ST. PETERS, Mo. — Carthage didn’t exactly have the ending it wanted, but that didn’t detract from the successful trip to the MSHSAA Swimming & Diving Championships.
The Tigers set a new school record and finished in the top 16 – earning honorable mention all-state honors – in three events on Friday during the Class 2 finals at the Rec-Plex in St. Peters.
The state championships were changed this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the usual two-day event was changed to a one-day format. In addition, the number of state qualifiers were trimmed from 32 to 24, which turned into three heats that were timed finals.
Carthage did well with its limited number of qualifiers as both individual events had one all-stater and the 200-yard freestyle relay made the cut for the top 16 and set a new school record too.
The only blemish was the 400-yard freestyle relay where the Tigers were disqualified.
“We had a great meet and you don’t want the meet to end like that,” Carthage coach Braden McBride said. “The girls really competed today. The good thing is of the six (here) we only have one senior in Nadya Housh. We will miss her a whole lot but we got a young group that will come back and rebound hopefully. I’m proud of how they competed and performed. We haven’t had a lot quality practice time the last two weeks.”
Idle since the Southwest Missouri Championships on Feb. 6, practice time had been limited by inclement weather.
Carthage didn’t have its first competition until a little after 5 p.m. – about 1 ½ after the start of the meet. First up was sophomore Madison Riley, who earned honorable mention all-state status for the second year in a row in the 100-yard butterfly.
Riley was seeded 15th heading into the meet and finished one spot higher with a time of 1:00.40. Last year she took 16th but bettered her time by a second this year.
The next two events were back-to-back, which made for a short turnaround for Riley and freshman Aubree Santillan.
The two swam on the 200-yard freestyle relay and then got back in the pool for the 100-yard backstroke, the next event.
In the relay, the duo was joined by juniors Cassidy Smith and Hope Fultz and set a little bit of school history with a 16th-place finish in 1:43.70. In the process they became the first relay team in the girls program’s history to earn all-state status.
The relay team was in the third heat – usually made up of the slowest eight teams – with a seed time of 1:44.66. Carthage finished better than Kickapoo, Columbia Hickman and Columbia Rock Bridge, all teams in the second heat.
“It definitely feels good,” said Fultz, who swam the final leg in 26.51 seconds. “I definitely felt like being the underdog the people didn’t expect to come up. We definitely showed up.”
Riley and Smith swam identical 25.98 splits, while Santillan had the fastest laps at 25.23.
Carthage finished a hair behind Staley and Lee’s Summit, which tied for 14th at 1:43.69 — a tenth of a second faster.
“We had two teams just right ahead of us and all four girls are coming back,” McBride said. “It is very exciting.”
This was also the first relay team in for the program to earn an automatic spot at the state meet, instead of going to state with a consideration time.
Santillan and Riley swam in the same heat – No. 3 – in the 100-yard backstroke. Santillan finished in 1:02.37 to take 16th, while Riley finished in 1:06.79 to finish 23rd. Both finished higher than their respective seed times of 20th and 24th.
Santillan, the little sister of Payton Williams, a record holder on the boys side, beat three girls that had seed times in the 1:02s.
“I was standing back there thinking to myself I wanted to do my best and I set my goal to get in the top 16 and it happened,” Santillan said. “I was really happy that I did that.”
She noted she had a case of tired legs during the competition but pushed through with a final lap of 31.52 seconds – faster on the final 50 than four girls that finished ahead of her in the standings.
The final race was the 400-yard freestyle relay, which featured Riley, Fultz, Smith and Housh. The Tigers swam in the third heat but were disqualified after the conclusion of the heat.
Carthage finished 26th in the team standings with six points.
Carthage’s Aubree Santillan competes in the 100-yard backstroke event on Friday in the MSHSAA Class 2 Swimming & Diving Championships in St. Peters. Santillan placed 16th to earn honorable mention all-state status. Photo by Cody Thorn.
Carthage’s Madison Riley competes in the 100-yard backstroke event during the MSHSAA Class 2 Swimming & Diving Championships on Friday in St. Peters. Photo by Cody Thorn.
Carthage’s Cassidy Smith swims in the 200-yard freestyle relay during the Class 2 MSHSAA Swimming & Diving Championships on Friday in St. Peters. The Carthage relay team placed 16th and set a new school record in the event. Photo by Cody Thorn.
Thomas Jefferson outscored Verona by 19 points in the first half to build an insurmountable advantage on the way to the Ozark 7 win.
The Cavaliers (15-5, 2-2) pushed the lead to 37-13 by halftime and outscored the Wildcats 15-5 in the third quarter to seal the win.
Drew Goodhope led Thomas Jefferson with 19 points, while Jay Ball finished with 14. Dhruv Gheewala added 11.
Thomas Jefferson holds the top seed for the Class 1 District 7 tournament and will play the winner of No. 4 Rich Hill and No. 5 Bronaugh at 6 p.m. on Feb. 23.
OZARK 65, CARTHAGE 49
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Ozark used a big fourth quarter to earn a COC win.
Ozark led 18-13 at the end of the first quarter and the visitors were up 31-27 at halftime. The third period was even, 12-12, and Ozark was clinging to a 43-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Ozark definitely finished strong. The visitors outscored the hosts 22-10 in the final period.
Max Templeman scored 16 points for Carthage, while Justin Ray had nine and Joel Pugh added eight.
Blaine Cline scored 20 points and Tyler Harmon added 13 for Ozark (17-7, 6-1 COC).
Carthage (7-15, 1-5 COC) is at Branson at 2 on Saturday. The Tigers then host Webb City on Tuesday to conclude the regular season.
GIRLS
OZARK 57, CARTHAGE 52 (OVERTIME)
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Ozark rallied from a six-point deficit to start the fourth to tie Carthage by the end of regulation before going on to complete the comeback in the overtime period on Friday.
“We played a great first 30 minutes, Carthage coach Scott Moore said to SoMo Sports. “Unfortunately, we didn’t close them out in regulation. Then a couple of missed baskets and free throws in overtime allowed Ozark to pull away.”
Carthage (12-10, 2-5 COC) held a seven-point lead by the end of the first quarter before Ozark trimmed the deficit to 24-22 by the intermission. Carthage pushed the lead back up to six to start the fourth before Ozark rallied down the stretch.
“I’m proud of how hard the girls competed tonight. The loss was not an effort problem, it was an execution issue late that let this one slip away. This one stings because we had an opportunity to knock off one of the hottest teams in our area and we didn’t close them out late in the game. We will learn a lot from this game and use that to our advantage in our next close ball game.”
Brinna Ream led Carthage with 16 points, while Hailey Fullerton finished with 14. Kianna Yates added 12.
“Brinna Ream was unstoppable in the paint tonight,” Moore said. “The girls kept giving her the opportunity to score and we took advantage of that. She carried us at times tonight.”
MOUNT VERNON 84, MCDONALD COUNTY 32
ANDERSON, Mo. — Lacy Stokes poured in 42 points and also had 10 rebounds and eight steals as Mount Vernon improved to 20-3.
Ellie Johnston added 17 points for the Mountaineers, who led 31-11 by the end of the first quarter.
Kristin Penn scored 12 points and Sydney Killion scored nine points for the Mustangs.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Carl Junction girls basketball game started off their Senior Night game with an impressive shutout in the first quarter of a 60-44 win over the Branson Pirates on Friday.
Junior Jessa Hylton led the Bulldogs with eight points in the first quarter and was followed by her teammate sophomore Destiny Buerge, who had seven points. Sophomore Hali Shorter also had a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs an 18-0 lead at the end of the first period.
“We came out strong, and that’s one thing we’ve been focusing on as a team,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “Even after the lull in the second quarter, our kids did respond.”
The Pirates did try to rally in the second quarter, at one point going on a 7-2 run, but they ultimately couldn’t stop the scoring barrage of the Bulldogs.
Buerge added another field goal, while freshman Anna Burch and lone senior Hannah Lee each scored three points. Sophomore Klohe Burk went 3-of-4 from the line and added a field goal to lead her team with five points for the quarter. Going into halftime, the Bulldogs led 30-13.
“Sometimes we go outside of the things we do in practice, and that can be good, but it can also be bad,” Shorter said. “Us recognizing that we need to get into our sets and our offense, and that usually calms us down.”
Hylton continued her big night after the break with an impressive 3-pointer to open the half. She also had two other baskets, and Buerge had three free throws and two field goals to give her seven points.
The two girls kept their team afloat even as the Pirates tried to muster a comeback. Ultimately, it would fall short despite trading runs to end the third quarter and the Bulldogs holding a 43-22 lead going into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, Buerge was perfect from the free throw line and added a field goal for four points, and getting 20 points on the night.
Junior Loren Lee also got four points, and Burk added a free throw. However, the final quarter was an especially big one for the only senior on the Bulldogs, Hannah Lee, who scored eight points in the quarter. Not only did it give her 11 points in her last home game, but it also gave her an impressive double-double while leading her squad to a 60-44 win.
“Hannah is a special kid and has put in a lot of work over the last four years,” Shorter said. “She’s going to be very successful in whatever she does after high school. She’s a great player and a great person and we wish her luck.”
It was also announced that Coach Shorter was recognized as Section 5 Basketball Coach of the Year. Section 5 includes Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — After a close first half, visiting Republic pulled away for good in the third period en route to a 50-23 Central Ozark Conference girls basketball victory over Webb City on Friday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
Taking on one of the COC’s top teams, the Cardinals stayed within striking distance for the entire first half.
But the Tigers outscored the Cardinals 27-10 after the break, as a lack of offense was too much to overcome for the hosts.
“I thought we did a good job defensively throughout the course of the game,” Cardinals coach Lance Robbins said. “I thought we did a pretty good job to hold them to 50 points. They are a good basketball team and they score the ball well. I thought our zone caused some problems for them early, but we just couldn’t get anything going offensively. We just have to continue to get better.”
Senior guard Sierra Kimbrough scored nine points to lead Webb City (7-12, 2-5 COC), while classmate Jaydee Duda added seven. Kimbrough announced her commitment to Bethany College this week.
The Tigers, who are receiving votes in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 6 poll, improved to 16-7 overall and 7-1 in the COC.
Sophomore guard Kaemyn Bekemeier led Republic with 25 points, while senior guard Savana Powell-Goodman added nine.
The Tigers scored the game’s first eight points, but the Cardinals received a trey from Duda and a runner in the lane from Kimbrough, cutting their deficit to three by the end of the low-scoring opening frame.
Led by their solid defense, the hosts stayed within a possession or two of the Tigers for most of the second quarter.
Two charities from Kimbrough, a mid-range jumper from Malorie Stanley and a free throw from Josie Spikereit cut Republic’s lead to three.
But the Tigers finished the first half on a 7-1 burst for a 22-13 halftime advantage.
“If we would have made layups and free throws, we could have been up five or six at the half,” Robbins noted.
Republic separated for good by outscoring Webb City 13-3 in the third quarter. Bekemeier scored seven points during the spurt, which gave the Tigers a 35-16 lead.
The Cardinals’ only points of the third frame came on a Kimbrough trey.
Republic outscored Webb City 15-7 in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
Webb City is right back at it tomorrow afternoon, as the Cardinals host Neosho at 1 p.m. Neosho suffered a 70-29 loss to Nixa on Friday.
“It’s a quick turnaround for us,” Robbins said. “It’s going to be a battle with Neosho. We’ll have to play well and continue to play defense like we did tonight. We have to find some offense and score the ball better.”
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Carl Junction boys basketball team played a close game all night against the Branson Pirates, but ultimately prevailed in a 66-61 win.
“This game meant everything to the seniors,” Carl Junction coach Justin Pock said. “They’ve been through a lot. And we’ve had a season where we’ve had some defeats, and sometimes guys quit, but these guys don’t quit.”
In the first quarter of their Senior Night festivities, three seniors had some fun. Blake Poorman got the game started with an amazing dunk. Sincere Williams added a beautiful 3-pointer and Alex Baker went off for 10 points. The Pirates ultimately took the lead off a 3-pointer made at the buzzer, giving Branson an 18-17 lead going into the second quarter.
Not to be outdone, the Carl Junction juniors then took center stage in the second quarter, with Josh Cory getting 10 points and Kyler Perry adding a three of his own.
Cory racked up nearly all of his points on the night on the same assist play, seemingly scoring against the Pirates on it every chance he got. Williams also went 1-for-2 at the line, giving the Bulldogs a 31-27 lead at halftime thanks to a 5-2 run to end the second quarter.
“We just have to keep our head, and keep making the next play,” said coach Pock. “We just had to play through the closeness, and I thought our guys did that.”
Coming out of the locker room, the Bulldogs appeared ready to put the game away by going on a 9-2 run and led 40-33 with about three minutes left in the third quarter. Cory continued his scoring party with a field goal and 3-of-4 from the line. Williams also scored five points and senior Mylas Derfelt added a free throw.
The Pirates came roaring back quickly with an 8-0 run of their own in less than two minutes, briefly taking the lead. Both teams exchanged shots and headed into the fourth quarter with a tied game of 42-42.
Once again, the Pirates were unable to stop Cory who scored on the same play four more times in the fourth, giving him 23 points on the night.
Williams went 4-for-4 from the line, getting 13 points for the game. Derfelt added another basket, and Perry also made two free throws to keep the Bulldogs in it. Finally, after two quiet quarters, Baker finished off Senior Night with two field goals and five free throws, giving him 19 points and the Bulldogs a win in their regular season home finale.
“I just told our guys to keep driving and keep going,” Pock said. “We knew they were going to come back and keep trying, and we just had to withstand it and I thought we did that. We just have to keep getting better and I think we’ve done that. We’re not done yet.”
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City had the lead early in the fourth quarter, but a signature win wasn’t meant to be.
Republic finished strong to earn a 52-44 Central Ozark Conference boys basketball victory over the Cardinals on Friday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
The game was deadlocked at 35 at the end of the third period, and the Cardinals went up two early in the final frame.
But the Tigers won the fourth quarter 17-9.
“I thought we lost a little bit of composure in the fourth quarter,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “We didn’t execute as well in the fourth quarter as we did during the third quarter and like we did during stretches of the first half. But I have to give our kids a lot of credit. They overcame some foul trouble and they battled through some tough positions. Republic just made a few more shots than us tonight.”
Webb City fell to 15-8 and 3-4 in conference play.
Senior guard Trenton Hayes scored 10 points to lead Webb City, while classmate Nickhai Howard added seven. Kaden Turner, Alex Martin and Cohl Vaden each scored six points.
Republic improved to 21-3 overall and 7-1 in the COC. Senior guard Drew McMillin scored a game-high 22 points for the Tigers, while sophomore guard Ahlante Askew also reached double figures with 12.
Republic is receiving votes in the Class 6 poll, while Webb City is ranked 10th in Class 5.
The Cardinals had several players in foul trouble throughout the contest. Webb City was called for 23 fouls, while Republic was whistled for eight fouls.
The Cardinals led 13-6 before the Tigers scored six straight. Hayes buried a buzzer-beating trey to give Webb City a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers scored the first seven points of the second quarter, but hoops from Hayes and Martin gave Webb City a 22-21 lead. After a basket from McMillin, Republic held a 23-22 advantage at intermission.
Webb City’s Turner scored three buckets late in the third period, and Martin’s hoop in the paint tied the game at 35 entering the fourth quarter.
Martin scored the first basket of the final period, but it would be Webb City’s last lead.
Republic used a 13-2 surge to take control. Seven of those points came at the charity stripe.
Vaden’s 3-pointer and Howard’s two free throws cut Webb City’s deficit to 49-44 with 32 seconds remaining. But the Tigers would convert three late free throws, while the Cardinals had a couple empty possessions late in the game.
Despite the loss, Horn noted there were positives for the Cardinals.
“Republic made us grind it out, but we were able to finish plays,” Horn added. “Republic got the tempo slowed down and we knew they were going to want to do that. Our plan was to get the ball inside and let our guys go to work around the basket. I thought we did a good job of that.”
Webb City is at Carthage on Tuesday. The Cardinals will host Neosho on Thursday in the regular season finale.
Also of note, Webb City’s boys will learn their district seed on Saturday.
Willard turned a one-possession game into a nine-point lead to close the first half and held the pace in the final two quarters to earn a 52-44 Central Ozark Conference win over Joplin on Friday.
“I think in 12 days we’ve played a game and practiced one time,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “It was very evident that you can get out of shape quickly. We played last Friday and I loved the way our kids competed, but missing another entire week of practice was difficult for us.
“We struggled offensively and we made things really hard on ourselves on the defensive end because we generally have to guard three times on every possession because of offensive rebounds. It’s really hard, especially like a team that is going to make you guard, like Willard. … That is something that has been an Achillie’s heel for us. When we do those things well, we are in basketball games.”
Joplin (11-10, 2-4 COC), which led 10-9 after the first quarter, trailed 19-17 with less than four minutes to play in the first half when Willard (9-15, 3-5 COC) closed the second period on a 9-2 run to build a 28-19 lead by halftime, the largest advantage by either team to that point in the game.
Haden Brown accounted for two of the Tigers’ baskets, while Ryan Robinson also added a score. Hayden Roberts closed out the first half with a 3-pointer at the horn.
“We didn’t defend very well, No. 1,” Hafer said of Willard’s close to the first half. “And No. 2, some of those were second-chance opportunities. … It’s all on the defensive end for us. If we are going to be in games and compete, it’s because we are able to guard and rebound the ball. We didn’t do either of those things tonight.”
The Tigers got a pair of scores off the drive from Brett Hall and a baseline score from Brown to open the second half, extending the lead to 15 points, 34-19.
All Wright converted from the perimeter before LT Atherton followed with a basket in the paint to trim the margin to 10 with 2:35 on the clock. After Hall sank a trey, the Eagles answered with six straight to get within seven of the lead, which remained the margin by the end of the quarter.
“A little bit of it was that we got stops, rebounded and got out and ran,” Hafer said. “They had 17 fouls going into the fourth quarter and we stopped attacking in the fourth quarter. I think we were doing that much better when we got back into it (in the third quarter).”
The Tigers started the fourth quarter with a three-point play from Brown and an offensive rebound for a putback score by Gavin Davis to help hike the lead to 46-33 with three minutes expired.
The Eagles were unable to come up with a surge of their own to make a run at the lead, trimming the margin to single digits in the closing moments.
SCORING LEADERS
All Wright had 13 to lead Joplin, while Always Wright finished with 11. Atherton closed with six.
Brown scored a game-high 24 points for Willard. Hall added nine and Davis finished with eight.
DISTRICT UPDATE
Joplin is the third seed in the Class 6, District 12 tournament. The Eagles will travel to second-seeded Republic for a 7 p.m. tip on March 2.
UP NEXT
Joplin hosts Carl Junction at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Willard scorched the nets from the perimeter in the second half to rally back from a first-half deficit on the way to a 67-48 Central Ozark Conference win over Joplin on Friday.
The Eagles (7-14, 0-6 COC) started the game with all of the momentum, using a stingy defense to limit quality looks for the Tigers on the way to a 32-28 lead by the break. Willard (19-2, 6-1 COC) found its stroke beyond the arc in the second half, sinking 10 3-pointers as a team to fuel the rally while building an insurmountable cushion in the process.
“I told those girls I will take that team and that effort playing anybody in the state and at any time,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said about his team’s performance against Willard. “Similar to the Nixa game, we just came out and played hard. If we can play hard consistently, we’re going to have our chances.”
GAME ACTION
Joplin couldn’t have asked for a better start, scoring the game’s first 11 points over the initial three-plus minutes of action. Brooke Nice opened the game with a 3-pointer and after a Jacie Jensen basket inside, Brynn Driver drilled a 3-ball to make the score 8-0. Lily Pagan closed the run with a score on the drive.
“Bringing out the defense helped,” Floyd said of his team’s start. “We were able to get rebounds, get outlets and push the pace down the floor. Against their press early on, I thought we did a good job of passing over the top of their defense.”
Just as quickly as the Eagles built the double digit lead, the Tigers took it away after answering with the next 13 points to close out the opening period. Carolina Crawford started the counter attack with a 3-pointer before Kailyn Washington came up with a steal and a fast-break score. Brielle Adamson scored the final eight points of the run, knocking down two shots from the perimeter to go along with a bucket on the drive to give Willard a 13-11 advantage by time the dust settled in the first quarter.
“They move the ball so well,” Floyd said of Willard’s run to end the period. “They always know where everyone is at and are ready to shoot when the ball hits their hands. They are just a great team. … You can tell they are very unselfish.”
A back-and-forth start to the second period saw Joplin take the first momentum swing with a six-point run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Driver and a Nice driving score to give the Eagles a 24-19 lead midway through the quarter.
Nice pushed the lead to seven, 32-25, with 1:05 to play in the first half after sinking a triple from the corner off the inbounds pass. Washington answered with a trey of her own at the other end before the close of the first half to trim Joplin’s lead to 32-28 at the intermission.
“To give up the lead (to close the first quarter) and then to keep battling and take the lead into halftime was huge,” Floyd said. “It says a lot about our girls to not get down on themselves. We preach one possession at a time, and I thought we did a really good job of responding to everything they threw at us.”
Willard started the third quarter on a 16-4 run to regain the lead and make the score 45-36. Much of that damage was done from the perimeter, with the Tigers connecting on four triples—two from Adamson and two from Ariana Patillo.
Joplin answered with six straight points, including a score on the drive from Serafina Auberry and an old-fashioned three-point play by Nice to trim the margin to 45-42, but Patillo knocked down two more 3-balls to close out the third quarter, including a deep trey from the wing at the buzzer, to send the Tigers into the final period with a 51-42 advantage.
“With any team, once you get a few to go down, the bucket just gets bigger and bigger,” Floyd said. “I thought we still really had a chance until (Patillo) hit that 3-pointer at the end of the quarter. We played a great defensive possession up until the last second, and she made a 26-foot shot. I told the girls that sometimes you just get beat by good offense. That was a good shot to beat really good defense.”
Joplin opened the fourth with a basket from Izzy Yust before Willard, which hit 14 3-pointers as a team in the win, used a 10-0 surge to push the lead to 61-44, putting the game out of reach. Adamson hit a 3-ball to start the run and scored the next four points before Patillo knocked down another 3-pointer to close the game-sealing spurt.
SCORING LEADERS
Driver and Nice each led Joplin with 15 points each. Six other Eagles finished with a field goal in the win.
Adamson led Willard with a game-high 25 points, including five 3-pointers. Patillo also sank five 3-pointers on the way to 15 points. Washington added 10.
DISTRICT UPDATE
Joplin holds the fourth seed in the Class 6 District 12 tournament. The Eagles will travel to top-seeded Kickapoo at 7 p.m. on March 1.
UP NEXT
Joplin hosts Carl Junction at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Joplin’s Erika Washom and Carl Junction’s Shiloh Sluder are among the area girls who will compete at the MSHSAA Class 1 wrestling sectional on Saturday at Harrisonville High School. Washom and Sluder advanced to the sectional by finishing in the top four of their weight classes at the district tournament on Feb. 6.
At the sectional, the top three finishers in each weight class will advance to the state tournament on March 9 at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence.
