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Month: January 2021

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.

GIRLS SWIMMING: Carthage wins Springfield invite

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Carthage High School girls swim team took first place at Tuesday’s Springfield Invitational.
The Tigers topped the final team standings with 295 points. Camdenton (226) and New Covenant Academy (176) were second and third, respectively. There were seven teams in attendance.
The Tigers won four events.
Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Madison Riley, Aubree Santillan, Nadya Housh and Hope Fultz took first place with a time of 2 minutes, 6 seconds.
In other first place showings, Housh won the 100 butterfly in 1:06, Riley took first in the 100 freestyle in 57.94 and Ava Lacey won the 100 backstroke in 1:12.
The Tigers placed second in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:09, with Riley, Santillan, Housh and Fultz swimming.
Riley was the runner-up in the 50 freestyle, while Carthage’s Mackenzie Polley and Sydney Parks placed second and third in the 500 freestyle.
Santillan and Jacey Dixon placed fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 200 freestyle.
Housh, Santillan and Fultz finished third, fourth and fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
Fultz was fifth in the 100 free, while Elena Wright was fifth in the 100 backstroke.
The Tigers finished fifth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Leah Lambeth, Wright, Dixon and Polley competing.

GIRLS HOOPS ROUNDUP: Webb City falls in tourney opener, Seneca tops Nevada

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

ROLLA 58, WEBB CITY 47

ROGERSVILLE, Mo. — Webb City’s girls basketball team suffered a 58-47 setback to Rolla on Tuesday night at the Lady Wildcat Classic at Logan-Rogersville High School.

Jaydee Duda scored 21 points to lead Webb City (4-7), while Sierra Kimbrough added 10 points.

Savannah Campbell scored 23 points for Rolla (9-3), while Carli Libhart added 18.

The Cardinals return to action at the event at 4 on Friday against Sparta. 

 

SENECA 44, NEVADA 42

NEVADA, Mo. — Seneca rallied late and earned a Big 8 West road win.

Aliya Grotjohn led Seneca (5-9) with 21 points, while Makayla French added eight. 

Nevada’s Tylin Heathman scored 11 points, while Abby Harder added nine for the Tigers (6-6).

Nevada led 22-17 at the half and 34-33 at the end of the third quarter. 

Seneca outscored the hosts 11-8 in the final frame.  

 

BOYS HOOPS ROUNDUP: Carl Junction earns road win at Lebanon; Neosho tops Willard; CHC defeats McAuley; Nevada rolls past Seneca

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION 54, LEBANON 40

LEBANON, Mo. — Carl Junction fought back from an early deficit and used a strong second half to beat Lebanon 54-40 in a non-conference boys basketball clash on Tuesday night at Boswell Auditorium. 

The Bulldogs outscored the Yellowjackets 43-26 after the first period. 

Alex Baker scored 16 points to lead Carl Junction, while Josh Cory added 12. Blake Poorman had eight points and Ayden Bard added seven for the Bulldogs, who picked up their third win of the season.

The Yellowjackets led 14-11 at the end of the first period. 

Hoops from Poorman and Cory gave the Bulldogs a 23-20 lead at halftime. 

A pair of treys from Baker, a hoop inside from Cory and a putback by Baker gave Carl Junction a 42-29 advantage late in the third period. 

The Bulldogs led 42-32 entering the fourth quarter.  

Poorman’s hoop in the paint and a 3-pointer from Baker made it 49-36 in favor of the visitors with just under three minutes remaining. 

Carl Junction hosts Monett on Friday night. 

 

NEOSHO 58, WILLARD 56

WILLARD, Mo. — Neosho picked up its first conference win of the season.

Landon Austin led the Wildcats with 24 points and Chase Flynn added 12.

Neosho’s Dalton Brodie and Isaiah Green contributed eight points apiece, while Landon Werneke added six.

Neosho hiked its record to 9-6 overall and 1-1 in the COC. 

The Wildcats trailed 32-26 at halftime, but the Wildcats took a 48-42 lead into the fourth quarter.

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS 66, MCAULEY CATHOLIC 53

CHEROKEE, Kan. — College Heights Christian built a nine-point lead after the first quarter on the way to an opening-round win over McAuley Catholic on Tuesday in the Lancer Classic.

Miller Long continued his torrid pace with a game-high 30 points to lead the Cougars. Hagen Beck finished with 16 in the win, while Curtis Davenport finished with seven and Ethan Meeks with six.

Thomas Black led McAuley with 21 points, while Rocco Bazzano-Joseph added nine on three 3-pointers. Daniel Wagner finished with eight in the loss.

No. 4 College Heights plays top-seeded Erie in the semifinals at 5:50 on Thursday. McAuley takes on Wichita Independent in the consolation semifinals at 5:50 on Thursday.

 

NEVADA 62, SENECA 28

NEVADA, Mo. — Nevada rolled in this one.

The host Tigers took control early, as Nevada led 21-6 at the end of the first quarter and 44-13 at the break. 

Nevada held a comfortable 56-23 advantage by the end of the third period.

The Tigers improved to 8-5, while the Indians slipped to 2-11. 

Logan McNeley scored 15 points to lead the Tigers, while Lane McNeley had 12 and Case Sanderson added 10.

Titus Atkins had six points for Seneca, while Blake Hurn had five.

BOYS HOOPS: Top-seeded Thomas Jefferson earns convincing win to open Tony Dubray Classic

Posted on by Lucas Davis

LIBERAL, Mo. —  The top-seeded Thomas Jefferson boys basketball team started on a 12-0 run and never looked back in an 82-44 win over Northeast Vernon County on Tuesday to open the Tony Dubray Classic.

“I thought we started the game really well,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “We had that intensity that we talked about. Then we got into a pretty good lull there. It all starts with defense, and once we got passive on defense, it gave them a little life. When we are playing good defense and getting transition buckets, we are fun to watch.”

With the win, the Cavaliers move to 11-1 on the season with nine straight victories. 

Thomas Jefferson wasted little time taking the momentum from the opening tip, scoring the first 12 points inside the first three minutes of action. Jay Ball started things off with an inside score. Caden Myers added six points. More importantly, the Cavaliers forced three turnovers in the opening minutes.

“We want to get out and play good defense,” Coach Myers said. “We want to get in the passing lanes, force some things to happen and then turn it into offense the other way. … We did a good job of that early, and got back to that to start the second half.”

Thomas Jefferson took a 23-8 lead into the second quarter after closing the first on a 9-2 spurt led by five points from Noah Hamlett.

The lead meandered around the 15-point mark for the entire second period, with the Cavaliers essentially putting the game out of reach in the third quarter. 

Coming out of the half up 42-26, Thomas Jefferson opened with a 3-pointer from Drew Goodhope and a fast-break runout from Dhruv Gheewala to push the lead to more than 20 for the first time, 47-26. Gheewala added an old-fashioned three-point play and a driving score to give the Cavaliers a 53-29 lead on a 9-3 run to open the third. 

“We weren’t overly pleased at halftime, honestly,” Coach Myers said. “We were pleased with having a lead, but we talked about wanting to turn up that defensive pressure. … I was really pleased with the way the boys responded. They played a good defensive third quarter to let us stretch it out.”

Thomas Jefferson continued their run, scoring the next nine straight points to push the lead to 30 points, 62-32, ending any chance for a Knights comeback with 2:30 left in the third period. 

SCORING LEADERS

Caden Myers led Thomas Jefferson with a game-high 25 points, while Gheewala finished right behind with 21. Ball closed with 12 points, while Goodhope finished with nine. 

Justin Culbertson led Northeast Vernon County with 21 points, 10 coming in the second quarter. Kylan Bachand finished with 14 in the loss.

UP NEXT

Thomas Jefferson battles the winner of (4) Liberal and (5) Sarcoxie at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. 

WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Joplin splits duals; Neosho tops Carthage, Webb City falls at Marshfield

Posted on by Jason Peake

JOPLIN SPLITS DUALS IN KANSAS

FRONTENAC, Kan. — The Joplin Eagles split a pair of duals against Kansas schools on Tuesday night at Frontenac High School. 

Joplin defeated Independence 52-18.

Winning their matches by fall for the Eagles were Sam Melton (106 pounds), Jack Stanley (152), Brendon Mynatt (160), Brayden Thomas (182), Luke Gunn (220) and Gunner Price (285). 

Joplin’s Josiah Vaughn earned a major decision at 132, while Rocky Walker (126) and Reese Macios (138) posted decisions. Scott Lowe won by forfeit at 195.

Frontenac defeated Joplin 42-36.

Recording wins by fall for the Eagles were Melton, Jabin Brown (113), Stanley and Price. 

Frontenac’s Lathan Lundberg defeated Freddy Cerrato-Martinez 11-8 at 120, while Matt Moore earned a 10-5 decision over Draven VanGilder at 170.

The Raiders won six matches by fall.

 

NEOSHO 57, CARTHAGE 10

NEOSHO, Mo. — The Wildcats earned a homecoming win over the Tigers.

Neosho’s Landon Kivett edged Carlos Reyes 11-10 at 120 pounds, while Carthage’s Kip Castor earned a 1-0 decision over Jonny Chrisco at 126.

Carthage’s Eli Sneed defeated Hayden Crane 5-4 at 138, while Neosho’s Eli Zar claimed a 4-2 decision over Davion King at 145.

In another close match, Neosho’s Collyn Kivett defeated Braxdon Tate 3-2 at 152.

Neosho’s Trent Neece (160) and Cayden Auch (170) both won their matches by fall.

At 182, Carthage’s Luke Gall earned a major decision, 13-4, over Eric Holt. 

Neosho’s Jacob Fry (195), Eric Renner (220) and Nikolas Olivares (285) all won by fall.  

The Wildcats also won three matches by forfeit (106, 113 and 132). 

 

MARSHFIELD 52, WEBB CITY 27

MARSHFIELD, Mo. — Earning wins by fall for the Cardinals were Brayden Hollingsworth (170), Roger Carranco (182) and Jacob Ott (195).

Webb City’s Bobby Pearish won by forfeit at 113, while Colt Taylor defeated Tommy Mynatt 7-5 at 120. 

Marshfield won by fall at 126, 145 and 160. Marshfield’s Damian Dockery earned a major decision, 15-2, over Dominic Boles at 132.

The Cardinals were open at 106, 138, 152 and 285.

 

GIRLS HOOPS ROUNDUP: Cougars, Warriors earn wins at Lancer Classic; Cavaliers fall; Mount Vernon rolls

Posted on by Jason Peake

COLLEGE HEIGHTS, MCAULEY GIRLS EARN TOURNEY WINS

CHEROKEE, Kan. — Girls basketball teams from Joplin fared well on the opening night of the Southeast Lancer Classic. 

Second-seeded College Heights Christian cruised past seventh-seeded Southeast 59-24, while third-seeded McAuley Catholic overcame an early double-digit deficit to earn a 53-43 come-from-behind win over sixth-seeded Riverton. 

The crosstown rivals will now meet in the tourney semifinals at 7:40 p.m. on Wednesday. The first semifinal will feature top-seeded Erie against fourth-seeded Baxter Springs at 5:50. 

College Heights (11-2) doubled up tourney host Southeast in the first half, as the Cougars led 30-15 at halftime. 

College Heights then erupted for 18 points in the third quarter to take a comfortable 48-23 lead into the fourth period. 

Grace Bishop scored 21 points to lead the Cougars, while Lainey Lett added 13 points and Catie Secker had 10. 

McAuley’s girls trailed 15-0 early and 17-6 at the end of the first quarter. But the Warriors fought back and outscored the Rams 15-4 in the second period, and the game was deadlocked at 21 at the break. 

McAuley used an 18-7 third quarter to take a 39-28 lead into the fourth period. The final frame was nearly even, and the Warriors never relinquished their lead.

“We battled back and didn’t quit,” Warriors coach Mike Howard said. “I saw a lot of heart in these girls tonight.” 

Kayleigh Teeter led McAuley with 22 points, while Abbey Cahalan added 15. Kennedy DeRuy also reached double figures with 11 points. 

Jacy Thomasson scored 14 points for Riverton, while EJ Wells had 10.  

The boys tourney starts on Tuesday. 

Fourth-seeded College Heights Christian meets fifth-seeded McAuley Catholic at 7:40 p.m.

 

TJ GIRLS FALL IN TOURNEY OPENER

LIBERAL, Mo. — The top-seeded and undefeated St. Mary’s Colgan girls basketball team took control early and rolled to a 68-15 victory over eighth-seeded Thomas Jefferson on Monday night in a first-round girls contest of the Tony Dubray Classic at Liberal High School.

Colgan (7-0) held a 25-5 lead early in the second quarter en route to the lopsided win. 

The Panthers were up 36-9 at intermission and their advantage was 58-11 entering the fourth quarter.

Colgan’s Lauren Torrance scored 24 points and Kaitlin Crossland added 14 points for the Panthers. 

Sydney Stamps led the Cavaliers (1-9) with seven points.

The Cavaliers return to action at 5:15 on Wednesday against Northeast. 

 

MOUNT VERNON 69, BRANSON 31

BOLIVAR, Mo. — Lacy Stokes scored 32 points and Ellie Johnston added 25, as the dynamic senior backcourt duo led Mount Vernon to a 69-31 victory over Branson at the Gary Keeling Lady Liberator Tournament.

Johnston made six 3-pointers, while Stokes hit four treys. 

The Mountaineers were up 43-18 at halftime en route to the non-conference victory. 

 

BOYS HOOPS: Hillcrest pulls away from Carl Junction in the second half

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction boys basketball saw a five-point deficit after the first quarter slip to double digits by halftime before Hillcrest pulled away in the second half to a 76-42 win on Monday.

“We made too many errors that they capitalized on,” Carl Junction coach Justin Pock said. “I didn’t think our execution was very good tonight. We got some good looks and didn’t finish. We fouled them and put them on the line way too many times, and we didn’t play good defense.”

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 5-0 lead on a 3-pointer from Sincere Williams and an inside basket from Josh Cory. 

A 7-0 run midway through the period fueled by a driving score by Devin Oliver and a 3-ball from Crishawn Haggard sent the Hornets to an 11-7 advantage.

Hillcrest eventually took a 16-11 lead into the second quarter and started on a 9-2 run to build a 23-13 margin. Turnovers plagued Carl Junction to open the second period, which led to a 34-21 deficit to start the third quarter.

“We’ve been talking about it a lot, that we have to cut down our turnovers,” Pock said. “We are shooting ourselves in the foot turning the ball over trying to make a great play when we could just handle the basketball and run our offense. We have to take better care of the basketball.”

The Hornets methodically pushed the lead, building it to 20 points for the first time with 1:23 to play following an old-fashioned three-point play from DeeVon Braxton to make the score 53-33. Hillcrest converted two three-point plays in the third quarter, but missed and-one free throws on three more attempts.

“I think they just played more physical than we did in the second half,” Pock said. “Like I told my guys, it’s just one of those where they just seemed like they wanted it more than we did in the second half. That is what I was disappointed at. We are going to miss shots sometimes, but to me, the effort in the second half wasn’t there like I’ve seen all year.”

The Hornets continued the pace, pushing the lead to 30 and starting the running clock in the fourth on the way to closing out the win.

SCORING LEADERS

Alex Baker led Carl Junction with 12 points, while Williams finished with nine. Cory added eight in the loss.

Haggard led Hillcrest with 24 points, while Braxton added 18.

UP NEXT

Carl Junction travels to Lebanon for a 7:30 p.m. tip on Tuesday.

Stokes’ big night not enough, Southern women fall short at Emporia State

Posted on by Jason Peake

EMPORIA, Kan. — Despite a memorable performance from Madi Stokes, the Missouri Southern women’s basketball team suffered a 73-62 loss at Emporia State on Saturday.
The Lions fell to 4-6.
A Cassville product, the 6-foot-3 Stokes scored a season-high 21 points and grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds to lead the Lions. It was her third double-double of the season and the 22 rebounds is tied for second-most in program history.
Carley Turnbull added 11 points for Southern, while Megan Jackson had seven points, six rebounds and three assists.
The Lions out-rebounded the Hornets 50-30.
Stokes’ 20-20 performance is the first for the MSSU women’s basketball program since Marie Scott did it against Missouri Valley on Nov. 24 of 1995. Scott had 24 points and 22 boards.
Emporia State, now 5-2, received 19 points from Fredricka Sheats, while Ehlaina Hartman added 17 and Karsen Schultz scored 15.
Up 22-17 at the end of the first quarter, the Hornets began the second period on an 11-0 run. Southern ended the first half on a 6-3 spurt to trim ESU’s halftime lead to 13 at 43-27.
The Lions went on a 9-0 run in the third quarter, trailing 53-43 entering the fourth quarter.
Amaya Johns’ old-fashioned 3-point play trimmed Southern’s deficit to six at 55-49 with nine minutes to play, but the Hornets responded with an 11-4 run.
Down 11 after two hoops from Stokes, the Lions could never get over the hump late in the game.
Southern hosts Fort Hays State at 5:30 on Thursday inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

Missouri Southern men beat Emporia State

Posted on by Jason Peake

EMPORIA, Kan. — In what could be described as a much-needed win, the Missouri Southern men’s basketball team defeated Emporia State 75-64 on Saturday in MIAA action inside White Auditorium.
Ending a three-game skid, the Lions improved to 5-5.
Lawson Jenkins scored 19 points and made five 3-pointers for Southern, while Cam Martin contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Stan Scott scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Christian Bundy chipped in nine points.
The Lions shot 49 percent from the field and 43 percent from long range. Southern hit 12-of-13 free throws and scored 18 points of 20 Emporia State turnovers.
Jumah’Ri Turner scored 20 points for Emporia State (6-5). Austin Downing added 11 and Mayoum Buom had 10. The Hornets out-rebounded the Lions 35-28. Emporia State made just 4-of-24 3-point attempts.
The Lions ended the first half on a 23-9 run to take a 41-35 halftime advantage.
The Hornets put together a 14-2 early in the second half, but the Lions responded with a 14-2 run of their own, and a trey from Jenkins gave MSSU a 63-55 lead with 6:12 left. Later, free throws from RJ Smith gave the visitors a 73-62 advantage.
The Lions host Fort Hays State at 7:30 on Thursday.

PSU women win seventh straight

Posted on by Lucas Davis

TOPEKA, Kan. — Pittsburg State and Washburn were tied with less than two and a half minutes to play in overtime before Tristan Gegg knocked down a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch to lift the Gorillas to a 69-61 win on Saturday.

The win moves the Gorilla women to 8-3, 8-3 MIAA on the season, with it also being the seventh consecutive victory for PSU.

Gegg’s finished the game with a game-high 24 points, including 5-of-11 shooting from the perimeter. Julia Johnson finished with a double-double for Pittsburg State, scoring 14 points in 6-of-10 shooting and pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds. Carthage product Maya Williams added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Washburn’s Hunter Bentley led the Ichabods with 16 points and five assists, while Abby Oliver finished with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Nuria Barrientos had 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

UP NEXT

Pittsburg State hosts Nebraska-Kearney at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

PSU men fall to Ichabods

Posted on by Lucas Davis

TOPEKA, Kan. — Washburn turned a two-point lead at halftime into an 84-62 win over Pittsburg State on Saturday.

The Ichabods (10-1, 10-1 MIAA) shot 59 percent from the field in the second half, while holding the Gorillas to 32 percent (9-28) from the floor in the final 20 minutes. The Gorillas (5-6, 5-6 MIAA) lost the turnover battle 13-6, while being outscored 16-2 in points off turnovers.

Tyler Geiman led Washburn with 19 points and five assists, while Tyler Nelson added 16 points and five rebounds. Levi Braun finished with 15 points.

Pittsburg State was led in scoring by Bobby Arthur-Williams Jr.’s 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting. He grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Ryan Pippins came off the bench to score 15 points. R.J. Lawrence scored nine, while Antonio Givens II added seven.

UP NEXT

Pittsburg State hosts Nebraska-Kearney at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Area squads compete at tourneys, Neosho takes first at Branson

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEOSHO WINS BRANSON TOURNEY

BRANSON, Mo. — With six individual champions and four runners-up, the Neosho Wildcats cruised to a first place finish at the Branson Invitational wrestling tournament on Saturday.
Neosho finished with 258.5 points. Ozark was second with 160, Rolla was third with 132 and Carl Junction finished fourth with 124. There were 12 teams competing.
Claiming individual titles for the Wildcats were Raymond Hembree (106 pounds), Landon Kivett (120), Eli Zar (145), Cayden Auch (160), Eric Holt (170) and Jeremiah Larson (195).
Finishing second in their brackets were Jack Lankford (113), Hayden Crane (132), Nate Copeland (138) and Trent Neece (152).
Neosho’s Eric Renner finished third at 220, while Jonny Chrisco was fourth at 126 and Cade Daniel finished fourth at 182. Nikolas Olivares was sixth at 285.
Carl Junction’s Jesse Cassatt was the champion at 182 pounds and Brennan Carey was the runner-up at 220.
Max Matthews (113), Dexter Merrell (138), Cole Stewart (145), Cayden Bollinger (195) all placed third in their respective brackets for the Bulldogs.
Carl Junction’s Kameron Bennett placed fourth at 285 and Chance Benford took fifth at 160, while Dylan Frazier placed sixth at 126, Arlen Wakefield was sixth at 152 and Keaton Colburn was eighth at 120.

JOPLIN FOURTH AT REPUBLIC

REPUBLIC, Mo. — The Joplin High School wrestling team finished fourth in the final team standings at the Republic Invitational on Saturday.
Camdenton (255), Ozark (177.5) and Logan-Rogersville (174) were the top three teams, with Joplin fourth (156). There were 11 teams in attendance.
Joplin’s Sam Melton was the champion at 106 pounds. A freshman, Melton went 5-0 with three wins by fall.
Brendon Mynatt was the runner-up at 160. Mynatt won four matches by fall before falling to Camdenton’s Nathaniel Beeson in the title bout.
Finishing third in their respective brackets for the Eagles were Josiah Vaughn (132 pounds), Brayden Thomas (182), Scott Lowe (195) and Gunner Price (heavyweight).
Four Joplin wrestlers placed fourth in their brackets–Alex Short (113), Rocky Walker (126), Draven VanGilder (170) and Luke Gunn (220).
Also for the Eagles, Jack Stanley finished sixth at 153, Reese Macios was seventh at 138 and Johnathon Burke finished ninth at 145.

WEBB CITY SIXTH AT WILLARD

WILLARD, Mo. — Webb City’s wrestling squad finished sixth in the team standings at Willard’s Tiger Pride Battle.
The top five teams were Helias Catholic (189.5), Bolivar (172), Farmington (166), Willard (152) and Centralia (144), with Webb City sixth (90). There were 11 teams in attendance.
Webb City’s Jacob Ott was the champion at 195 pounds, while Roger Carranco was the runner-up at 182 pounds and Brayden Hollingsworth placed third at 160 pounds.
Kole Carr was fourth at 285, Colt Taylor placed fifth at 113, Aiden Moore was sixth at 120 and Jackson Ward was sixth at 170.
Finishing ninth in their brackets were Rafe Mackey (138), Jordan Howard (145) and Brantley Carter (152).

SENECA TAKES THIRD AT NEWTON

NEWTON, Kan. — The Seneca Indians finished third in the team standings at the 58th Newton Tournament of Champions.
Goddard (200.5) and Maize (197) were the top two teams, with Seneca (166.5) third. There were 21 teams in attendance.
Seneca’s Brady Roark (106) and Zane Cotten (195) captured individual titles, while Gabriel Commons was the runner-up at 170.
Brayden Thiel finished fourth at 120, Dane Napier was fourth at 182, Clayton Swadley took fifth at 138, Kendon Pollard was sixth at 132 and Jakob Tate placed seventh at 220.

BOYS HOOPS ROUNDUP: Webb City, Carthage, Carl Junction suffer COC losses on Friday; East Newton tops Nevada

Posted on by Jason Peake

Boys basketball teams from Webb City, Carthage and Carl Junction suffered COC losses on Friday night, while Neosho’s games were postponed. In other action, East Newton topped Nevada in a key Big 8 clash.

 

OZARK 72, WEBB CITY 66

OZARK, Mo. — Ozark outscored Webb City 21-12 in a game-changing third period en route to a 72-66 victory over the Cardinals on Friday night in a Central Ozark Conference boys basketball clash.

Webb City fell to 9-2 overall and 1-1 in the COC. 

Nickhai Howard led Webb City with 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. 

Also for the Cardinals, Trenton Hayes scored 14, Cohl Vaden had 12 and Luke Brumit added 11 points. 

Ozark improved to 10-4 and 2-0 in the COC. 

Blaine Cline and Kyle Flavin scored 17 points apiece for Ozark, while Ethan Whatley added 16.

The Tigers were up 18-17 at the end of the first quarter, but the Cardinals led 33-28 at the break. 

After outscoring the Cardinals by nine in the third period, Ozark took a 49-45 lead into the final frame. 

The fourth quarter was nearly even, but the Tigers made more than enough free throws late in the game to seal the win. In fact, Ozark made 18-of-20 foul shots in the second half. 

There were seven ties and six lead changes. 

Webb City begins play at the Kansas Army National Guard Tournament in Frontenac on Thursday. 

 

NIXA 66, CARTHAGE 28

NIXA, Mo. — Nixa took the lead early and never relinquished it in a 66-28 Central Ozark Conference boys basketball win over visiting Carthage.

The hosts led 21-9 by the end of the first quarter. 

Up 41-22 at the half, Nixa outscored Carthage 21-2 in the third quarter to blow the game open. 

Silas Templeman’s six points led Carthage, while Joel Pugh and Justin Ray scored five points apiece. 

Colin Ruffin scored 13 points for Nixa and Jaret Nelson added 11.

Carthage will compete at the Ralph Miller Classic in Chanute, Kansas, beginning on Jan. 21. 

 

REPUBLIC 64, CARL JUNCTION 31

REPUBLIC, Mo. — The Bulldogs hung tough early, but the Tigers took control with a big second quarter en route to a 64-31 win.  

Republic improved to 13-1 and 2-0 in the COC, while Carl Junction slipped to 2-11 overall and 1-1 in the conference. 

Ahlante Askew scored 24 points to lead Republic, while Drew McMillin added 16. 

Joshua Cory scored 10 points to lead Carl Junction, while Sincere Williams had six and Alex Baker added five. 

Republic led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter. 

The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 15-3 in the second period for a comfortable 30-13 halftime advantage. 

Republic was up 58-23 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Carl Junction hosts Hillcrest on Monday night. 

 

NEOSHO GAMES POSTPONED

Neosho’s basketball squads were scheduled to compete at Willard on Friday night. The COC contests were postponed due to the weather. 

No make-up date has been announced. 

 

EAST NEWTON 74, NEVADA 62

In a key Big 8 West clash, East Newton jumped out to a 29-13 lead and never looked back.
The Patriots were up 38-25 at the break and 56-32 entering the fourth quarter.
East Newton improved to 13-1, while Nevada fell to 7-5.
Kyson Lehman led East Newton with 22 points, while Connor Killion added 18 points. Lucas Kimbrough had 12 points and Gabe Bergen chipped in 10.
Logan Applegate scored 30 points for the Tigers and Ben Hines added 14.

GIRLS SWIMMING: Carthage wins its home invite, Joplin athletes compete

Posted on by Jason Peake

CARTHAGE, Mo. — The host Tigers cruised to a first place finish at the Carthage Invitational girls swim meet on Friday at the Fair Acres Family YMCA.
Carthage finished on top of the team standings with 278 points. Monett was a distant second with 182.5, while Lebanon took third with 167.
Lamar (160), Nevada (144.5), Joplin (137), Hillcrest (71) and Marshfield (60) also competed.

CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS

Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Madison Riley, Aubree Santillan, Nadya Housh and Hope Fultz took first in 2 minutes, 5 seconds.
The team of Riley, Fultz, Housh and Cassidy Smith won the 400 freestyle relay in 4:12.
The Tigers finished second in the 200 freestyle relay, with Smith, Santillan, Karsen Dininger and Ava Lacey competing.
Fultz finished second in the 200 freestyle, with Olivia Wright fourth in the same event.
Housh was the runner-up in the 200 individual medley, with teammates Santillan and Karsen Dininger fourth and fifth, respectively, in the same event.
Riley took second in the 100 butterfly, with Sydney Parks fourth.
Cassidy Smith was the runner-up in the 100 freestyle and Fultz took fifth.
Housh also placed second in the 500 freestyle, with Olivia Wright fifth.
Carthage’s Riley took second in the 100 backstroke, while teammates Santillan and Dininger were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the same event.
Smith placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke.

JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS

The Eagles were fifth in the 200 medley relay, with Lily Rakes, Taegen Smith, Allie Lawrence and Mya Johnson competing.
Joplin was also fifth in the 200 free relay, with Lawrence, Sophia Schwartz, Ava Perrin and Johnson swimming.
The Eagles’ team of Rakes, Kennedy Schwartz, Mairi Beranek and Sophia Schwartz took seventh in the 400 free relay.
Joplin’s Lawrence, Perrin and Johnson finished seventh, eighth and ninth in the 50 free. Smith placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
Sophia Schwartz placed sixth in the 200 freestyle, Rakes took sixth in the 500 free, Beranek was sixth in the 100 backstroke and Perrin finished eighth in the 200 IM.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Monett’s Ava Fritts won the 200 freestyle in 2:16, while Nevada’s Abbi Baldwin and Monett’s Gwen Lesue tied for first in the 50 free (28.58).
Lamar’s Kaitlyn Davis took first in both the 200 IM (2:29) and the 100 free (59.34).
Lamar’s Meghan Watson won two events–the 100 butterfly (1:02) and the 100 backstroke (1:06).
Hillcrest’s Emily Lesue took first in the 500 free (6:04), Marshfield’s Maggie Groenke won the 100 breaststroke (1:16) and Monett won the 200 free relay in 1:51.

GIRLS HOOPS: Verona rallies in second half to knock off McAuley

Posted on by Jason Peake

It was a tale of two halves Friday night as the McAuley Catholic girls basketball team hosted the Verona Wildcats.
Overcoming a big halftime deficit, Verona rallied in the second half for a 43-34 win.
The Warriors got out to a great start with sophomore Lily Black and junior Kennedy DeRuy hitting field goals, while junior Kayleigh Teeter made two baskets of her own.
Black and Teeter also went a combined 3-for-5 from the line. At the same time the Warriors held Verona to just two baskets by senior Paige Bauer. McAuley led 9-4 at the end of the first quarter.
The dominant performance continued in the second quarter, as Teeter added five more points, and Black also had another basket. They were aided by freshman Kloee Williamson who had a field goal and a 3 of her own.
DeRuy also added a pair of free throws. Defensively, the Warriors once again held the Wildcats to just four more points by Bauer.
Leading 23-8 at halftime, the game looked to be over.
After scoring all eight of her team’s points in the first half, Bauer continued to carry her team on her shoulders coming out of the half taking the Wildcats on a ridiculous 13-3 run, with Bauer scoring 11 of those points including a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers.
In what was a complete reversal from the first two quarters, McAuley was only able to score four points—a 3 from Teeter and a free throw from Black. In one quarter Verona went from missing nearly every shot to seemingly being unable to miss as they scored 25 points to McAuley’s four in a stunning eight minutes that saw the Wildcats take a 34-27 lead into the fourth.
“We stopped playing hard defense, and they couldn’t miss,” Warriors coach Mike Howard said. “They kept shooting and seemed to make every shot. I knew they were going to come back out the second half and be aggressive. I told the girls not to be complacent, and I think that’s what happened.”
The Warriors fought hard to regain control. Teeter and Black each contributed baskets, and junior Abbey Cahalan made her lone field goal of the evening, but the team collectively went 1-for-5 in free throws as they struggled to find the chemistry they had in the first half.
The Wildcats went 3-for-4 from the free throw and hit several big baskets to maintain their lead and eventually win the game 43-34, rallying from a 23-8 deficit at halftime.
“We played a very good first half, defensively and offensively,” Howard said. “Verona has a very good team, and one of the best players in the area, and to hold them to eight points says a lot about our team. Now, we have to put a full game together, and I think if we can do that, we’ll win it. Hats off to Verona, they earned that win.”

GIRLS HOOPS: Stamps, Beard lead Thomas Jefferson past Sheldon for first win of the season

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Thomas Jefferson went into halftime with Sheldon tied at 20-20 before senior Sydney Stamps put the Cavaliers on her back in the third quarter to help lead her team to its first win of the season, 52-27, on Friday.

“It’s just good for the kids, and for the parents to see it,” Thomas Jefferson coach Dan Rogers said. “It’s just a tough environment we are living in right now. The kids haven’t had a whole lot to hang their hats on. They’ve played hard every game. To be on Homecoming in front of parents, alumni and teachers, it is special for the kids.”

Stamps scored 13 of her game-high 24 points in the third quarter to pace Thomas Jefferson out to a 36-22 advantage to start the fourth, more than enough cushion for the Cavaliers to clinch the victory. 

“She is a leader,” Rogers said. “That was the plan—get her the basketball. You can tell she wanted the ball. She wanted the basketball in the bog moment, and that’s leadership.”

Thomas Jefferson (1-8) opened the game with all of the momentum thanks to the play of junior Alivia Beard, who scored nine of Thomas Jefferson’s first 13 points en route to a 13-3 advantage through the first four minutes of action. 

“She is the heart and soul of our team,” Rogers said of Beard. “She sets the energy — breakaway layups, runouts — getting the team excited because of her energy and enthusiasm. She is a leader in that way.”

Beard then picked up two quick fouls and was forced to the bench, which allowed Sheldon to creep back into the game in the second quarter. 

Destiny Brokob knocked down a 3-pointer at the 4:35 mark to tie the game at 15-15 before the Panthers took an 18-17 lead moments later on a 3-ball from Madison Garren. Both teams battled to a 20-20 score by the intermission.

“You could tell the whole game changed when (Alivia) got her second foul,” Rogers said. “Things changed a little bit and then it was 20-20 at halftime. She sets our defense up a little bit, too. When she is out there defensively with all of that energy, everyone gets into place.”

It was clear what the halftime adjustment was for the Cavaliers out of the locker room—get the ball to Stamps. 

Thomas Jefferson scored the first three baskets out of the break to build a 26-20 advantage. Stamps started the run after grabbing her own miss for a putback bucket before Nico Carlson knocked down a mid-range basket. Stamps added another basket in the paint before Sheldon got on the board with a basket from Green to make the score 26-22. That would be the last score in the third quarter for Sheldon. 

Stamps earned a steal in the backcourt and finished with a runout before converting on an old-fashioned three-point play at the 5:26 mark to put Thomas Jefferson on top 31-22 with 3:26 on the clock. Playing with a high amount of confidence, you could hear Stamps calling for the ball in the paint before scoring another basket inside with less than two minutes on the clock.

“It’s January, and you’re a senior with maybe another month and a half of basketball,” Rogers said of Stamps’ play in the third quarter. “It gets to you like you have to get it all out there. With her playing with all of that energy, she said give me the basketball. I’m going to put you on my back and go score it.”

Beard added a free throw to close the Cavaliers’ 10-0 run to end the period with a 36-22 advantage.

Thomas Jefferson pushed the lead to 20 early in the fourth quarter, essentially sealing the win. Carlson opened the final eight minutes with a basket before Alexis Stamps and Sydney Stamps followed suit to make the score 42-22 with five minutes to play.

“It was very important,” Rogers said of his Cavaliers’ start to the fourth period. “It’s just that visual (of being down). If you’re the other team, and we’ve been there more than enough, you look at it like now we’re down 42-22. … When you push it to 20, it gets to them mentally. That was important to finally push it up there we needed to.”

SCORING LEADERS

Aside from Stamps’ 24, Beard finished with 11 points for Thomas Jefferson. Gabbie Hiebert added six, while Alexis Stamps and Carlson added four each. 

Garren led Sheldon with 12 points, while Deborah Lamb finished with seven, and Brokob with six.

UP NEXT

Thomas Jefferson takes part in the Tony Dubray Classic with a matchup against St. Mary’s Colgan on Tuesday. 

BOYS HOOPS: Wright brothers lead Joplin past Branson, Eagles earn first COC win

Posted on by Jason Peake

BRANSON, Mo. — The Wright brothers combined for 47 points as the Joplin High School boys basketball team beat Branson 69-62 on Friday night in Central Ozark Conference action. 

Freshman guard All Wright poured in a game-high 30 points to lead the Eagles, while junior guard Always Wright added 17 points. All Wright made 10 field goals, with four 3-pointers, and hit 6-of-9 free throws.

Sophomore Dante Washington added 14 points for the Eagles. 

Joplin improved its record to 8-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play. 

Branson fell to 6-7 overall and 0-2 in the COC. Kade Goodwin scored 22 points to lead the Pirates, while Kyle Scharbrough added 18. 

The Pirates led 9-7, but the Eagles closed the first quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 20-11 lead into the second quarter.

All Wright had 14 points in the opening frame.

The low-scoring second quarter saw both teams struggle with turnovers and cold shooting. 

But Always Wright knocked down a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first half, giving the Eagles a 27-18 halftime advantage.

Hoops from LT Atherton and Washington pushed Joplin’s lead to 37-22 with five minutes left in the third quarter before Always Wright’s dunk off a feed from Washington extended Joplin’s advantage to 45-27. 

The Pirates scored the final eight points of the third quarter, cutting Joplin’s lead to 10 at 45-35. 

Two free throws by Always Wright and a corner trey by Washington pushed Joplin’s lead to 62-45 with just under four minutes to play.

Using a late spurt, Branson pulled within single digits in the final minute, but Joplin’s lead was never in serious jeopardy. 

Joplin’s boys will begin competition at the Lebanon Fall of Fame Classic on Thursday. 

 

BOYS HOOPS: McAuley Catholic suffers home loss to Verona

Posted on by Jason Peake

The McAuley Catholic Warriors kicked off Friday night against the Verona Wildcats in what would be an entertaining back and forth game.
In the end, Verona left town with a 48-41 win.
Verona got off to a quick start with a 6-2 run, but the Warriors promptly responded by going on a 9-3 run of their own thanks to baskets from senior Daniel Wagner and junior Jeffrey Horinek.
Senior Thomas Black would go 2-for-3 from the free throw line to start off his night. Black would finish the evening as the Warriors leading scorer with 16 points. The Warriors led 11-9 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second, Black rattled off two field goals and went 2-of-3 at the line as part of a 9-3 run by the Warriors to kick off the quarter. The run included an impressive sequence where the Warriors scored seven points off a three from freshman Rocco Bazzano-Joseph and then had back-to-back inbound steals all in a matter of seconds.
However, Verona battled back going on a 7-0 run of their own to even the score at 20-20 going into the half.
Coming out of the half neither team could establish a streak, as each team traded baskets for the entire third quarter. Black had three field goals, senior Matthew Dohmen scored his first basket, and Horinek also scored. Bazzano-Joseph went 1-for-2 from the line as the Warriors sported a 31-30 lead over the Wildcats heading into the final period. Black got into foul trouble early in the third which had a drastic impact on the Warriors’ play as the game progressed.
As the fourth quarter got underway the Wildcats got hot and knocked down several baskets including two 3-pointers to take the lead.
Dohmen kept the Warriors in it with three baskets of his own, finishing the night with eight points. Black didn’t foul out, but only scored a single basket while playing with four fouls. With 30 seconds remaining and down by just six, sophomore Joe Staton made a clutch 3 to give the Warriors hope, but after a series of fouls, the Wildcats eventually won 48-41.
“We were wanting to play fast, and we thought maybe we could get them out of control, which we did in spurts, but we just didn’t play fast enough,” said McAuley coach Tony Witt. “We lost our leading scorer and team leader (Black) early in the second half and he doesn’t play. When you take away 17 points per game, it’s hard to overcome. I’m proud of our guys, we just came up a little bit short.”

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