Chris Myers was not happy with the way his Cavaliers were playing through the first three minutes of action against Sheldon on Friday.
Thomas Jefferson jumped out to an early 8-3 lead thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from Dhruv Gheewala in transition before Gheelwala earned a steal for a fast-break layup. Sheldon answered back with a 3-pointer from Isaac Hall and an inside score from William Chapman to tie the game at 8-8 near the five-minute mark, prompting Myers to call a timeout.
“I didn’t like our defensive intensity right there,” Myers said. “We were kind of being way too passive on defense. We preach all the time that our best offense is our defense.”
Thomas Jefferson (10-1) responded in a big way by closing out the first quarter on a 10-point run before blowing the game open in the second period on the way to a 68-25 win over the Panthers.
“It was a short and sweet speech after the game,” Myers said. “We talked about a game plan going in, with certain things we had to do. As a coach, I was just very pleased with the way they executed what we had talked about. … It’s a district opponent, it has some seeding implications and you-can’t-take-anybody-for-granted type of stuff. I really thought our boys came out and did what they had to do.”
Following Coach Myers’ timeout, Thomas Jefferson outscored Sheldon 12-2 to close the opening quarter with a 22-10 lead. Drew Goodhope and Noah Hamlett added 3-pointers, while Gheewala contributed six more points to finish with 14 in the period.
“I thought we came out and upped that defensive intensity,” Myers said when asked how he felt his team responded from the early timeout.
The Cavaliers didn’t let up in the second quarter, particularly on the defensive end. Thomas Jefferson held Sheldon off the scoreboard for the first seven and half minutes of game action.
“When our defense is good, we are pretty good,” Myers said. “When we get a little lazy on defense, we struggle a little bit. I was happy with that part of it for sure.”
During that time, the Cavaliers scored 14 unanswered points to balloon the lead to 36-10. Elias Rincker scored the first two baskets of the quarter, and Goodhope added a 3-pointer to fuel the run.
“We have kids that can score,” Myers said of his offensive production. “We are very blessed with that. Typically, scoring is not one of our issues. It’s a matter of whether we are getting stops on (the defensive end) to lead to the scoring. We know if we play good defense, we’ve got the kids who have the confidence on (the offensive end).”
Hall knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner with 30 seconds left to get the Panthers on the scoreboard in the second.
Thomas Jefferson continued to dominate in the second half, scoring the final 14 points of the third quarter to push the lead to 36 points to start a running clock to open the fourth quarter. Caden Myers led the third-quarter surge with seven points, including a 3-pointer.
“Honestly, we haven’t been playing very well in the third quarter,” Coach Myers said. “We’ve had some pretty good leads at halftime early in the year and have struggled in the third. That’s something we’ve been preaching. I was very pleased to see them come out and respond to things we’ve been talking about. It makes me hope they are listening and starting to apply it to the court.”
SCORING LEADERS
Gheewala scored a game-high 20 points to lead Thomas Jefferson. Caden Myers put up 17 points, while Goodhope added 11. Hamlett and Rincker each finished with six.
Hall led Sheldon with 14 points.
UP NEXT
Thomas Jefferson takes part in the Tony Dubray Classic with a matchup against Northeast Vernon County at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday as the No. 1 seed.
WYANDOTTE, Okla. — Miller Long scored a game-high 29 points to lead College Heights Christian to a 54-35 win over Wyandotte on Thursday.
Long finished with 10 field goals, including four 3-pointers. He also knocked down five-of-7 shots from the three-throw line. Curtis Davenport added 13 points in the win for the Cougars.
College Heights built a 27-18 lead by the intermission and extended it to double digits to start the fourth. The Cougars limited Wyandotte to one field goal in the final eight minutes to seal the win.
College Heights takes part in the Lancer Classic on Jan. 18.
BRANSON, Mo. — The Joplin girls cut a double-digit deficit in the second half to five points with less than a minute to play before ultimately falling to Branson in Central Ozark Conference play on Thursday.
“Turnovers and missed free throws beat us tonight,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “We didn’t match Branson’s energy in the first half and dug ourselves a hole we couldn’t recover from. We have to stop beating ourselves with the same mistakes over and over again.”
The Eagles (5-8, 0-3 COC) went into the half trailing 25-12 with the lead meandering back and forth around the double-digit mark all the way up until two minutes of game action left.
With Branson (2-10, 1-1) leading 39-29, Joplin’s Lily Pagan scored inside to trim the lead to 39-31 with 1:45 to play. Brynn Driver followed with a 3-pointer a minute later to cut the lead to six, 41-35, with 52.7 seconds left. Pagan scored off the break with 26 seconds remining to make the score 42-37, but that would be as close as the Eagles would get before the final horn.
Driver led Joplin with nine points, while Pagan added eight. Brooke Nice added seven points.
Joplin hosts Hillcrest on Jan. 21.
NIXA 70, CARTHAGE 52
NIXA, Mo. — Nixa pushed a 33-26 halftime lead to a 30-point margin to start the fourth on the way to the win over Carthage.
The Eagles (12-4, 1-1 COC) outscored the Tigers (10-7, 1-2) by a 23-13 clip in the third quarter to pull away.
Macie Conway led Nixa with 20 points, while Ali Kamies added 15. Nora Clark finished with 13 points.
Hailey Fullerton led Carthage with a game-high 25 points, including two 3-pointers. Kianna Yates added 11 points, while Brinna Ream finished with eight.
Carthage is at Lamar on Jan. 26.
OZARK GIRLS 52, WEBB CITY 33
OZARK, Mo. — Hot-shooting Ozark defeated Webb City 52-33 on Thursday in COC girls action.
The Cardinals slipped to 4-6 overall and 1-1 in the conference, while Ozark improved to 6-8 and 2-0 in COC play.
Jaydee Duda scored 15 points for Webb City, while Kenzie Robbins added 10 points. Both players made two 3-pointers.
Anna Hitt led Ozark with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Lyla Watson added 15.
The Tigers, who shot 45 percent from the floor, made 15 field goals—nine were 3-pointers.
Ozark led 18-7 at the end of the first quarter and 26-19 at the break.
The Cardinals cut their deficit to five in the third quarter before the Tigers hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Webb City trailed 36-28 entering the fourth quarter.
The Tigers then scored the first eight points of the final frame to extend their lead to 16 points.
Webb City is at the Logan-Rogersville Tournament beginning on Monday.
WYANDOTTE 48, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 41
WYANDOTTE, Okla. — Wyandotte took a 24-23 lead into the locker room before outscoring College Heights Christian 20-7 in the third period to steal the momentum en route to victory.
College Heights limited Wyandotte to one field goal in the fourth quarter, but was unable to overcome the deficit.
Jayli Johnson led the Cougars (10-2) with 11 points, while Lainey Lett finished with 10. Grace Bishop scored eight and Catie Secker added seven.
College Heights takes part in the Lancer Classic on Jan. 18.
MOUNT VERNON GIRLS 68, MONETT 25
MONETT, Mo. — Lacy Stokes scored 20 points as the Mount Vernon girls basketball team earned a Big 8 win.
Ellie Johnston added 12 points for the Mountaineers, who led 14-5 by the end of the first quarter. Johnston hit four 3-pointers.
Also for the Mountaineers, Allie Schubert and Jolie Prescott added nine points apiece and Kadence Krempges scored eight.
SENECA, Mo. — Seneca won nine matches by fall en route to a 66-16 win over Joplin in prep wrestling action on Thursday.
At 106 pounds, Joplin’s Sam Melton earned a major decision over Alex Mejia-Jerez, 16-3.
After Seneca’s Dalton Duley won by forfeit at 113, the Indians won the next five matches by fall, with Brady Roark (120), Kendon Pollard (126), Andrew Manley (132), Cole Whitehead (138) and Clayton Swadley (145) all recording pins.
At 152, Seneca’s Lincoln Renfro earned a 7-2 decision over Jack Stanley, while Joplin’s Brenden Mynatt won by fall at 160.
Seneca’s Gabriel Commons won by fall at 170 and Joplin’s Brayden Thomas recorded a win by pin at 182.
Seneca’s Zane Cotten (195), Jakob Tate (220) and Garret Babbitt (285) all won by fall.
WEBB CITY SPLITS DUALS
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City’s wrestling squad split a pair of duals on Thursday, beating McDonald County 48-36 and falling to Neosho 72-0.
Against the Mustangs, Webb City’s Colt Taylor (120), Aiden Moore (126), Dominic Boles (132) and Roger Carranco (182) all won their matches by fall.
Recording wins by fall for the Mustangs were Blaine Ortiz (113), Levi Smith (138), Colter Vick (160), Samuel Murphy (220) and Jayce Hitt (285).
In the dual with the Cardinals, Neosho’s Raymond Hembree (113), Jack Lankford (120), Landon Kivett (126), Hayden Crane (138), Eli Zar (145), Collyn Kivett (152), Cayden Auch (170) and Nikolas Olivares (285) all won by fall.
Neosho’s Jonny Chrisco defeated Boles 7-6 at 132, while Eric Holt edged Carranco 10-8 at 182. Also for the Wildcats, Jeremiah Larson earned a 9-6 decision over Jacob Ott at 195, while Eric Renner defeated Liam Taylor 5-3 at 220.
Neosho also defeated McDonald County 60-18.
Neosho’s Wyatt Black (106), Hembree, Landon Kivett, Crane and Auch all pinned their opponents.
McDonald County’s Cross Spencer pinned Chrisco at 132, while Blaine Ortiz earned a 10-4 win over Lankford at 120. Mac County’s Murphy edged Olivares 2-1 in the heavyweight bout.
CARTHAGE 39, BOLIVAR 30
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Winning matches by fall for Carthage were Carlos Reyes (120), Eli Sneed (138), Davion King (145), Braxdon Tate (152) and Luke Gall (182),
Earning victories by decision for the Tigers were Bradyn Tate (113), Brett Rockers (170) and Alexis Vasquez (285).
Tate defeated Canyon Cunningham 3-2. Cunningham is a two-time state placer.
Carthage’s Kip Castor lost by injury default at 126 and Kanen Vogt suffered a loss via injury default at 220. Carthage coach Kenny Brown said Vogt was winning 4-1 with a minute left in the third period when we got injured against Drayton Huchteman, a two-time state runner-up.
TOPEKA, Kan. —Washburn swept an MIAA basketball doubleheader from Missouri Southern on Thursday night.
WASHBURN MEN 99, SOUTHERN 58
Cam Martin scored 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting and added seven rebounds and three assists to lead the Lions (4-5).
Lawson Jenkins added 12 points for MSSU, while RJ Smith scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds.
Washburn, ranked eighth, improved to 9-1. Tyler Geiman scored 28 points for the Ichabods, who tied a school record by making 18 3-pointers.
Washburn led 47-33 at halftime and extended its lead to 67-44 with 14:44 left.
Southern made 42 percent of its field goal attempts, but Washburn shot 59 percent.
The Lions are at Emporia State at 3:30 on Saturday.
WASHBURN WOMEN 56, SOUTHERN 49
Missouri Southern (4-5) received 15 points and eight rebounds from Carley Turnbull, while Madi Stokes contributed 10 rebounds and nine points.
Kaitlin Hunnicutt and Biance Stocks scored seven points apiece.
Abby Oliver led Washburn (4-4) with 19 points, while Hunter Bentley added 15. Nuria Barrientos posted 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The game was close all the way.
The Lions trailed 39-37 with 5:59 remaning in the game after a hoop from Turnbull, but the Ichabods responded with an 8-1 run. Washburn would never relinquish the lead.
Southern is at Emporia State at 1:30 on Saturday.
REPUBLIC, Mo. — A short-handed Carl Junction girls basketball team suffered a 55-43 setback to Republic on Thursday night in a Central Ozark Conference clash between state-ranked teams at Republic High School.
The Bulldogs, who fell to 9-4 overall and 1-1 in the COC, played without Jessa Hylton. A junior guard, Hylton scored 22 points two nights ago against Carthage.
Carl Junction trailed by three at halftime before Republic outscored the visitors 16-6 in the game-changing third period.
Sophomore guard Destiny Buerge scored a game-high 28 points for the Bulldogs, who are ranked sixth in Class 5. Buerge, who made 10 field goals and 7-of-11 free throws, scored 17 points in the second half.
Freshman Kylie Scott added 10 points for the Bulldogs and sophomore Hali Shorter scored five points to round out CJ’s scoring.
Sophomore guard Kaemyn Bekemeier led Republic (9-4, 2-0 COC) with 22 points. Bekemeier made four field goals and 12-of-13 free throws.
The Tigers, who are ranked ninth in Class 6, received 10 points from Kaitlyn Ragsdale.
Republic led 12-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs briefly took the lead early in the second quarter after hoops from Scott and Buerge, but Bekemeier scored six straight for the hosts.
Buerge connected on 3-of-4 free throws late in the first half, cutting Carl Junction’s deficit to 24-21 at the break.
Pushing the pace and taking advantage of several Carl Junction turnovers, Republic began the second half on an 11-2 run to take a 35-23 advantage.
The Tigers held a comfortable 40-27 lead by the end of the third period.
After a 3-pointer by Ragsdale, Republic went up 53-35 with three minutes remaining.
Carl Junction trimmed its deficit to 10 with a minute to play after an 8-0 surge, but it was too little, too late.
Carl Junction is scheduled to host Pittsburg next Thursday.
McAuley Catholic’s boys and girls basketball team both earned wins at Sheldon on Tuesday night.
MCAULEY GIRLS 68, SHELDON 23
McAuley’s Kayleigh Teeter poured in a career-high 35 points for the Warriors in a 68-23 win at Sheldon on Tuesday. Teeter made 14 field goals and shot 73 percent from the floor in the win. She hit six 3-pointers.
Kennedy DeRuy added 12 points for the Warriors, who improved to 7-4.
McAuley’s girls raced out to a 19-6 lead. The Warriors held a 43-13 lead at intermission.
Deb Lamb scored 16 points for Sheldon.
MCAULEY BOYS 59, SHELDON 36
The McAuley boys earned a commanding 59-36 victory.
“I’m proud of our guys for bouncing back after a tough loss at home last week,” Warriors coach Tony Witt said. “We are going to enjoy it and get ready for the next one.”
The Warriors led 18-7 at the end of the first quarter. By the break, McAuley’s lead was 39-16.
The Warriors took a comfy 53-21 lead into the fourth quarter.
Daniel Wagner pumped in 26 points for the Warriors (4-5), with 18 points coming in the first half. Matthew Dohmen added 10 points for McAuley and Thomas Black added nine.
Isaac Hall had 15 points for Sheldon.
McAuley’s teams host Verona on Friday.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a rematch of last weekend’s Kaminsky Classic title game, Webb City and Joplin put on a show for all those in attendance inside a packed Cardinal Dome.
In a nail-biter between close rivals, Webb City was the team that made more key plays down the stretch.
With a strong finish, Webb City pulled out a hard-fought 80-74 victory over Joplin on Tuesday night in the Central Ozark Conference boys basketball opener for both squads.
“Joplin played well,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “I thought our guard play was much better in the second half. We had some turnovers in the first half. We valued the ball better in the second half and we were cleaner offensively. Part of that is our seniors…they’re good leaders. Joplin was hungry to get that win. Our guys’ level of play had to rise up.”
“We played really hard, we competed and we gave ourselves a chance against a good team on the road,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “The difference down the stretch was that they executed offensively and defensively. They executed their offensive sets. They have five seniors that are battle-tested. We’re still growing.”
Webb City won this past Saturday’s contest 66-55 inside Kaminsky Gymnasium. The Cardinals held an 18-point lead in the second half of that one. The rematch was much closer.
“We learned we’re not who we were on Saturday,” Hafer said. “We responded well. I’m really proud of my team. We can definitely build on this.”
Webb City’s Luke Brumit puts up a shot in the lane. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Now ranked fourth in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Webb City hiked its record to 9-1 after an eighth straight win.
Five players scored in double figures for the Cardinals. Senior point guard Nickhai Howard scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Senior Mekhi Garrard scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while classmate Luke Brumit had 14 points. Junior Cohl Vaden contributed 13 points and senior Trenton Hayes added 11.
“To be a good team you have to have multiple guys who can score,” Horn noted.
Junior Kaden Turner just missed double figures with nine points.
Webb City made 28-of-59 shots (48 percent), but went just 3-for-17 on 3-pointers. The Cardinals made 21-of-27 free throws.
Freshman guard All Wright led Joplin (7-4) with 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting. Wright made 6-of-10 free throws and also grabbed six rebounds.
“All’s good,” Hafer said. “He’s a competitor. He’s not afraid of the moment and everybody saw that. He scored the ball really well. He needs to keep improving on the defensive end.”
Three others reached double figures for the Eagles, as senior Dominick Simmons and junior LT Atherton scored 11 points apiece and sophomore Dante Washington had 10. Malik Williams had a team-high eight rebounds.
Joplin made 25-of-57 field goal attempts (44 percent), including 7-of-24 from 3-point range. The Eagles went 17-of-26 at the charity stripe.
“In a game like that, the free throw line makes a big difference,” Hafer said.
Both teams had 17 turnovers apiece.
Webb City senior Trenton Hayes scores on a drive through the lane against Joplin on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
GAME RECAP
The Eagles hung tough early, as a trey from Fielding Campbell cut the Cardinals’ lead to 16-15.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Garrard gave the Cardinals a four-point cushion late in the first quarter, but Joplin’s Washington banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, trimming Webb City’s advantage to 19-18 at the end of a back and forth and entertaining first period.
Joplin put together a 9-0 run in the second quarter to take a 27-22 lead, as Washington and Carson Wampler both hit 3-pointers during the surge.
Webb City used a 9-2 spurt to take back the lead, but the Eagles recorded the final four points of the first half, as Terrance Gibson scored on a putback inside and Simmons converted a steal into a go-ahead layup, giving the Eagles a 38-37 halftime advantage.
Horn gave the Eagles credit.
“Their execution in the first half was really good,” Horn said. “Some of their role guys stepped up and made big shots. Good teams do that, so you have to give them credit. I thought No. 12 (Simmons) made some big plays for them. I thought they were a little sharper than we were in the first half. They were a little quicker to loose balls.”
Joplin took a 46-39 lead in the third period, forcing a Webb City timeout. But a few minutes later the game was tied at 58.
All Wright’s free throws gave the Eagles a 60-58 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals finished strong, however, outscoring the Eagles 22-14 in the fourth quarter.
The game was deadlocked at 64 when Webb City put together a 7-2 run to go up 71-66. Also, Joplin’s Always Wright fouled out with four minutes to play.
Down three after a Brumit putback, the Eagles pulled within one at 73-72 with 1:30 remaining on an All Wright jumper. But the Cardinals answered when Howard scored on a nifty drive through the lane with 1:12 left, giving the hosts a 3-point cushion.
Next, Joplin had two empty possessions down three and had to foul. Howard made 1-of-2 at the line with 29 seconds left, extending Webb City’s lead to four.
The Eagles received a hoop from All Wright with three seconds remaining, but Webb City’s Garrard calmly sank two clutch free throws with 2.3 seconds left.
On the final possession, Joplin’s inbound pass was picked off by Vaden, who made a layup at the buzzer for the final margin.
Horn noted his team’s experienced performers stepped up in crunch time.
“Luke Brumit was a big presence in the second half,” Horn said. “He altered some shots, got some big rebounds and made some big plays around the basket. Nickhai does a little bit of everything. He’s a big time player and he makes plays. Shots weren’t easy to come by. But we kept getting putbacks and we had guys step up.”
It was Senior Night for the Cardinals, as Howard, Garrard, Brumit, Hayes and Shane Noel were recognized before the game.
Joplin freshman All Wright scored 23 points in his team’s loss on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
GREAT ATMOSPHERE
Both head coaches noted they were pleased to see such a great atmosphere for the game, as both student sections were into the game from the tip. Like Saturday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium, Tuesday’s game at Webb City High School was well-attended by local fans.
“The atmosphere was great,” Hafer said. “We had a great atmosphere Saturday and tonight. And that’s the way this game should be. That’s a fun basketball game to watch if you don’t have to sit on the sidelines as a coach. There were quality players on the floor really playing hard. That was a high-level basketball game.”
“It was a great crowd and a great atmosphere,” Horn added. “Both student sections were great. This is what high school sports are about. It was a lot of fun. I know these kids will look back in a few years and appreciate this moment.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Both teams have COC road games on Friday, as Webb City is at Ozark and Joplin travels to Branson.
Joplin’s Dominick Simmons handles the ball against Webb City’s Shane Noel. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Sophomore guard Destiny Buerge poured in 33 points and Jessa Hylton added 22 as the Carl Junction girls basketball team handled Carthage 67-43 in Central Ozark Conference action on Tuesday night.
Carl Junction improved to 9-3, while Carthage fell to 10-6.
The tandem of Buerge and Hylton combined for 55 points.
Buerge hit four 3-pointers and made 9-of-10 free throws, while Hylton made three from long range.
Freshman Kylie Scott added eight points for the Bulldogs, who are now ranked sixth in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.
Kianna Yates scored 12 points for the Tigers, while Brinna Ream added 11, Hailey Fullerton had 10 and Sophie Shannon chipped in six.
The Bulldogs got off to a hot start, as the hosts scored the first 16 points of the night and led 20-5 by the end of the first quarter. Buerge scored 14 points in the opening frame.
By the break, Carl Junction was up 37-13.
The Bulldogs took a 53-33 lead into the fourth quarter.
CARL JUNCTION BOYS 62, CARTHAGE 58
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Bulldogs stunned the Tigers in a Central Ozark Conference boys basketball clash.
Sincere Williams led Carl Junction with 17 points, while Josh Cory had 14 and Kyler Perry added 10. Mylas Derfelt had six, while Alex Baker and Jaden Cherry scored five points apiece for the Bulldogs (2-10).
Justin Ray scored 15 points to lead Carthage, while Max Templeman had 11. Silas Templeman scored 10, Patrick Carlton added nine and Joel Pugh added eight for the Tigers (4-7).
A freshman, Ray hit five 3-pointers.
The game was deadlocked at 15 at the end of the first quarter and was tied at 28 at the break.
In a key third quarter swing, Carl Junction outscored Carthage 26-14.
With that, the Bulldogs took a 54-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers made a run in the final frame, outscoring the Bulldogs 16-8. In the end, the hosts held on and earned their second win of the season.
The Missouri Basketball Coaches Association has released its latest state rankings. A number of Joplin area teams are listed.
Rankings are listed below.
BOYS
Class 1
1. South Iron
2. Lockwood
3. Mound City
4. Winston
5. Golden City
6. Green City
7. Leeton
8. Thomas Jefferson Independent
9. Northwestern (Mendon)
10. Chadwick
Others receiving votes: Bunker, Hale, Northwest (Hughesville)
Class 3
1. Greenwood
2. Hartville
3. Monroe City
4. Thayer
5. Summit Christian
6. Christian (O’Fallon)
7. Skyline
8. Strafford
9. Iberia
10. Linn
Others receiving votes: Charleston, Lafayette County
Class 4
1. Vashon
2. Central (New Madrid County)
3. Miller Career Academy
4. MICDS
5. Father Tolton
6. Mexico
7. Hollister
8. Blair Oaks
9. East Newton
10. Center
Others receiving votes: Ava, Mount Vernon, Richmond, St. Michael the Archangel, Prior
Class 5
1. Cardinal Ritter
2. DeSmet
3. Platte County
4. Webb City
5. University City
6. Warrensburg
7. Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau)
8. Kearney
9. Lafayette (St. Joseph)
10. Kirksville
Others receiving votes: Springfield Catholic, St. Dominic, Nevada.
Class 6
1. Chaminade
2. CBC
3. Kickapoo
4. Staley
5. Nixa
6. Park Hill
7. Pattonville
8. Webster Groves
9. Liberty
10. Rock Bridge
Others receiving votes: Republic, Fort Zumwalt North, Truman. www.somo-sports.com
GIRLS
Class 1
1. Walnut Grove
2. Platte Valley
3. Otterville
4. Community R-6
5. Stanberry
6. Meadville
7. North Shelby
8. Atlanta
9. South Iron
10. Norborne
Others receiving votes: Marion County, Tina Avalon
Class 2
1. Wellington-Napoleon
2. Richland
3. Blue Eye
4. Greenfield
5. Schuyler County
6. Crane
7. Bishop LeBlond
8. East Atchison
9. Verona
10. College Heights Christian
Others receiving votes: Polo, Oran, Glasgow
Class 3
1. Monroe City
2. Skyline
3. Tipton
4. St. Pius X (KC)
5. Sparta
6. Diamond
7. Miller
8. Twin Rivers
9. West County
10. Strafford
Others receiving votes: St. Paul Lutheran, Lawson, Iberia
Class 4
1. Central Park Hills
2. Central New Madrid County
3. Mount Vernon
4. Hollister
5. Boonville
6. Fatima
7. Doniphan
8. Chillicothe
9. Macon
10. Cameron
Others receiving votes: Blair Oaks, El Dorado Springs, Willow Springs.
Class 5
1. West Plains
2. Helias Catholic
3. Willard
4. Cape Notre Dame
5. Rolla
6. Carl Junction
7. St. Pius X (KC)
8. Whitfield
9. Cardinal Ritter
10. Lincoln College Prep
Others receiving votes: Parkway North, Smithville. www.somo-sports.com
Class 6
1. Incarnate Word
2. Kickapoo
3. Jefferson City
4. Rock Bridge
5. Nixa
6. Blue Springs
7. Staley
8. Webster Groves
9. Republic
10. Marquette
Others receiving votes: Holt, Rayton, Park Hill.
THOMAS JEFFERSON BOYS 60, SARCOXIE 42
The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers improved to 9-1 on the season with a 60-42 win at Sarcoxie on Monday.
Caden Myers scored 26 points to lead the Cavaliers, while Dhruv Gheewala added 13 points and Jay Ball had eight.
Sarcoxie fell to 5-4.
MOUNT VERNON GIRLS 69, SENECA 25
Senior standouts Lacy Stokes and Ellie Johnston combined for 60 points in Mount Vernon’s dominating 69-25 win over Seneca.
Stokes poured in 35 points and Johnston added 25 points with four 3-pointers.
Aliya Grotjohn scored 10 points for Seneca.
The Mountaineers led 19-4 and then used a 25-6 thrid quarter to blow the game open at 61-22.
NEOSHO GIRLS FALL
The Neosho girls basketball team suffered a 54-26 loss at Republic.
Olivia Hixson scored 10 points for the Wildcats and Michelle Lindsay added eight.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — After a three week layoff, the Webb City girls basketball team simply needed a little time to shake off the rust.
And in the team’s 2021 debut, Webb City overcame a sluggish start and rode a huge second quarter run to a convincing 56-29 victory over Joplin on Monday night in a Central Ozark Conference clash inside the Cardinal Dome.
In action for the first time since Dec. 21, the Cardinals missed their first 10 field goal attempts. But a full-court press jump-started a 22-0 second quarter surge that allowed the hosts to take control for good.
“It had been 21 days since we’d played a game,” Webb City coach Lance Robbins said. “We were a little rusty in the first few minutes of the game. We weren’t real effective, but that happens when you haven’t had a game for 21 days. But I thought after that, we played pretty good basketball.”
For the visiting Eagles, a scoreless second period was simply too much to overcome.
“Another scoreless quarter and we’ve got to get past that,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “We can’t be a team that goes an entire quarter without scoring a point. That’s two or three times it’s happened to us this year.”
Senior guard Jaydee Duda poured in 30 points to lead the Cardinals (4-5, 1-0 COC). Duda made 14 field goals, including one trey, and hit 1-of-3 free throws. Duda, who scored 22 points in the first half, also had five steals and four rebounds.
“Jaydee did a terrific job tonight,” Robbins said. “It was her first game playing point. We moved Jaydee to the point and Sierra (Kimbrough) off the ball. I thought Jaydee did a terrific job of handling the ball and still getting her shots while creating for other people. I’m proud of her for her effort.”
A senior guard, Kimbrough also reached double figures with 10 points and she was credited with nine steals. Senior Raven Vaughn chipped in six points and three assists, while junior Peyton Hawkins had a team-high eight rebounds.
Webb City shot 38 percent for the game (24-of-63).
Junior forward Emma Floyd scored nine points and had seven rebounds to lead Joplin (5-7, 0-2 COC), while sophomore Serafina Auberry added six points and junior Brooke Nice had five.
Brynn Driver had four rebounds and Lily Pagan handed out three assists.
The Eagles made 11-of-30 field goal attempts (37 percent). Webb City took advantage of 29 Joplin turnovers.
After taking an early seven point lead, Joplin was up 13-12 at the end of the first quarter.
“I thought we did a really good job in the first quarter,” Floyd said. “We got some layups. But we got a little timid in the second quarter, especially when they began to make their run. We started trying to force things that weren’t there.”
Webb City turned up the full-court pressure in the second quarter, and the hosts were able to generate offense from their defense.
The Cardinals put up 22 unanswered points in the second quarter, while the Eagles were stuck on 13 points for the entire eight minutes. Joplin had 18 turnovers in the first half.
“We couldn’t get in our press early because we couldn’t score in the first quarter,” Robbins said. “We were a little stagnant early. But our diamond press helped us generate some turnovers and helped us get some easy buckets. After we got into the flow of the game, we did a better job of scoring the basketball.”
“In the second quarter, Webb City just out-toughed us, out-physicaled us and just did everything better than us,” Floyd said. “They’re very aggressive and they do a great job in their press. It’s a credit to them, but we have to step up.”
The third quarter was nearly even, as Webb City outscored Joplin 10-9. Eagles sophomore Isabella Yust recorded a pair of hoops late in the third period, but the Cardinals were up comfortably 44-22 entering the fourth quarter.
Webb City scored the first nine points of the final frame, as Kate Brownfield, Vaughn and Duda contributed hoops and Kimbrough knocked down a 3-pointer, pushing the hosts’ advantage to 53-22 with 6:45 to play.
For the Cardinals, it was a nice way to begin conference play.
“Hopefully this is something we can build on,” Robbins said.
Floyd noted his Eagles will continue working to improve.
“There were some really good things tonight,” Floyd said. “That first quarter is something we can build on. The end of the third quarter we matched their intensity. We see good things in spurts. We just have to lengthen those spurts.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Both teams hit the road for conference games on Thursday, as Webb City is at Ozark and Joplin is at Branson.
With plenty of solid performances, Carl Junction and Carthage finished third and fifth, respectively, in the team standings at the Ozarks Invitational girls swim meet on Saturday in Springfield.
Kickapoo won the meet with 277 points, followed by Glendale (248), Carl Junction (240), Springfield Central (202) and Carthage (188).
There were 25 teams in attendance, including Joplin, Webb City and Thomas Jefferson.
CARL JUNCTION RESULTS
The Bulldogs won three events and finished second in three others.
Carl Junction’s 200-yard medley relay team of Skyler Sundy, Abigail Wilson, Chloe Miller and Emma Lacey took first with a state-qualifying time of 1 minute, 57 seconds.
Carl Junction’s 200 freestyle relay team of Sundy, Alanza Montez, Lacey and Miller placed second with a qualifying time of 1:45.
The Bulldogs finished eighth in the 400 free relay, with Montez, Carsyn Smith, Bryn Neria and Wilson competing.
A freshman, Miller won two individual events. Miller took first in the 200 freestyle in 2:03 and also touched the wall first in the 500 free with a time of 5:36.
Sundy was the runner-up in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:03, while Lacey took second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.
Lacey placed third in the 50 free, with Montez seventh in the same event. Smith placed fifth in the 100 backstroke and Wilson was sixth in the 100 breaststroke.
Also for the Bulldogs, Wilson finished 11th in the 200 IM, Kennedy Johnson took 12th in the 500 free, Abigail Holcomb was 14th in the 500 free, Montez was 16th in the 100 free and Adelyn Whisman was 17th in the 100 backstroke.
CARTHAGE RESULTS
The Tigers finished had five top-three finishes, with a pair of runner-up finishes and three third-place showings.
Carthage’s Madison Riley, Cassidy Smith, Nadya Housh and Hope Fultz finished second in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a state-consideration time of 3:56.
The Tigers placed third in the 200 medley relay with a time of 2:02, with Riley, Smith, Housh and Fultz competing.
Carthage was also third in the 200 freestyle relay, with Riley, Smith, Housh and Fultz swimming.
Riley was the runner-up in the 100 butterfly with a state-qualifying time of 59.94. Tigers coach Braden McBride said Riley’s time is a new school record.
Aubree Santillan took third in the 100 backstroke in 1:05. Santillan and Housh placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 200 IM, while teammate Victoria Martinez took 12th.
Smith was sixth in the 100 freestyle. Fultz finished 12th in the 200 freestyle, Karsen Dininger was 12th in the 100 backstroke, while Olivia Wright finished 15th in the 500 freestyle.
JOPLIN RESULTS
The Eagles were 14th in the 200 medley relay, with Lily Rakes, Kennedy Schwartz, Allie Lawrence and Mya Johnson competing.
Joplin finished 15th in the 200 freestyle relay, with Johnson, Sophia Schwartz, Taegen Smith and Lawrence swimming.
The team of Rakes, Brooklyn Hiller, Kennedy Schwartz and Sophia Schwartz placed 16th in the 400 freestyle relay.
Lawrence finished 17th in the 50 freestyle and 27th in the 100 free, while Megan Walser finished 17th in the 500 freestyle.
Smith and Kennedy Schwartz finished 20th and 21st, respectively, in the 100 breaststroke.
WEBB CITY RESULTS
Webb City’s Nikki Hensley and Kyndie Crockett finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in the 1-meter diving competition.
The diving competition was the only event the Cardinals competed in at the meet.
AREA HIGHLIGHTS
Lamar’s Meghan Watson placed fourth in both the 100 fly and the 100 backstroke, while teammate Kaitlyn Davis took seventh in the 100 free. Emma Tennal of Lamar finished eighth in the 100 breaststroke.
Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller finished 10th in the 100 breaststroke and 13th in the 200 IM.
Nevada’s Emma Leisure placed ninth in the 100 fly and 11th in the 100 backstroke. Nevada’s 200 free relay team of Abbi Baldwin, Hadley Fletchall, Delaney Hope and Chloe Morris finished 10th.
Monett’s Faith Drewianka was eighth in the 100 free, while the Cubs (Gwen Lesue, Ava Fritts, Claire Nation and Drewianka) were fifth in the 200 free relay and sixth in the 400 free relay (Lesue, Ashton Prine, Frittz, Drewianka).
Neosho took first place at the Marshfield Duals wrestling tournament on Saturday.
The Wildcats went 5-0, beating Camdenton 57-21, topping Carl Junction 54-19, defeating Lebanon 41-20, beating Marshfield 53-19 and handling Parkview 82-0.
Recording wins by fall against Camdenton were Landon Kivett (120), Trent Neece (152), Cayden Auch (160), Eric Holt (170) and Jeremiah Larson (195).
Against Carl Junction, Neosho’s Raymond Hembree (113), Landon Kivett, Neece, Cade Daniel (170) and Larson won by fall. Jack Lankford (120) won by technical fall, while Collyn Kivett (145) earned a major decision, 14-1, and Nikolas Olivares edged Kameron Bennett 7-6 in the heavyweight bout.
Lukas Walker (106) and Cayden Bollinger (195) recorded pins for the Bulldogs, while Jesse Cassatt (182) and Dexter Merrell (138) won decisions.
Neosho’s Neece, Auch and Hayden Crane (132) won by fall against Lebanon, while Hembree, Landon Kivett, Nate Copeland (138), Collyn Kivett, Holt, Larson and Olivares all earned decisions.
In the dual with Marshfield, Copeland, Neece, Auch, Holt and Larson all won by fall, while Jonny Chrisco (126) won by tech fall. Wyatt Black (106), Landon Kivett and Crane earned decisions.
In the lopsided win against Parkview, Chrisco, Copeland and Neece pinned their opponents, while Collyn Kivett earned a major decision. Neosho won the other matches by forfeit.
Carl Junction tied Camdenton 42-42.
Chance Benford (170), Cassatt, Cayden Bollinger (195) and Brennan Carey (220) won by fall.
Lebanon defeated Carl Junction 66-7.
Carl Junction’s Cole Stewart earned an 11-5 decision at 152, while Cassatt earned a major decision at 182, winning 14-5.
Marshfield beat Carl Junction 54-30.
Recording pins for Carl Junction were Merrell, Lukas Walker (106) and Dylan Frazier (126).
CARTHAGE TIGERS FARE WELL AT TOURNEY
Carthage competed at the Excelsior Springs Classic.
Carlos Reyes (120), Braxdon Tate (152), Luke Gall (182) and Kanen Vogt (220) all won individual titles.
Reyes won all five of his matches by fall, while Tate had four pins and a win by decision.
Gall won three matches by fall and another by tech fall. Tigers coach Kenny Brown said Gall set a new CHS weight class record for fastest fall when he pinned Lawson’s Ethan Sinclair in 10 seconds. The previous record for the 182 weight class was 18 seconds, set by Gage Bloomer during the 16-17 season.
Vogt won two matches by fall and another by decision.
Also for the Tigers, Davion King was the runner-up at 145, Brett Rockers took second at 170 and Eli Sneed placed third at 138.
Alexis Vasquez was the champion of the heavyweight “B” bracket.
WEBB CITY COMPETES AT MONETT
The Webb City Cardinals competed at the Monett Tournament.
Webb City’s Jacob Ott was the champion at 195 pounds, beating Harrisonville’s Trevor Campbell 5-2 in the title bout.
Brayden Hollingsworth finished third at 170 pounds, while Roger Carranco won the third-place match at 182.
Bobby Pearish finished fourth at 113, while Colt Taylor placed fourth at 120. Jackson Ward placed fifth at 160, Cooper Heilbrun took sixth at 152 and Kole Carr was sixth at 285.
Also for the Cardinals, Liam Taylor finished eighth at 220, Rafe Mackey was 10th at 138, while Jordan Howard finished 10th at 145. Webb City was eighth in the team standings.
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Pittsburg State men’s basketball took a 20-17 advantage near the nine-minute mark of the first half and never relinquished it as the Gorillas earned a physical 83-67 win over Missouri Southern in a game that saw 52 total fouls called on Saturday at John Lance Arena.
“This is a game that means a lot to a lot of people,” Pittsburg State’s Bobby Arthur-Williams Jr. said. “It’s our rival. They are 35 minutes down the road from us. It’s a game that we definitely want to win, and we want to win not just for ourselves, but for our community.”
Pittsburg State (5-4, 5-4 MIAA) shot 53.6 percent from the field (15-28) and 50 percent from the perimeter (4-8) on the way to a 40-32 cushion by the intermission. The Gorillas finished the game shooting 51.9 from the floor in the win and were 8-of-18 from the perimeter.
“We are a very unselfish group,” PSU’s Martin Vogts said. “We just spread the ball to everyone. Our best (attribute) is we find whoever has the hot hand. That is why we shoot so well, I think.”
Equally as important, the Gorillas’ effort on defense limited the Lions (4-4, 4-4) to a 40.7 percent shooting clip from the field (11-27) in both halves, with MSSU shooting 33 percent from deep (3-9) through the first 20 minutes before shooting 1-for-11 from the perimeter in the second half.
“I thought our defense was the key,” Pittsburg State coach Kim Anderson said. “They only scored 67 points, and our defense hasn’t been that good this year to hold a team down to that number. I was really proud of the way we guarded.”
Southern, which was without Winston Dessesow and Christian Bundy, held a 17-13 lead with 11:54 following a Cam Martin 3-pointer. Pittsburg State scored the next seven points behind a mid-range jumper from Zach Burch and a 3-pointer from Quentin Hardrict Jr., who finished with 10 points and a team-high five assists, to give the Gorillas a 20-17 advantage.
Pittsburg State pushed the lead as much as nine, 33-24, in the first half when Cameron Huefner scored inside at the 4:27 mark. PSU ultimately took an eight-point cushion into the half and quickly turned the lead into double digits less than a minute into the second half on a four-point play by Martin Vogts.
The Gorillas extended the lead to a game-high 16 points on a 3-pointer from RJ Forney Jr. with 13:45 to play to make the score 54-38.
Back-to-back scores in the paint by Martin with eight minutes left trimmed the Gorillas’ lead to 10, with the Lions cutting the deficit to single digits, 65-57, on a pair of makes from the charity stripe moments later.
“Missed free throws, and I thought there were some opportunities where we had wide-open looks and weren’t able to convert, and we were turning the basketball over,” Southern coach Jeff Boschee said about his team’s inability to make a bigger run at the lead. “We switched to the zone and weren’t getting out or understanding our principles on where we are supposed to be when the ball goes to certain spots on the floor.”
That would be as close as Southern would get, with Vogts knocking down a 3-pointer with less than seven minutes left to push the lead back to 11. Pittsburg State eventually pushed the lead back to 16 on two free throws from Vogts with 3:27 left in regulation, ending any bid for a Lions’ rally.
“I thought it was big,” Anderson said of his team responding when Southern cut the lead to eight. “I thought we were struggling. We were trying to find combinations. … I don’t know how long we went without a bucket or how many possessions we went without a bucket, but it was a few. They took advantage of it. Fortunately, we got a shot down and were able to continue to hold them.”
STAT LEADERS
Vogts led Pittsburg State with 26 points, 20 coming in the second half, on 8-of-14 shooting from the field with five makes coming from beyond the arc. Arthur-Williams Jr., who scored 15 points in the first half, finished with 22 points. Both players closed with a team-high eight rebounds and combined for seven assists and three steals.
“I thought Bobby came out and played really well,” Anderson said. “We did some things to get him some shots and he made them. Martin was very consistent throughout the game. He made 3-point shots and handled the ball pretty well.”
Martin led Southern with 33 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and 12-of-21 scoring from the free-throw line. It was his third consecutive game with 30 or more points scored, and it moved him into sixth place (1,672 points) on the MSSU all-time scoring list, surpassing Skyler Bowlin and Marquis Addison. He added a game-high 11 rebounds to finish with a double-double.
Keryn Collins, making his first start of the season, scored a career-high 14 points for the Lions.
UP NEXT
Pittsburg State travels to Emporia State for a 7:30 p.m. tip on Jan. 14.
Missouri Southern travels to Washburn for a 7:30 p.m. tip on Jan. 14.
Nickhai Howard does a little bit of everything for the Webb City High School boys basketball team.
In fact, the versatile senior guard is the definition of a stat-sheet stuffer.
Howard is playing a crucial role for the Webb City Cardinals, who are off to an 8-1 start to the 2020-21 season.
Webb City continued its winning ways by beating Joplin 66-55 on Saturday in the championship game of the Kaminsky Classic.
It was Webb City’s seventh straight victory.
“It’s really exciting,” Howard said of his team’s stellar start to the season. “I’ve been here four years and we haven’t had that good of a start yet. It’s just really exciting to get off to this kind of a start. And we’re hoping to keep building on it.”
As the team’s starting point guard, Howard is a primary ball-handler and distributor. But he’s much more than that.
The 5-foot-11 Howard not only sets up his teammates, but he can also score points in bunches.
Pictured is Webb City’s Nickhai Howard. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
As far as his offensive game, Howard has shown the ability to knock down jumpers from all over the floor, including beyond the arc, and he finishes well around the basket.
Howard is also one of the team’s leaders in rebounds and steals, and he can guard multiple positions on the defensive end.
Simply put, Howard fills up the box score each and every night he takes the court.
Want proof? Howard is now averaging 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals per game.
“I think he’s the most complete player in Southwest Missouri,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “Nickhai does a little bit of everything. He’s a great rebounding guard and he handles the ball. He can drive and finish. He sees the floor well. And he shoots at a high clip.”
Howard and the Cardinals were in danger of seeing their winning streak halted on Saturday, as the Joplin Eagles gained all of the momentum with a big second quarter.
But the Cardinals used a 17-2 run in the third quarter to take control en route to a hard-fought victory over their rivals.
“We were really focused on making our layups in the second half,” Howard said, noting the Cardinals didn’t shoot well in the first half. “We missed a lot of layups in the first half. We just had to focus on making shots because we were playing pretty great defense. We had to get our offense going. We just got a lot of momentum going.”
An all-tourney selection, Howard played all 32 minutes against Joplin.
“That tells you what kind of athlete he is and says a lot about his conditioning and the toughness he plays with,” Horn said.
Howard compiled 17 points, six rebounds and four assists in his team’s 65-55 win over a solid Nevada squad on Thursday and he had 16 points, six assists and three steals in a 75-43 victory over Clever on Wednesday.
With the conference slate set to begin, it’s safe to say Howard will continue to play a crucial role for the Cardinals, who have hopes of contending for a Central Ozark Conference crown and making a deep postseason run.
When asked about Howard’s importance to his team’s success, Horn summed it up this way.
“As he goes, we’re going to go,” Horn said.
Webb City senior guard Nickhai Howard scores in the lane against Clever earlier this week at the Kaminsky Classic. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Pittsburg State trailed by as many as eight twice in the first half and 12 in the second half before rallying back for a 70-67 win over Missouri Southern on Saturday at John Lance Arena.
The Gorillas have won five straight games and improve to 6-3, 6-3 MIAA. The loss snaps the Lions’ four-game winning streak, dropping Southern to 4-4, 4-4 MIAA.
“I was just really proud of our girls’ resiliency,” Pittsburg State coach Amanda Davied said. “There’s been games in the past where we’ve caved a little bit. Winning gives you confidence, so I think right now we are a confident team. It showed in the second half that we have been in those situations before, and we toughed it out.”
STAT LEADERS
Kaylee DaMitz led PSU with 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting to go along with a team-high six assists and four rebounds. Tristan Gegg finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Carthage product Maya Williams finished with nine points and seven rebounds, while Julia Johnson scored eight and had six rebounds with two steals.
Southern was led in scoring by Carley Turnbull’s 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting. She finished with seven rebounds. Kaitlin Hunnicut came off the bench to score 15 points to go along with four rebounds, a block and a steal. Zoe Campbell scored eight and led the Lions with eight rebounds.
GAME SCRIPT
Southern jumped out early on Pittsburg State, building an eight-point lead, 20-12, through six minutes of action. The Lions’ strong work on the glass was a big proponent to taking the momentum early, outrebounding the Gorillas 12-8 in the first quarter, which led to a 7-2 MSSU advantage in second-chance scoring.
The Gorillas, who trailed by five after the first, found themselves down eight again early in the second period. Pittsburg State battled back and whittled the lead down to one, 27-26, on a DaMitz 3-pointer at the six-minute mark.
Southern closed the first half in a big way, using an 11-2 run to go into the intermission with a 38-28 lead. Turnbull knocked down a 3-ball to kick off the run before Biance Stocks and PSU’s Johnson traded buckets , with Hunnicutt draining her third 3-pointer of the first half to make the score 35-28 with 3:01 left. A Hailey Grant score on the drive and a free throw from Anna Hall wrapped the run and the first-half scoring.
“The game of basketball is about runs,” MSSU coach Ronnie Ressel said of his team’s ability to stave off PSU’s early comeback bids. “It’s just a matter of how big of a run it is going to be and if you can subside it and get back under control and into your favor. Really through the first three quarters, for the most part, I thought we did a really good job of doing that.”
Perimeter shooting was an advantage for the Lions in the first half, as MSSU was 5-of-10 shooting from deep in the first two quarters. PSU was limited to 1-for-7 shooting from the perimeter in the first half.
“It was good for us to be able to make those shots,” Ressel said. “It was good to see our kids step up. We had some good looks and we made them. In the first half, we did a really good job of executing our offense.”
Southern pushed the lead to 12 early in the first quarter before an 11-0 run by Pittsburg State trimmed the margin to 40-39 with 2:51 to play. The Lions briefly pushed the lead back to nine before the Gorillas cut the lead to one possession on the back of back-to-back 3-pointers by Jayme Jackson to end the quarter.
“When Jayme hit those two 3s, I think that was really the turning point,” DaMitz said. “It really just got us going. … From there, we were just rolling. Everybody was rolling.”
“That definitely was the turning point of the game,” Gegg added. “Jayme coming in (and making those shots) just was insane. I almost lost my voice screaming so loudly.”
The Gorilla women carried that momentum into the final quarter of play when Julia Johnson tied the game with an inside score 30 seconds into the fourth. After a Southern turnover, Gegg drilled a 3-ball from the right wing to give Pittsburg State its first lead of the game, 55-52, with 9:05 left in regulation. Williams made it 14 unanswered points for PSU spanning back to the third quarter with a 3-pointer from the corner at 7:25 to push the lead to 58-52.
“Momentum was huge,” Davied said. “I felt like at the end of the third, just being in that position really helped us continue to have some confidence and feel like we’re going to push through. … We closed that gap, and we closed it quickly. That is where our energy changed. … I thought our girls really had some answers and solutions to their situations.”
“We got on each other’s energy bus, and that is what you have to do every game,” Gegg added.
From there, Pittsburg State never surrendered the lead en route to victory.
UP NEXT
Pittsburg State travels to Emporia State for a 5:30 p.m. tip on Jan. 14.
Missouri Southern travels to Washburn for a 5:30 p.m. tip on Jan. 14.
For the first time in program history, the Webb City High School boys basketball team has captured a Kaminsky Classic championship.
Overcoming a nine-point deficit with a big second half, Webb City rode a one-sided third quarter to a 66-55 victory over Joplin in the annual event’s championship game on Saturday afternoon at a packed Kaminsky Gymnasium inside Joplin High School.
“I’m excited for our kids,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “It’s the first time we’ve won a regular-season tournament title since I’ve been here. So it’s good for the program and good for the kids.”
“This is very exciting,” Webb City senior guard Nickhai Howard said. “We’ve been working for this for a lot of years. Beating Nevada was really exciting as well. I had a good time playing against all of them.”
Joplin used a 15-0 surge in the second quarter to take a 31-23 lead at the break, but the Cardinals turned things around in the game-changing third quarter.
Webb City captured the Kaminsky Classic championship on Saturday by knocking off Joplin 66-55. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Webb City put together a 13-0 burst and closed the period on a 17-2 run, taking a 46-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
“I thought we showed a lot of composure after getting down at the half,” Horn said. “Shots weren’t falling, but our kids battled through it and showed some toughness. We did a good job in the second half of executing offensively and finishing plays.”
“Games like these often come down to the 50-50 balls, the hustle, the charges and the willingness to do those things,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “They were much better and tougher than us in the third quarter in particular. Against a good team that is skilled like Webb City and that is unselfish as they are, if you don’t win that battle it’s going to be hard to beat them. We struggled with that. In the second quarter, we were that team. But it’s a four quarter game.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Senior post player Luke Brumit scored 13 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots for the Cardinals, who are now 8-1 and ranked eighth in Class 5.
“He plays tough,” Horn said of the 6-foot-4 Brumit. “He’s one of those guys who kept working to get better and he was waiting for his time. We thought he was going to be pretty good coming into this year, and he’s played beyond our expectations up to this point. He’s a great rebounder and he has good touch around the rim.”
Senior Mekhi Garrard and sophomore Alex Martin scored 12 points apiece for Webb City, while seniors Howard and Cohl Vaden contributed eight points apiece.
Garrard, Howard and Vaden all had eight rebounds apiece, while Vaden and Garrard each handed out four assists.
Webb City made 25-of-62 field goal attempts (40 percent). The Cardinals, who hit just 2-of-11 3-pointers, out-rebounded the Eagles 44-34.
The Cardinals had 36 points in the paint compared to Joplin’s 18. Webb City’s bench outscored Joplin’s 19-9.
Freshman guard All Wright led Joplin (7-3) with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including four 3-pointers. He had 14 points in the first half.
Junior guard Always Wright had 12 points and five rebounds, while sophomore Dante Washington contributed 11 points. LT Atherton had a team-high seven rebounds, while Dominick Simmons had four assists.
The Eagles, in the title game for the first time since 2018, connected on 18-of-52 shot attempts (34 percent).
Hafer noted his young squad continues to make progress.
“This is an opportunity for us to learn and try to grow,” Hafer said. “This game will help us get better. We’re young when it comes to experience, so these games are important for us.”
GAME RECAP
Webb City took a 23-16 lead in the second quarter after a hoop from Martin, but things suddenly changed.
Joplin grabbed all of the momentum, putting together a 15-0 run to end the first half.
Both Wright brothers hit treys during the surge, while Simmons contributed a coast-to-coast layup.
All Wright’s third 3-pointer of the first half made it 29-23 in favor of the hosts. On the final play of the half, Joplin’s Malik Williams converted a steal into a buzzer-beating layup, giving the Eagles a 31-23 halftime advantage.
“We competed well in the second quarter and did some good things,” Hafer said.
“We gave them clean looks and they made us pay for it,” Horn said.
Webb City went the final 4:24 of the first half without a point.
But in the key third period, the Cardinals outscored the Eagles 23-8, making 9-of-18 shots.
“We were in a little bit of foul trouble in the second quarter with some key guys,” Horn said. “The main thing we told them is, ‘The shots are going to fall. We have to stay composed, play level-headed and stay solid on defense.’ Our defense led to some runouts for us and really helped us get going there in the second half. You’re not going to see us shoot the ball as poorly as we did in the first half, and some of that had to do with them (Joplin). But we’ve got some guys who are skilled at finishing in traffic or passing through traffic. And we share the ball well, so it’s hard to keep us from scoring consistently for four quarters.”
On the other hand, Joplin made just 2-of-8 field goal attempts and had six turnovers during the third quarter.
“We settled a lot,” Hafer said of his team’s offensive struggles during the frame. “We didn’t execute very well. And then we got caught standing and watching. We kind of got stagnant and we tried to get it all back in one shot instead of trying to play the game and consistently do what we need to do offensively. But that’s on me as a coach.”
The visitors put the game away with a strong start to the fourth period.
Three free throws from Brumit and a Garrard putback pushed Webb City’s advantage to 51-41.
Moments later, Vaden scored five straight points and Kaden Turner contributed an old-fashioned 3-point play to extend the Cardinals’ cushion to 65-47.
Horn noted his team’s defense was much better in the second half.
“We did a better job of trying to keep All contained at the 3-point line,” Horn said. “He got loose three times in the first half where we didn’t run him off the line.”
Joplin’s All Wright puts up a shot over Webb City’s Nickhai Howard on Saturday during the Kaminsky Classic’s championship game. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
GAME NOTES
Joplin was seeking its third championship after winning the event in both 2000 and ’01.
Francis Howell won the last three Kaminsky Classic titles, but the Vikings were unable to attend this year’s event due to the pandemic.
Francis Howell, Jefferson City and St. Louis University High will join William Chrisman as out of the area teams in the 2022 tourney. Webb City, Carl Junction and Nevada will join the host Eagles as the local squads.
REMATCH IS TUESDAY
Joplin travels to Webb City on Tuesday night for a Central Ozark Conference clash inside the Cardinal Dome.
“Webb City’s good,” Hafer said. “I think Webb City will be one of the upper-echelon teams in the COC. They’re capable of beating anyone. Webb beat us up pretty good today. Our guys will take it to heart and we’ll come back on Monday to get ready. We get a chance to go there on Tuesday and we’ll see if we can put a better effort on the floor for four quarters instead of just a couple.”
Joplin’s Always Wright puts up a runner in the lane. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Joplin’s All Wright and Webb City’s Luke Brumit battle for a rebound during Saturday’s Kaminsky Classic title game. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Joplin’s Dante Washington goes up for a layup against Webb City’s Mekhi Garrard. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
WEBB CITY (66) — Mekhi Garrard 5 2-2 12, Trenton Hayes 3 0-0 6, Nickhai Howard 2 4-4 8, Cohl Vaden 3 1-2 8, Luke Brumit 4 5-7 13, Alex Martin 5 1-2 12, Shane Noel 0 0-0 0, Kaden Turner 3 1-1 7, Max Higginbotham 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 14-18 66.
On the final day of the Kaminsky Classic, Nevada defeated William Chrisman 54-37 for third place, while Clever beat Carl Junction 70-51 for fifth place.
Look for a separate story on the event’s championship game between Joplin and Webb City. In that one, the Cardinals topped the Eagles 66-55.
NEVADA 54, WILLIAM CHRISMAN 37 (THIRD PLACE)
The Nevada Tigers finished strong.
As a result, the Tigers claimed a 54-37 win over William Chrisman in the third place game of the 2021 Kaminsky Classic at Joplin High School.
Clinging to a six-point lead at the end of the third quarter, the Tigers outscored the Bears 15-4 in the fourth quarter.
“I’m proud of our defensive effort in the second half, and really all game,” Tigers coach Shaun Gray said. “We held them to 31 percent shooting overall. And we rebounded the ball well. For the bulk of the game, I thought we defended and rebounded well.”
The hot-shooting Tigers scored the first eight points of the game and took a 17-10 lead into the second quarter.
By out-scoring the Tigers 13-11 in the second period, the Bears trimmed their deficit to five by halftime, as Nevada was up 28-23.
The third quarter was nearly even, and the Tigers held a 39-33 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Again, Nevada finished strong, outscoring William Chrisman by 11 in the final frame to leave town with third place.
Senior guard Logan Applegate poured in 25 points to lead the Tigers (7-4). He made 6-of-16 field goal attempts and 9-of-12 free throws. Applegate scored 15 of his 25 in the second half.
“He’s a leader for us on the court and off the court,” Gray said. “He really took charge tonight. It was a good job by him leading us.”
Logan McNeley added seven points for the Tigers.
The Tigers, who went 2-1 at the event, ended the tourney on a positive note.
“Obviously, we had aspirations to go 3-0 and win a championship down here,” Gray said. “But, anytime you go 2-1 in a high-quality tournament it’s something you’ll take.”
Dayne Herl led the Bears (4-7) with 12 points and Anthony Watkins had 10.
CLEVER 70, CARL JUNCTION 51 (FIFTH PLACE)
Clever took control early, racing out to a 29-5 lead en route to capturing fifth place. By the break, the Blue Jays were up 42-15.
Clever scored 28 points off Carl Junction’s 22 turnovers and the Blue Jays had a 22-2 advantage on fastbreak points.
Bryce Gelle compiled 34 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists to lead the Blue Jays (4-7). A 6-2 guard, Gelle had 31 points through the first three quarters, nearly outscoring the Bulldogs by himself.
Alex Baker led Carl Junction (1-10) with 15 points, seven boards and two steals. Sincere Williams added 12 points for the Bulldogs.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Mekhi Garrard, 6-foot-1 senior guard, Webb City
Nickhai Howard, 5-foot-11 senior guard, Webb City
Always Wright, 6-foot-3 junior guard, Joplin
All Wright, 6-foot-1 freshman guard, Joplin
Logan McNeley, 6-foot-2 senior guard, Nevada
Logan Applegate, 6-foot-2 senior guard, Nevada
Dayne Herl, 6-foot-4 junior forward, William Chrisman
Bryce Gelle, 6-foot-2 senior guard, Clever.
Kaminsky Classic presented by Joplin Sports Authority and Freeman Sports Medicine
EXETER, Mo. — Miller Long had a night to remember for the College Heights Christian boys basketball team.
A junior guard, Long poured in 37 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, leading College Heights to a 69-60 overtime victory at Exeter on Friday night.
That’s not all. Long surpassed 1,000 career points during the game.
CHC’s Curtis Davenport also had a double-double with 21 points and 18 rebounds.
The game was deadlocked at 55 at the end of regulation, but the Cougars won the extra session 14-5.
The Cougars improved to 6-5.
THOMAS JEFFERSON BOYS 63, PIERCE CITY 43
PIERCE CITY, Mo. — The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers hiked their record to 8-1 with a convincing 63-43 road victory at Pierce City on Friday.
Jay Ball scored 20 points to lead the Cavaliers, while Caden Myers added 15 points and Dhruv Gheewala had 14 points.
Kyle Renkoski led Pierce City (3-9) with 23 points.
The Cavaliers led 32-27 at the break, but the visitors pulled away in the third period.
Noah Hamlett, Drew Goodhope and Tyler Brouhard all hit treys in the third quarter, giving the Cavs a 49-36 cushion.
Ball had three hoops in the paint early in the fourth quarter, pushing TJ’s lead to 55-40 with six minutes left.
Moments later, a trey from Myers and a layup by Gheewala made it 60-40.
NEOSHO BOYS 68, LOCUST GROVE JV 29
LOCUST GROVE, Okla. — The Neosho boys basketball team bounced back nicely from Thursday’s overtime loss to the OKC Storm by earning a 68-29 victory over the Locust Grove junior varsity on Friday at the Locust Grove Invitational.
The Wildcats raced out to a 18-4 lead and never looked back. A trey from Landon Austin gave the Wildcats a 25-6 lead with 5:30 remaining in the first half, and Neosho led 37-14 at halftime.
The Wildcats took a 52-22 lead into the fourth quarter.
NEOSHO GIRLS 52, TULSA CENTRAL 27
LOCUST GROVE, Okla. — Neosho’s girls defeated Tulsa Central 52-27 at the Locust Grove Invitational.
Olivia Hixson led Neosho with 16 points. The senior guard hit three 3-pointers and went 7-for-8 at the foul line. Karlee Ellick also reached double figures with 10 points.
The Wildcats held an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Hixson drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to give Neosho a 21-12 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half.
By the break, the Wildcats led 25-16.
Neosho started the second half on a 7-0 run to extend its lead. Later in the third period, Hixson converted 6-of-6 free throws and the Wildcats went up 38-17.
Neosho took a 41-19 advantage into the fourth quarter. Ellick scored inside to extend Neosho’s lead to 47-23 with 3:15 left. Wildcats coach Ryan Madison got his subs plenty of minutes in the fourth quarter.
