and six lead changes with both teams heading into the intermission knotted up at 32-32. Webb City (6-8) held the largest lead of the first half — five points — when Duda knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner with 57 seconds left in the opening quarter to make the score 16-11.
One hindrance to the Cardinals in the first half, and ultimately the game, was free-throw shooting. Webb City finished 6-of-13 from the stripe in the first half and closed the win shooting 10-of-25 from the free-throw line.
“Free throws and layups are huge,” Robbins said. “They win you basketball games. We’ve preached that to our kids since day one. We have struggled in those two areas—free throws and easy layups. If we continue to improve in those areas, we will continue to have more success in the win-loss column.”
Whalen scored the first two baskets out of halftime to give Parkview a four-point lead, which it held onto through the first four minutes of action in the second half.
Coach Robbins called a timeout near the four-minute mark, and you could see the adjustment instantly, as the Cardinals went into a full-court, trapping press on the defensive end. The adjustment worked, as Webb City closed the third quarter on a 12-0 run to build the first real cushion of the game, 49-41, with one quarter to play.
“Anytime you can make a 12-0 run on somebody, obviously it gives you momentum, but I felt like our confidence started to grow,” Robbins said. “We started making some jumpers outside and moving the ball well offensively—playing outside and inside. Once we got that lead, our kids felt confident in themselves to manage the game in the fourth quarter.”
The Cardinals forced five turnovers on defense in the run, while Duda and Kimbrough both knocked down 3-pointers on offense to kick off the spurt. Webb City closed with baskets from Mia Robbins, Spikereit and Kimbrough.
Webb City’s defense didn’t let up in the final eight minutes, limiting the Vikings to two field goals as a team in the fourth quarter en route to the win.
“I thought we had kids who stepped up and did a good job defensively,” Robbins said of his team’s finish. “We’ve played a lot of zone lately. Tonight, we probably played 90 percent man-to-man throughout the course of the game. For our kids to adjust and have the toughness to guard the way they did in the third and fourth quarter speaks volumes.”
UP NEXT
Webb City takes part in the Camdenton Shootout on Saturday.
MONETT, Mo. — Destiny Buerge poured in 29 points in just three quarters and Klohe Burk scored 18 points in her second game in a Carl Junction uniform, as the pair of sophomore guards led the Bulldogs to a dominating 66-34 victory over the Monett Cubs on Monday night in a non-conference girls basketball clash.
Ranked seventh in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Carl Junction improved to 11-4.
The Bulldogs never trailed and used a 17-0 run in the first quarter to pull away for good.
“Even with everything that’s gone on and with it being such a weird year, we have really improved in a lot of areas,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “I felt like in the Pittsburg game we saw a lot of things starting to click. We saw some really good things out of our girls offensively tonight. From here on out, our biggest key is going to be rebounding.”
BUERGE’S BIG NIGHT
The 5-foot-6 Buerge made 11 field goals, with five 3-pointers.
Buerge scored 24 of her 29 points in an impressive first half. She had 15 points in the first quarter alone and sat out the final frame.
“She shot it well,” Shorter said. “She’s obviously very capable of filling it up like that. I thought she was real efficient tonight. It wasn’t like she took a ton of shots. She shot at a high percentage. And she spread it around nicely with several assists. When she can do that, it’s good for us offensively.”
NEW ADDITION
Burk, a 5-6 shooting guard, is a recent addition to the Carl Junction roster. Burk, who transferred from College Heights after her family moved to Carl Junction, made six shots, including four 3-pointers.
Shorter noted Burk’s addition gives the Bulldogs more firepower in the backcourt.
“The addition of Klohe has been a big help,” Shorter said. “She can handle the ball and she’s basketball savvy. She’s picked things up really fast. She works really hard. She’s getting more accustomed to what we’re trying to do here at CJ, offensively, defensively…set plays. And she’s fitting in really nicely with our group of girls.”
Klohe Burk
Of course, Burk was one of College Heights’ top performers throughout the first half of the 2020-21 season.
Before the holiday break, Burk had a number of big games for College Heights. She scored 26 points against Diamond, put up 23 points against Lockwood and had 20 against New Covenant.
Burk’s older sister Kaynahn is a senior and decided to finish her final year of high school at College Heights.
Klohe Burk scored nine points in her CJ debut last week against Pittsburg.
Of course, Burk is still getting accustomed to her new teammates and coaches.
She said it’s been a smooth transition.
“Honestly, it’s been a really good experience,” Burk said. “Coach Shorter has helped me a lot. So have all the players. Everyone has been really welcoming. I really enjoy it (at CJ) and I’m having a lot of fun playing with these girls.”
GAME RECAP
After scoring 17 unanswered points, Carl Junction led 25-7 by the end of the first quarter.
The Cubs turned it over nine times in the opening frame against Carl Junction’s pressure defense.
The visitors outscored the hosts 25-8 in the second quarter, and a pair of treys from sophomore guard Hali Shorter gave the Bulldogs a comfortable 45-15 halftime advantage.
Burk buried three treys in the third quarter and the Bulldogs were up 59-27.
In addition to Buerge’s 29 points and Burk’s 18, junior guard Jessa Hylton scored 10 points for the Bulldogs before leaving with an apparent ankle injury. Hali Shorter chipped in six.
Carl Junction played without Kylie Scott. Shorter said the 6-1 freshman forward missed the game due to an injury.
Natalie Turner scored 16 points to lead Monett (0-12).
The Carthage Tigers finished second in the team standings at the Lamar Invitational this past Saturday.
Monett took first place with 400 points, while Carthage was the runner-up with 360 points.
Nevada, Lamar, Camdenton and Joplin finished third through sixth, while Greenwood, Hillcrest and Marshfield also competed.
CARTHAGE RESULTS
Nadya Housh won the 200-yard individual medley, with teammate Aubree Santillan second. Housh was also fourth in the 500 freestyle.
Carthage’s 200 medley relay team of Madison Riley, Santillan, Housh and Hope Fultz finished second.
Carthage also finished second in the 400 freestyle relay, with Riley, Santillan, Housh and Fultz swimming.
The 200 freestyle relay team of Victoria Martinez, Leah Lambeth, Sydney Parks and Ava Lacey placed third.
Riley was the runner-up in both the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke, while Lacey took second in the 500 freestyle.
Lacey also placed third in the 200 freestyle, with Fultz fifth. Santillan placed third in the 100 backstroke, while Martinez finished fourth in the 200 IM and fifth in the 100 fly.
Elena Wright and Olivia Wright finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 500 free, while Fultz took seventh in the 100 free.
JOPLIN RESULTS
Joplin’s 200 freestyle relay team of Ava Perrin, Sophia Schwartz, Mairi Beranek and Mya Johnson finished fifth, while Lily Rakes, Schwartz, Taegen Smith and Beranek placed fifth in the 400 free relay.
The team of Beranek, Smith, Perrin and Johnson finished sixth in the 200 medley relay.
Rakes finished seventh in the 200 free and ninth in the 500 free, while Beranek placed eighth in the 100 backstroke and Johnson was ninth in the 50 free.
LAMAR, MONETT, NEVADA HIGHLIGHTS
Lamar’s Meghan Watson won the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke.
Monett’s Ava Fritts took first in both the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle, while teammate Faith Drewianka won the 100 freestyle.
Lamar won the 200 medley relay, while Monett took first in both freestyle relays. Lamar’s medley relay featured Watson, Audrey
Osterdyk, Emma Tennal and Kaitlyn Davis.
Monett’s 200 free relay team featured Gwen Lesue, Fritts, Claire Nation and Drewianka. Abigail Apostol, Fritts, Nation and Drewianka made up the 400 free relay team.
Nevada’s team of Abbi Baldwin, Emma Leisure, Hadley Fletchall and Avery Morris took second in the 200 freestyle relay.
LIBERAL, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson fell 71-47 to Galena, Kansas, in the Tony Dubray Classic championship game on Saturday.
The Bulldogs took all of the momentum early, outscoring the Cavaliers 28-9 in the first quarter on the way to a 26-point lead by the intermission. Thomas Jefferson cut the lead to 16 by the start of the fourth before Galena pushed the lead back out down the stretch.
Thomas Jefferson falls to 12-2 on the season.
Dhruv Gheewala led Thomas Jefferson with 18 points, while Caden Myers added 11. Drew Goodhope scored eight, while Jay Ball finished with six. Gheewala and Myers were both named to the all-tournament team.
Tyler Little led Galena with a game-high 26 points, while Brett Sarwinski added 21 points. Kobe McGlothlin finished in double figures with 10.
Thomas Jefferson hosts Jasper on Tuesday.
CARTHAGE BOYS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT
CHANUTE, Kan. — The Carthage Tigers ended the 49th Ralph Miller Classic on a positive note.
Carthage’s boys defeated Life Prep 53-46 on Saturday at Chanute High School.
The Tigers got off to a great start, leading 13-5.
By the break, Carthage was up 28-23. The third period was even, 13-13, and the Tigers were clinging to a 41-36 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Carthage outscored Life Prep 12-10 in the final period to secure a second straight win at the event.
Joel Pugh was Carthage’s leading scorer with 20 points. A junior guard, Pugh made five 3-pointers and was named to the all-tournament team.
Max Templeman added 12 points for the Tigers. Clay Kinder and Silas Templeman contributed six points apiece, while Justin Ray had five and Caden Kabance added four.
Carthage hosts Hillcrest on Tuesday night.
COUGARS TAKE THIRD AT LANCER CLASSIC, WARRIORS FALL IN FIFTH-PLACE GAME
CHEROKEE, Kan. — College Heights Christian claimed third-place honors at the Lancer Classic with a 49-44 win over Columbus.
Miller Long led the Cougars with 13 points, while Ethan Adel added 11 and Ethan Meeks had 10.
College Heights, now 9-7, plays at Verona on Tuesday.
Southeast defeated McAuley Catholic 70-47 in the fifth-place game.
Daniel Wagner scored 16 points for McAuley, while Matthew Dohmen added 13 and Thomas Black had 10.
The Lancers used a 24-10 second quarter to take control. Cade Burdette scored 26 points for Southeast.
LEBANON, Mo. — Rogersville started fast and finished even stronger in an 83-59 win over Joplin in the Heritage Bank of the Ozarks Hall of Fame Classic championship game on Saturday.
The Wildcats (12-4) scored the game’s first eight points and built a 14-point lead by the end of the opening period. The Eagles (10-5), which took second place in the three-day tournament with wins over Gateway City Elite and Lebanon, were forced to whittle away from an early hole, trimming the deficit to one possession in the third quarter and again in the fourth before Rogersville pulled away down the stretch with an insurmountable closing run.
“They are good,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “They beat us up inside. Points in the paint are an issue for us that we are continually trying to address. We didn’t have a lot of time to prep for them, and they had one day of prep for us. … From a coaching standpoint, that falls on me making sure I’m helping our kids.
“Our kids are fighting. We showed some heart, and again, there are a lot of different guys playing. We are trying to figure out who is going to fill out those roles and those gaps for us. We are close, but we have a ways to go.”
Jonathan Dunn, a 6-foot-7 senior and Western Illinois commit, had his way on the court in the early moments, scoring the first six points of the game — including a forceful dunk — and eight of the Wildcats’ first 10 points to stake Rogersville out to a 10-3 lead.
“If you let an athletic individual get going, it motivates,” Hafer said of the Wildcats’ start. “You make them comfortable and my thought is, ‘Guys, just be aggressive.’ We didn’t talk and we gave them some really easy ones.”
Dunn added a pair of 3-pointers to finish with 14 points in the first quarter, while helping the Wildcats establish a 25-11 advantage heading into the second period.
Joplin knocked down the first two shots of the second period to cut it to nine, with both teams trading back and forth until the Eagles went into the intermission trailing by nine, 35-26.
Joplin began to find its footing in the third quarter, slowly chipping away at the lead. After a score inside in transition by Micah Bruggeman and a 3-pointer by All Wright, the Eagles cut the lead to five with 3:30 on the clock.
“We were a little tentative for whatever reason coming out, but we fought back and got it to nine by half,” Hafer said. “We talked at halftime about playing so passively, and we missed so many bunnies. … We actually started really poorly in the third quarter and then we got going, sharing the basketball. We started pressing on defense and caused some turnovers.”
Joplin eventually cut the lead all the way down to one possession when Dominick Simmons buried back-to-back 3-balls to make the score 49-46 with a minute to play in the third quarter.
Rogersville pushed the lead back to seven early, 57-50, thanks to a pair baskets from Dunn out of the final break, the second of which was turned into a three-point play.
All Wright knocked down a baseline jumper and scored on the drive at the 6:15 mark to once again cut the Wildcats’ lead to one possession, 57-54.
Rogersville responded with a bucket from Dunn and a three-point play from Zach Bergmann to push the lead to eight before All Wright connected for a mid-range jumper near the five minute mark to make the score 62-56.
The Wildcats followed with the knockout blow, scoring 17 unanswered points to snuff out any comeback attempt while ultimately closing the game on a 22-3 run since the Eagles cut the lead to three earlier in the period.
“I was pleased with how we fought back,” Hafer said. “We spotted them, then we fought back. We spotted them again in the third quarter and we fought back again. … We had our opportunities. It got away in the fourth quarter, but I felt like that was a game we could win. They are a very good team, and they did what they do better than what we do today.”
SCORING LEADERS
Dunn finished with a game-high 30 points, while Bergmann closed with 18. Kanon Gipson finished right behind with 17 to give Rogersville three players in double figures.
All Wright led Joplin with 21 points, while Simmons finished with 14. Always Wright closed with 11 points, with Bruggeman chipping in with six.
“I put Micah in during the first half and he made a huge difference for us,” Hafer said. “Micah hasn’t gotten very many minutes, but he just brought a presence to the middle of their zone that took attention away from our shooters. He was able to give us some really good minutes, so I was proud of him.”
UP NEXT
Joplin is at Kickapoo for a 7:30 p.m. tip on Tuesday.
FRONTENAC, Kan. — With his team trailing by two, and with little time left on the clock, Logan Applegate had planned on creating off the dribble.
Instead, and with the game’s outcome hanging in the balance, the Nevada senior guard pulled up from long range.
For Applegate and the Tigers, that split-second decision proved to be a good one.
Applegate buried a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to lift Nevada to a thrilling 51-50 come-from-behind victory over Webb City on Saturday in the championship game of the Freeman Sports Medicine Mid-Season Shoot-Out at Frontenac High School.
“This is a huge win for us,” Applegate said. “This is the one we wanted. We had Webb City circled on our calendar, so this is definitely a big win and we’re super happy.”
The game was deadlocked at 48 when Webb City senior guard Nickhai Howard hit a mid-range jumper near the foul line with 7.8 seconds remaining to give the Cardinals a two-point cushion.
After a timeout, the Tigers pushed the ball up the floor and Applegate found the ball in his hands near halfcourt with time running out.
The closely-guarded Applegate took a couple of dribbles and then rose up from beyond the arc on the right wing—and his shot went in.
“The plan was for me to get the ball on the move and then for me to create, like a fastbreak,” Applegate said. “Their defense played back, so thank God for some space and my teammates got me the ball. I always try to elevate on my shots so there’s not a hand in my face as much. The shot felt good.”
“They swarmed him, but he just rose up and hit it,” Nevada coach Shaun Gray said. “He made a heck of a shot and he made several big shots in the fourth quarter. Logan put us on his shoulders. That was clutch by him. Our guys executed at the end.”
Webb City coach Jason Horn gave the Tigers and their sharp-shooter credit after what was a disappointing setback for his Cardinals.
“Good players make plays,” Horn said, noting Applegate’s shot was well-guarded. “He made a play. He’s really talented. He showed he’s one of the better guards in the area.”
After Applegate’s trey splashed home, and following a timeout, Webb City attempted a full-court pass, but it was intercepted by Nevada’s Ben Hines and time expired.
Applegate’s shot capped a nice comeback for the Tigers.
The Cardinals held a 12-point lead with two minutes left in the third period, but Nevada outscored Webb City 19-9 in the final frame.
“We weren’t very good offensively today,” Horn said. “We didn’t shoot the ball very well. We gave them chances and they hung around. You have to give Nevada credit. Their kids stayed mentally tough. We had our chances to stretch the lead several times and we didn’t do it. You can’t let a good team hang around like that.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Applegate scored a game-high 25 points, hitting 9-of-17 shots, including four treys. Applegate has offers from Texas State and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and may attend a prep school next year before making his college decision, Gray noted.
Senior guard Logan McNeley added 11 points and six rebounds for the Tigers, who made 19-of-34 field goal attempts (56 percent).
Webb City wasn’t able to overcome a poor shooting night, as the Cardinals shot 30 percent from the floor (16-of-53), including 3-of-19 from beyond the arc.
Senior guard Nickhai Howard had a double-double for the Cardinals with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow senior Mekhi Garrard added 13 points and seven boards, while classmate Trenton Hayes had nine points.
The Cardinals out-rebounded the Tigers 31-20.
GAME RECAP
Garrard nailed his second trey of the opening period and Alex Martin scored inside, giving Webb City an 11-7 lead.
But Applegate buried a 3-pointer, cutting his team’s deficit to one at the end of the first quarter at 11-10.
The Cardinals went up five when Cohl Vaden and Hayes both scored on putbacks inside, but the Tigers stayed within striking distance for the rest of the second quarter. Two hoops from Evan Rea and a layup from Logan McNeley trimmed Webb City’s lead to one.
Howard hit a pull-up jumper at the conclusion of the first half, giving the Cardinals a 26-23 advantage at the break.
Webb City went up 12 with two minutes remaining in the third period after a putback from Hayes.
The Tigers answered with five straight points, but Howard drained a fall away jumper at the buzzer to give Webb a 41-32 lead heading into the fourth period.
Nevada scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter and the game was close the rest of the way.
Before his game-winner, Applegate drained two other treys in the fourth period.
Webb City’s Garrard and Hayes and Nevada’s Hines all hit clutch free throws late in the game, tying the score at 48.
That’s when the versatile Howard gave the Cardinals the lead, only to see Applegate connect on his cold-blooded trey moments later.
“This win is huge for these guys,” Gray said. “We wanted them to get a signature win and a tournament championship. Our seniors have poured their heart and soul into the program. The twins (Logan and Lane McNeley) grew up with their dad (John) as the high school’s basketball coach. For our seniors, their high school basketball program means a lot to them. I’m just really proud of the effort all these guys gave today.”
GAME NOTES
Nevada improved to 11-5, while Webb City dropped to 11-3. The Cardinals, who are ranked fourth in Class 5, had beaten the Tigers 65-55 at the Kaminsky Classic on Jan. 7.
The Cardinals and Tigers are district opponents, so there’s a chance they’ll meet again when the postseason arrives. It’s Nevada’s third straight Frontenac tourney championship. Nevada hosts Carthage next Friday.
A BUSY WEEK FOR WEBB CITY
Webb City has a busy week ahead. The Cardinals travel to Harrisonville on Tuesday before beginning play at the Nixa Tournament on Wednesday.
“We have four games next week,” Horn said. “We have to get on to the next one. We’ll work on some things in practice on Monday and hopefully we’ll keep getting better.”
The Nevada Tigers pose after winning the Freeman Sports Medicine Mid-Season Shoot-Out at Frontenac High School.
CHEROKEE, Kan. — The College Heights Christian girls basketball team captured the Lancer Classic championship with a hard-fought 37-32 win over Erie on Friday night at Southeast High School.
The Cougars hiked their record to 13-1.
College Heights used a balanced attack. Catie Secker scored 11 points, while Grace Bishop added eight. Kaynahn Burk and Jayli Johnson contributed seven points apiece for CHC, while Lainey Lett rounded out the scoring with four points.
Skylar Clevenger scored 12 points for the Red Devils (8-2).
The game was deadlocked at the break, 15-15.
College Heights took a 26-22 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Cougars outscored the Red Devils 11-10 in the final frame to secure the win.
CHC’s Catie Secker looks for an open teammate during Friday’s Lancer Classic championship game against Erie. Photo by Sean Frye/Parsons Sun.
— College Heights Christian School Athletics (@CHCSathletics) January 23, 2021
MCAULEY TAKES THIRD PLACE
CHEROKEE, Kan. — McAuley Catholic took third place in the Lancer Classic after pulling away to a 57-33 win over Baxter Springs on Friday at Southeast High School.
After building a 22-11 lead by the intermission, the Warriors (9-6) outscored the Lions 16-11 in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth with a 19-11 run down the stretch.
Kennedy DeRuy led McAuley with a game-high 30 points in the win. Kayleigh Teeter finished with 16 points, while Gliza Damaso added four.
Emmalee Williams and Allie Fry each led Baxter Springs with 11 points apiece. Kennedy Krokroskia finished with six in the loss.
McAuley hosts Wheaton for a 5 p.m. tip on Tuesday.
ROGERSVILLE, Mo. — Webb City defeated Sparta 54-37 at the Williams Construction Lady Wildcat Classic at Logan-Rogersville High School.
The Cardinals will conclude tourney play at 12:30 on Saturday against Springfield Central.
NEVADA GIRLS 54, FORT SCOTT 40
Nevada’s girls beat Fort Scott 54-40 at the Frontenac tournament.
Nevada led 43-23 at the end of the third quarter en route to victory.
Clara Swearingen and Tylin Heathman scored 14 points apiece for Nevada (7-7). Ella Beth scored 18 points for Fort Scott (2-8).
MOUNT VERNON 66, BOLIVAR 44
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Missouri Southern recruit Lacy Stokes scored 26 points to lead the Mountaineers to third place at the Bolivar Tournament.
Ellie Johnston added 17 points for Mount Vernon, while Raegan Boswell added 11.
After a close first half, Mount Vernon finished strong, outscoring Bolivar 43-23 in the second half.
FRONTENAC, Kan. — A second-quarter surge led Webb City to a 78-60 win over Frontenac on Friday night at the Freeman Sports Medicine Mid-Season Shoot-Out at Frontenac High School.
Webb City (11-2) will meet Nevada (10-5) at 2:30 on Saturday in the tourney’s championship game.
The Raiders led 16-14 at the end of the first quarter, but the Cardinals put together a 17-0 run to begin the second period.
Webb City never trailed again. The Cardinals were up 38-27 at halftime.
Treys late in the third quarter by Nickhai Howard and Max Higginbotham, along with four points from Cohl Vaden, gave Webb City a 54-36 lead.
The Cardinals went up 20 early in the fourth quarter on a pair of free throws from Higginbotham.
A two-handed dunk by Luke Brumit extended Webb City’s advantage to 62-43 with five minutes to play.
Alex Martin and Howard scored 15 points apiece to lead the Cardinals, while Vaden added 10 points. Brumit had 10 rebounds and eight points.
Mekhi Garrard and Trenton Hayes added eight points apiece. Nine different players scored for the Cardinals, who shot 43 percent from the floor (26-for-60).
The Raiders were led by 6-foot-8 junior post player Jordan Fudge’s 22 points. Frontenac shot 43 percent (20-of-47). The Raiders had 26 turnovers, while the Cardinals had 19.
There were 49 fouls called, 27 on the Raiders and 22 on the Cardinals.
NEVADA 58, FORT SCOTT 30
Also in Frontenac, Nevada came out on top in the clash between Tigers, improving to 2-0 in the tourney.
Nevada led 13-9 at the end of the opening frame and 29-23 at halftime.
With a 17-5 third quarter, Nevada extended its lead to 18 at 46-28 entering the fourth quarter.
Shaun Gray’s Tigers pushed the lead to 20 right away in the fourth quarter.
Nevada outscored Fort Scott 29-7 in the second half.
Logan McNeley led Nevada with 22 points with four 3-pointers, while Logan Applegate added 13 points.
CARTHAGE 79, COFFEYVILLE 30
CHANUTE, Kan. — A strong first half led Carthage’s boys to a 79-30 win over Coffeyville on Friday afternoon at the Ralph Miller Classic at Chanute High School.
Up 25-13 at the end of the first quarter, Carthage extended its lead to 39-19 by halftime.
The Tigers outscored the Golden Tornado 30-6 in the third period to take a comfortable 69-25 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Max Templeman poured in 21 points to lead Carthage, while Joel Pugh added 18 points with five 3-pointers.
Also for the Tigers, Silas Templeman scored 12 points and Justin Ray had 10 with two treys.
Carthage plays Life Prep at 2:30 on Saturday to finish out tourney play.
NEOSHO 79, FORSYTH 58
NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho earned a convincing 79-58 non-conference win over Forsyth.
Landon Austin led the Wildcats with 27 points and Isaiah Green added a career-high 20 points.
Austin scored 17 points in the second half and also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Wildcats coach Zane Culp noted it was Austin’s second straight double-double.
Chase Flynn added 15 points for Neosho, while Dalton Brodie had eight. Brock Franklin and Kael Smith chipped in seven points apiece.
The Wildcats led 35-33 at the break, but the hosts erupted for 44 points in the second half, including 26 in the fourth quarter.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Carl Junction Bulldogs got off to a hot start en route to a 72-53 win over the Monett Cubs on Friday night.
Monett got off the first basket, but then the Bulldogs went on a 12-3 run.
Senior Alex Baker made four free throws to start off his night, and senior Blake Poorman also made two field goals. Monett made a pair of 3-pointers to brings the score to 14-8 in Carl Junction’s favor at the end of the first quarter.
Carl Junction junior Josh Cory went off in the second quarter for the Bulldogs by scoring 13 points off six baskets and a free throw. Cory was aided by Baker, who also made a basket and a pair of free throws, giving him eight points for the half.
Bulldogs senior Sincere Williams also made his first basket of the half to add onto two free throws he made in the first quarter. By the time both teams headed to the locker room, Carl Junction had a 33-17 lead that they would not relinquish.
Coming out of the half, Williams added to his totals by hitting a two free throws, a 3-pointer and a pair of field goals to give him nine points in the quarter and 13 for the night.
Senior Mylas Derfelt also added a pair of impressive 3s and Cory, Baker and Poorman all contributed with points of their own.
Baker finished the night with 10 points. Sophomore Ayden Bard, making his first start of the year, also made his first basket of the game. Monett tried to mount a comeback but were never able to bridge the gap.
As the clock turned to the final period, Carl Junction led 56-30.
“We came back and took care of our house tonight,” Carl Junction coach Justin Pock said. “The other day we let Hillcrest come in here and take over our house, and we respect where we play and we had to protect it.”
Even with a 26-point deficit, Monett continued to try and claw their way back into the game in the fourth, making two treys, several field goals, and going 5-for-6 from the line to put up 23 points.
The Bulldogs were not going to let a comeback happen, as Bard scored seven points (giving him 9 on the night), Cory added two baskets, junior Jaden Cherry hit a basket and sophomore Nathan Planchon finished the night off by hitting his only basket for 3.
“We got a little sloppy there at the end, but we played really hard defensively and rebounded a lot and that was a big takeaway,” Pock said. “I’m going to tell our guys to celebrate tonight, but then we’ve got to get back to work. We have Central next Tuesday, but we definitely rebuilt our house tonight.”
LEBANON, Mo. — Senior Dominick Simmons splashed home a corner 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation to lift Joplin past Lebanon 55-52 in the semifinal round of the Hall of Fame Classic on Friday.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND
The Eagles improve to 10-4 on the season with the win and advance to take on Rogersville in the championship game at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
SCORING LEADERS
Always Wright finished with 15 points to lead Joplin. Carson Wampler added 11 points, and Terrance Gibson finished with 10. Simmons and All Wright each closed the win out with eight points.
Josh Napper finished with a game-high 20 points to lead Lebanon. Tristan Wilson added 11, while Ty Matlock and Caleb Falzone both scored six.
GAME NOTES
Joplin took an 11-8 lead into the first quarter after jumping out in front of Lebanon thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from All Wright and Always Wright to open the game. The Eagles stretched the lead to 16-10 midway through the second quarter following a 3-pointer from Wampler and a score on the break from All Wright.
Falzone scored on the give-and-go, while Napper sank a triple to bring Lebanon within one of the lead, 16-15. Falzone and Napper combined for 15 of the Yellowjackets’ 17 points in the first half.
Joplin closed out the half on a 6-2 run to take a 23-17 advantage into the second half, with Always Wright scoring on a fast-break dunk before All Wright knocked down a floater. Gibson added an offensive board for a putback to close out the first-half scoring.
The score remained tight throughout the third period, with Joplin clinging to a 37-35 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of action. The Eagles never trailed in the game until Napper grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback score with 4:25 to give the Yellowjackets their first lead, 43-41.
Joplin tied the game on two free throws from LT Atherton before Always Wright earned a steal for a fast-break dunk going the other way for a 45-43 advantage. Gibson added an inbounds score from the block moments later to push the lead to 47-43 with 2:20 left.
Lebanon tied the game back up with less than two minutes to play on a second-chance 3-pointer from Napper to make the score 48-48. Gibson pulled down on offensive rebound and scored on the putback to give Joplin the lead back with less than 90 seconds to play. The Yellowjackets tied it for the fourth time in the final quarter with 15 seconds left on an inside score from Wilson, but the Eagles pushed the ball down the floor with Simmons sealing the win on his late corner 3-ball.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
