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Day: February 13, 2021

COLLEGE HOOPS: Missouri Southern women fall at Northwest

Posted on by Jason Peake

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Missouri Southern women’s basketball program fell on the road against Northwest Missouri in Maryville 78-55 inside Bearcat Arena as Madi Stokes got her sixth double-double of the season.

Southern (7-12, 7-12 MIAA) was led by Stokes with 15 points going 5-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 from free throws while grabbing 10 rebounds. Layne Skiles provided 10 points and a steal, while Hailey Grant set a career-high for scoring with seven connecting on her three-point attempt and going 4-of-6 from free throws.

Northwest (7-10, 7-10 MIAA) was led by Mallory McConkey with 22 points shooting 10-of-11 from the field, 2-of-2 from three and grabbed eight rebounds. Jayna Green got a double-double posting 12 points and 10 rebounds, Molly Hartnett had 12 points as well and a game-high six assists. Jaelyn Haggard led the bench scoring with 11 points.

Brooke Stauffer got the first points on the board for Southern with a layup on the second possession for the Lions. A pair of free throws from Stokes tied the score at six with 6:39 remaining in the first quarter. Stokes repeated the feat with two free throws with 1:04 remaining to set the score at 12 all.

Skiles got the Lions the lead (16-14) with 8:20 left in the first half with a layup off a Stauffer assist. The Bearcats responded with a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead. Emily Kuntze cut the deficit to two (22-20) with 4:14 left on a pull-up jumper before the Bearcats went on a 11-3 run to close the half and give Northwest a 33-23 halftime advantage.

Megan Jackson opened the scoring for Southern in the second half with a layup and-one with 7:23 remaining in the third quarter. Following a Bearcat three the Lions went on an 8-3 run to trim the lead to 13 (34-47) with 4:33 remaining after a Stokes layup. Anna Hall got Southern to within 10 (51-41) with a pair of free throws with 1:05 left.

Following a Kaitlin Hunnicutt pull-up jumper with 7:40 remaining in regulation, Southern cut the lead to eight (58-46), but it was as close as the Lions got in the quarter.

For the game Southern shot 34.6 percent from the field and 81.8 from the free throw line. The Lions won the rebounding battle 38-34, had more bench points 19-17, and had 30 points in the paint compared to the Bearcats’ 20.

Up next for the women is Pittsburg State next Saturday at home. Tip-off from Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

CLASS 4 DISTRICT 5 WRESTLING: Joplin, Carthage athletes advance to sectional

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

The Class 4 District 5 wrestling tournament was held on Saturday at Ozark High School.

Joplin and Carthage were among the schools competing. 

The top four in each weight class advanced to the sectional tournament on Feb. 27.

Listed below are the sectional qualifiers in each weight class, along with the final team standings. 

106 POUNDS

  1. William Austin, Waynesville
  2. Sam Melton, Joplin
  3. Lucas Gideon, Central
  4. Dylan Huntley, Carthage

113 POUNDS

  1. Zan Fugitt, Nixa
  2. Michael George, Republic
  3. Bradyn Tate, Carthage
  4. Rylan Lashley, Central

120 POUNDS

  1. Peyton Moore, Nixa
  2. Dustin Green, Waynesville
  3. Carlos Reyes, Carthage
  4. Dominick Famiano, Republic

126 POUNDS

  1. Deagan Fugitt, Nixa
  2. Jordan Hurst, Ozark
  3. Kip Castor, Carthage
  4. Rocky Walker, Joplin

132 POUNDS

  1. Elijah Maskrod, Ozark
  2. Dagan Sappington, Carthage
  3. Josiah Vaughn, Joplin
  4. Cole Crahan, Nixa

138 POUNDS

  1. Braxton Strick, Ozark
  2. Eli Sneed, Carthage
  3. Kaiden Cruz, Waynesville
  4. Andre Northrup, Republic

145 POUNDS

  1. Davion King, Carthage
  2. Brock Sundlie, Ozark
  3. Dylan Carter, Nixa
  4. Kevin Cruz, Waynesville

152 POUNDS

  1. Clayton Moison, Ozark
  2. Braxdon Tate, Carthage
  3. Martin Medrano, Waynesville
  4. Harrison Holt, Kickapoo

160 POUNDS

  1. Riley Newsom, Ozark
  2. Grey Petticrew, Carthage
  3. Issac Peterson, Waynesville
  4. Garrett Greve, Kickapoo

170 POUNDS

  1. Tai Koyama, Kickapoo
  2. Connor Sandridge, Republic
  3. Thomas Rushing, Ozark
  4. Drew VanGilder, Joplin 

182 POUNDS

  1. Luke Gall, Carthage
  2. Harper Kissee, Ozark
  3. Avry Rutherford, Nixa
  4. Dillion Smith, Waynesville

195 POUNDS

  1. David Honeycutt, Republic
  2. Colton Justus, Waynesville
  3. Michael Turner, Nixa
  4. Scott Lowe, Joplin

220 POUNDS

  1. John Gholson, Nixa
  2. Corey Choates, Kickapoo
  3. Kanen Vogt, Carthage
  4. Luke Hulse, Ozark

285 POUNDS

  1. Hunter Tennison, Ozark
  2. Jacob Forshey, Waynesville
  3. Gunner Price, Joplin
  4. David Kwon, Kickapoo

 

TEAM STANDINGS

Ozark 191.5, Carthage 187, Nixa 151, Waynesville 128, Joplin 79, Republic 78.5, Kickapoo 70, Central 32.5

CLASS 3 DISTRICT 6 WRESTLING: Area athletes advance to sectional; Neosho, Carl Junction top team standings

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

The Class 3 District 6 wrestling tournament was held on Saturday at Carl Junction High School.

The top four finishers in each weight class advanced to the sectional tournament that will be held at Willard on Feb. 27.

Listed below are the sectional qualifiers in each weight class, along with the final team standings. 

Neosho claimed the team championship, while Carl Junction was the runner-up. 

 

CLASS 3 DISTRICT 6 TOURNAMENT RESULTS

106 POUNDS

  1. Raymond Hembree, Neosho
  2. Lukas Walker, Carl Junction
  3. Noah Agcaoili, Willard
  4. Victor Lopez-Sebastian, McDonald County

113 POUNDS

  1. Blaine Ortiz, McDonald County
  2. Max Matthews, Carl Junction
  3. Gavyn Walker, Hillcrest
  4. Wyatt Black, Neosho

120 POUNDS

  1. Landon Kivett, Neosho
  2. Colton Taylor, Webb City
  3. Trey Pilkinton, Hillcrest
  4. Keaton Colburn, Carl Junction

126 POUNDS

  1. Christian Finley, Willard
  2. Jonathan Chrisco, Neosho
  3. Dylan Frazier, Carl Junction
  4. Skyler Caudel, Parkview

132 POUNDS

  1. Hayden Crane, Neosho
  2. Levi Smith, McDonald County
  3. Levi Noguera, Parkview
  4. Dominic Boles, Webb City

138 POUNDS

  1. Oscar Martinez, Willard
  2. Dexter Merrell, Carl Junction
  3. Nathan Copeland, Neosho
  4. Cross Spencer, McDonald County

145 POUNDS

  1. Eli Zar, Neosho
  2. Cole Stewart, Carl Junction
  3. Andrew Keithly, Willard
  4. Junior Lamarre, Parkview

152 POUNDS

  1. Trent Neece, Neosho
  2. Timothy Stevens, Willard
  3. Lucas Watkins, Carl Junction
  4. Joseph Woods, Parkview

160 POUNDS

  1. Cayden Auch, Neosho
  2. Ryder Heimbach, Willard
  3. Alexis Molina-Cruz, McDonald County
  4. Bradyen Hollingsworth, Webb City

170 POUNDS

  1. Eric Holt, Neosho
  2. Calvin Stanford, Willard
  3. Chance Benford, Carl Junction
  4. Jackson Ward, Webb City

182 POUNDS

  1. Jesse Cassatt, Carl Junction
  2. Roger Carranco, Webb City
  3. Aleczander Rodgers, Hillcrest
  4. Rylan Dixon, Willard

195 POUNDS

  1. Jeremiah Larson, Neosho
  2. Jacob Ott, Webb City
  3. Jonas Keohane, Willard
  4. Cayden Bolinger, Carl Junction

220 POUNDS

  1. Jacob Fry, Neosho
  2. Sam Murphy, McDonald County
  3. Brennan Carey, Carl Junction
  4. Derek Hicks, Willard

285 POUNDS

  1. Jayce Hitt, McDonald County
  2. Kameron Bennett, Carl Junction
  3. Nicholas Litchy, Parkview
  4. Jacob Gott, Hillcrest

 

TEAM STANDINGS

Neosho 231, Carl Junction 155, Willard 131, McDonald County 89, Webb City 60, Hillcrest 45, Parkview 45.

 

PREP HOOPS ROUNDUP: Area squads suffer conference setbacks on Friday night

Posted on by Jason Peake

Area squads suffered conference setbacks on Friday night. Below is tonight’s roundup. 

REPUBLIC BOYS 69, JOPLIN 67

REPUBLIC, Mo. — A last-second heave was off the mark, and Joplin’s upset bid fell just short, as Republic stayed undefeated in Central Ozark Conference play with a hard-fought 69-67 boys basketball win over the Eagles on Friday night. 

Republic is now 20-2 and 6-0 in the COC, while Joplin is 11-9 overall and 2-3 in the COC. 

All Wright scored 28 points to lead Joplin, while Dante Washington added 15.

Drew McMillin poured in 39 points for the Tigers, while Ahlante Askew added 10. 

Republic scored the first eight points of the game, but the Eagles used a 7-1 run to pull within two.

A last-second midrange jumper by McMillin gave Republic an 11-7 lead at the end of the opening frame. 

All Wright’s 3-pointer tied the game at 16. The Tigers went up by eight at 27-19, but the Eagles closed the first half on a 10-2 run.

During the spurt, Joplin received a pair of treys from Washington and hoops from Dominick Simmons and All Wright.

The game was tied at 29 at intermission. Joplin played a large part of the second quarter without Always Wright, who picked up four fouls in the first half.

Joplin briefly took the lead early in the third period, but Republic used a 12-0 surge to pull ahead at 41-31.

The Eagles responded with eight straight points on treys from Simmons and Washington and two free throws from All Wright.

Republic led 49-44 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Eagles stayed within striking distance the rest of the way, as All Wright’s two free throws trimmed Joplin’s deficit to two with 41 seconds to play.

The Tigers turned the ball over, but the Eagles could not take advantage, as the visitors missed a shot in the lane and then turned the ball over with 20 seconds remaining. 

Republic’s Askew hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to make it a two-possession game.

LT Atherton’s hoop in the paint with 3.4 seconds remaining once again cut Republic’s lead to two.

The Eagles had to foul, and Republic’s McMillin missed both free throws, but Joplin’s desperation shot at the buzzer was off the mark. 

Joplin hosts Carl Junction at 7:30 on Tuesday night, weather permitting.  

 

REPUBLIC GIRLS 72, JOPLIN 22

REPUBLIC, Mo. — Forcing the Eagles into a number of early turnovers with their full-court press, the Tigers jumped out to a 28-6 lead by the end of the first period en route to a lopsided COC win. 

“We got absolutely dominated by a very good Republic team,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “They are very well-coached and talented. I felt that our girls came out flat and with no energy. I was very disappointed in our effort. At some point, we have to change the way we play if we expect different results. We have to get better all around to not only compete the rest of this season, but in the future as well.”

Republic held a 30-point lead with five minutes left in the second quarter, and the Tigers led 50-10 at the break. 

Kaemyn Bekemeier scored 14 in the first quarter and had 20 in the first half for the Tigers, who are receiving votes in the Class 6 poll. 

The Tigers took a 63-18 lead into the fourth quarter. 

Republic had 10 different players score in the game, led by Bekemeier’s 20 points. 

Emma Floyd scored six points to lead Joplin, while Brynn Driver had four. 

Joplin is scheduled to host Carl Junction at 6 on Tuesday night.

 

WILLARD GIRLS 60, CARTHAGE 43

WILLARD, Mo. — Taking control early, Willard hit 10 3-pointers in the first half, with seven in the opening frame alone.  

“Willard shot the lights out in the first half and we couldn’t match their firepower,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “I’m really proud of how the girls battled in the second half. We played much more composed in the final 16 minutes of the game.”

Ranked first in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Willard improved to 18-1 overall and 5-0 in the Central Ozark Conference. 

Carthage fell to 11-9 and 1-4 in the COC. 

With four early treys, Willard took a 12-2 lead. The hosts were up 27-15 at the end of the first quarter and 45-24 at the half. 

Carthage won the third period 14-10, but the visitors trailed 55-38 at the end of the third quarter. Willard’s lead was never in doubt in the fourth period. 

Brielle Adamson scored 14 points to lead Willard, while Ariana Patillo had nine. Both players hit three treys apiece. 

Brinna Ream scored 14 points to lead Carthage, while Hailey Fullerton and Landry Cochran added nine points apiece. 

Carthage hosts Neosho at 5:30 on Saturday. 

 

WILLARD BOYS 73, CARTHAGE 61

WILLARD, Mo. — The host Tigers knocked off the visiting Tigers to secure a COC win. 

Willard hiked its record to 8-14 and 2-4 in the COC, while Carthage slipped to 6-15 and 0-5 in the COC. 

The game was deadlocked at 15 at the end of the opening frame, but Willard used a strong second quarter to take a 36-27 lead at the break. 

The two teams traded runs in the third period, and the hosts took a 54-46 lead into the final frame. Willard outscored Carthage 19-15 in the fourth quarter. 

Max Templeman scored 26 points for Carthage, while Justin Ray added 13.  

Hayden Brown scored 23 points for Willard and Trey Pulford had 18.  

Carthage hosts Neosho at 7 on Saturday night. 

 

NIXA BOYS 81, WEBB CITY 60

NIXA, Mo. — Ranked fourth in Class 6, Nixa hiked its record to 19-3 overall and 5-0 in the COC. 

Ranked 10th in Class 5, Webb City fell to 14-7 overall and 2-3 in the COC. 

Nixa led 9-8 at the end of the low-scoring first quarter, but the Eagles pulled away in the second period with a 13-0 run, eventually taking a 33-18 lead into the break. 

Nixa led 57-36 at the end of the third quarter en route to victory. 

Nickhai Howard scored 26 points to lead Webb City and Cohl Vaden added 16 points. 

Nixa’s Kaleb Wofford scored 24 points on eight 3-pointers. 

Webb City hosts Carl Junction at 6 on Saturday night. 

 

BRANSON GIRLS 45, NEOSHO 39

BRANSON, Mo. — The Wildcats fell short in a COC road game.

The Wildcats slipped to 9-9 overall and 0-4 in the COC. Branson is 4-15 and 2-3 in the COC. 

Neosho’s Reagan McInturff scored nine points, Michelle Lindsay and Karlee Ellick added eight points apiece and Olivia Hixson added seven. 

 

OZARK BOYS 78, CARL JUNCTION 38

Ozark improved to 15-7 and 4-1 in the COC. Carl Junction fell to 4-16 and 1-4 in the COC.

Alex Baker scored 17 for the Bulldogs. 

BOYS HOOPS: College Heights builds double-digit lead in the first half en route to win over McAuley

Posted on by Lucas Davis

College Heights pulled out to a double-digit lead in the second quarter to set the pace in a 60-47 Ozark 7 win over rival McAuley on Friday at Ozark Christian College.

“You want to be playing your best this time of year and peaking, not in December,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson said. “We feel like we are. We still have a lot of room for improvement, sharpening things up on offense. I think our defense has done a good job for us here in the last few games. If you play good defense and get your offense to be consistent, you can have some success.”

“It’s tough coming off of six days with nothing, especially after the tough loss to (Thomas Jefferson) last Saturday in our tournament,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said. “You could see it start to go downhill fast. But it was really big for us to show that fight in the second half and dig ourselves out of that hole.”

The Cougars (13-8, 3-1 Ozark 7) jumped out to a 17-12 lead after the first quarter and started the second with an 13-2 run to build a 30-14 advantage with less than four minutes to play in the first half.

“Shots were falling,” Johnson said of his team’s play in the first half. “And not just Miller (Long). Curtis (Davenport) had some right there, too. And we got a couple from (Ethan) Meeks, too. When shots start falling and we are playing pretty good defense, we are a pretty good ballclub.”

Miller Long, who scored 19 points in the first half, knocked down a 3-pointer in the run, while Hagen Beck, Ethan Adel, Curtis Davenport and Ethan Meeks all contributed baskets.

“He forced some shots tonight, but did a good job with the open shots he got off our offense,” Johnson said. “He’s pretty good at taking the ball to the basket and finishing. … He’s a good player and is difficult to defend.”

The Warriors (7-13, 1-3) cut the lead to 11 with less than a minute to play after a 3-pointer from Rocco Bazzano-Joseph and a layup off the break from Daniel Wagner before Long finished the second period with an old-fashioned three-point play to send CHC into the intermission with a 35-21 advantage. 

“It was all them,” Witt said of CHC’s ability to stretch the lead in the second quarter. “I applauded our guys for not giving up any offensive rebounds, but that’s because there weren’t any. That is tough to guard when a team is shooting like they were. … We got down a little bit because of that. Even though we got hands up on a shooter, it’s still going in. That can be demoralizing for a defense.”

McAuley spent the second half continually trying to trim the lead to single digits, but each time the Warriors looked to be building momentum, College Heights had a response.

Wagner had consecutive scores near the three-minute mark of the third to make the score 40-29 before Long answered with a 3-ball.

Moments later with time dwindling, Thomas Black and Wagner finished off back-to-back scores to trim the lead to 10, 43-33, with less than 90 seconds on the clock.

“It was really big for us,” Witt said about his team’s play late in the loss. “I felt like we did not have that energy in the first half.”

Again, Long answered with a bucket to close the quarter with CHC holding a 12-point advantage.

College Heights pushed the lead to 54-38 with 3:30 expired in the fourth after a mid-range bucket from Caleb Quade and a floater from Long.

Bazzano-Joseph and Joe Staton splashed home 3-pointers to once again get the Warriors within a basket from single digits, 54-44, with less than four minutes to play, but that would be as close as McAuley would get to the lead before the sound of the final horn.

SCORING LEADERS

Long led College Heights with a game-high 32 points, including five 3-pointers. Davenport added 14, while Meeks finished with six.

Wagner led McAuley with 12 points, while Black finished with 10. Matthew Dohmen scored nine.

UP NEXT

College Heights hosts Thomas Jefferson on Saturday.

McAuley hosts Golden City on Saturday.

GIRLS HOOPS: College Heights pulls away to beat McAuley for Ozark 7 win

Posted on by Lucas Davis

It’s never easy beating a familiar rival and conference opponent twice in less than a week, particularly with the winter weather preventing either team from getting a chance to get on the practice floor.

After earning a win in the Mercy/Warrior Classic girls championship game last Saturday,  College Heights (20-2, 4-0 Ozark 7) pushed a two-point first-half lead to double digits in the third quarter and never relinquished the momentum in a 48-31 Ozark 7 win over McAuley (14-8, 2-2) on Friday at Ozark Christian College.

“It’s McAuley,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “They are always tough and very well coached. It’s a rivalry game for us. We had the championship game last week and the conference game this week. So, as a coach, the question was how much do we show last week since we had the conference game tonight. Last week, I liked some things I saw defensively, so we did that again tonight. I thought our girls did a great job of rotating and playing solid defense on their three main players.” 

“The last time we stepped on the floor, they gave it to us pretty well,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said. “Not being able to practice all week, that really stuck with me. After a loss like that, the first thing you want to do is get your team back on the floor, watch film and fix the mistakes that you made the last game to get better the next time you play them. It just so happens, we weren’t able to practice at all and fix those mistakes. … It’s tough when you’re playing a program like that when you’re not able to practice.”

College Heights, ranked fifth in Class 2, held a three-point lead, 9-6, after the first quarter and extended the lead to 18-10 with less than three minutes to play in the first half after a slow start to the second quarter by both teams.

McAuley rallied with seven unanswered points to trim the lead to 18-17 with under a minute to play. Kayleigh Teeter knocked down a pull-up 3-pointer to start the spurt, adding a pair of free throws moments later. Gliza Damaso finished the run with a fast-break layup off a CHC turnover.

After College Heights pushed the lead to three on an inside score from Maddy Colin, a 3-ball from the corner by Kennedy DeRuy tied the game at 20-20 with 15 seconds left. Jayli Johnson scored in the paint at the buzzer to send the Cougars into the intermission with a 22-20 advantage.

“We picked up the defensive intensity,” Howard said of his team’s play to close the first half. “We switched it up every so often to keep them off balance. We were playing with a higher energy level to get the crowd and bench into it. … I thought they played pretty smart in the second part of that second quarter.”

After both teams traded baskets to open the second half, College Heights settled in on defense and limited the Warriors to three free throws the remainder of the third quarter. The Cougars finished the period on a 15-3 run — highlighted by a 3-pointer from the win by Kaynahn Burk and eight points from Catie Secker, who sat much of the first half in foul trouble — to take a 39-25 cushion into the fourth quarter.

“You can kind of tell when that momentum swing takes place,” Blankenship said of his team’s play to end the third quarter. “The energy level picks up a bit. I noticed that a few times tonight.”

“It was as big for her as it was for the team,” Blankenship added of Secker’s play in the third. “She needed that encouragement. We are heading into districts pretty quickly and want the confidence levels to be high. For her to finish the game (that way) after sitting a big portion of it was good for her.”

College Heights scored the first seven points of the final period to extend the lead to more than 20, 46-25, on an inside basket from Lainey Lett with three minutes to play, sealing the win in the process.

“Our defense was great again (in the second half),” Blankenship said. “That is something we pride ourselves on and work on often. I think we held them to 11 points in the second half. Sometimes we struggle shooting the ball, but our defense always gives a chance to win.”

SCORING LEADERS

Grace Bishop led College Heights with a game-high 19 points, while Johnson finished with 10 in the win. Secker and Lett each scored six.

Teeter led McAuley with 11 points, while DeRuy finished with seven. Damaso added five.

UP NEXT

College Heights hosts Thomas Jefferson on Saturday.

McAuley hosts Golden City on Saturday.

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