NEVADA, Mo. — Third-seeded Webb City overcame an early seven-point deficit and defeated second-seeded Nevada 59-48 on Monday night in a semifinal contest of the Class 5 District 12 girls basketball tournament inside Wynn Gymnasium.
With the win, Webb City (10-14) advanced to Thursday’s district championship game at top-seeded Carl Junction (16-8).
Nevada led 13-8 at the end of the first quarter and the hosts went up seven early in the second period. But Webb City outscored the Tigers 17-7 in the second quarter to take a 25-20 halftime advantage.
The third and fourth quarters were close, as the Cardinals outscored the Tigers 17-14 in both frames.
Webb City held a 15-point lead with 5:45 remaining.
Senior Jaydee Duda led Webb City with 30 points. She made eight field goals, including three treys, to go along with 11-of-17 free throws.
Two others reached double figures for Lance Robbins’ Cardinals, as Kate Brownfield scored 14 points and Sierra Kimbrough added 11.
Nevada finished the season with a record of 11-13. Tylin Heathman scored 19 points to lead the Tigers, while Clara Swearingen and Mady Majors contributed nine points apiece.
Thursday’s district championship game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Carl Junction High School.
REPUBLIC 63, CARTHAGE 31
REPUBLIC, Mo. — Second-seeded Republic and third-seeded Carthage took a 12-12 tie into the second quarter before RHS outscored CHS 18-4 in the second quarter and 22-9 in the third to build an insurmountable cushion on the way to the Class 6 District 12 semifinals win on Monday.
“We played a great first quarter and even started the second quarter well,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said to SoMo Sports. “Then, Republic made a big run and we weren’t able to answer that with a run of our own. Credit to Republic for playing well and weathering our initial attack. I just wish we would’ve made another run back at them to start the second half.”
Hailey Fullerton led Carthage with 13 points, while Kianna Yates closed with eight. Brinna Ream and Katie Crowe each finished with four points.
Carthage graduates Fullerton, Ream, Crowe and Lauren Wilson, finishing the season with a 15-11 record.
“I hate that this is the last impression the seniors will have of their careers,” Moore said. “It will sting for a while. Fortunately, we had many better nights and happier memories that they will be able to look back on fondly when they think about their careers as Carthage Lady Tigers.”
KICKAPOO 88, JOPLIN 28
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The fourth-seeded Joplin girls basketball team suffered a season-ending 88-28 loss to top-seeded Kickapoo in the semifinals of the Class 6 District 12 tournament on Monday.
Kickapoo advanced to play No. 2 Republic in the championship game on Thursday.
Brooke Nice led Joplin with eight points, while Izzy Yust and Lily Pagan each scored five. Emma Floyd finished with four, while Jacie Jensen and Serafina Auberry each finished with three.
Joplin graduates Pagan, Jensen, Ella Cheatham and Coleen Ndedi-Ntepe and closes the season with a 7-19 record.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — For the seventh straight year, the Carl Junction girls basketball team will play for a district championship.
Top-seeded Carl Junction earned a convincing 66-31 win over fourth-seeded Harrisonville on Monday night in a semifinal contest of the Class 5 District 12 girls basketball tournament.
The game was deadlocked at the end of the first quarter, but the host Bulldogs stepped up their defensive pressure and took control by outscoring the Wildcats 24-8 in the second quarter.
“I think we just played better defensively in the second quarter,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “I challenged our kids late in the first quarter to play better defensively. We needed to box out and not give them second chances. We got a few runouts here and there, and that kind of opened things up for us.”
Up 39-23 at the break, the Bulldogs began the second half on a 19-2 run to go up 58-25.
“That first five minutes of the third quarter has been one of our focuses,” Coach Shorter said. “With a young team we haven’t been able to do that, but tonight we were able to. I’m just very proud of them. We came out and played hard.”
Under the direction of Shorter, Carl Junction has captured district championships the last five years (2020-16) after falling in the title game in ’15.
The Bulldogs (16-8) will look to win a sixth straight district title when they host third-seeded Webb City (10-14) at 7 on Thursday night. Webb City knocked off second-seeded Nevada 59-48.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Sophomore guard Destiny Buerge poured in 33 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. Buerge made 15 field goals to go with three free throws.
Junior guard Jessa Hylton added 11 points for Carl Junction, while sophomore guard Hali Shorter contributed nine points on three treys.
Buerge and Hylton had four steals apiece, while junior Ellie Lawson contributed six rebounds.
Harrisonville’s Katelyn Vandendaele scored 11 points with three 3-pointers. The Wildcats finished the season with a record of 10-12.
GAME RECAP
The visitors scored seven unanswered points in the first quarter, but the game was tied at 15 by the end of the opening frame.
Carl Junction used a 12-3 run to take a double-digit advantage at 30-19 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half.
The Bulldogs finished the second quarter with seven straight points, as Klohe Burk hit a trey and Buerge scored twice on driving layups, giving the hosts a 39-23 cushion at intermission. The hosts’ active zone defense forced Harrisonville into 13 turnovers in the first half.
Carl Junction extended their lead past 20 right away in the third quarter after Buerge scored in the lane and Shorter knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing.
By the time the third period concluded, the Bulldogs led 62-31.
Shorter got his subs lots of minutes in the final frame.
The Bulldogs scored just four points in the final eight minutes, while the Wildcats did not score in the fourth quarter.
NEOSHO, Mo. — In a perfect world, the Neosho boys basketball team prefers to play at a fast pace, using the transition game to fuel the offense.
On Monday in the Class 5 District 11 semifinals against third-seeded Monett (7-17), the second-seeded Wildcats (13-12) were forced to play the opposite style, using a stalwart defensive effort that held the Cubs to one field goal in the second half to go along with senior Landon Austin putting his team on his back down the stretch to earn a 46-35 win.
“I told the guys at halftime, we are going to score better (in the second half), so if you just play the same defense, or even better, we are going to win,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “That is kind of what we’ve had to do all year. We aren’t a high-powered offense, and defense has been our calling card. It showed up at the right time in a win-or-go-home game.”
DEFENSIVE MINDSET
How good was the defensive effort from the Wildcats in the second half? Neosho, which trailed 22-18 at the intermission, limited Monett’s scoring to one 3-pointer and one free throw in the third quarter on the way to building a 28-26 advantage with one period to play.
In the final eight minutes, the Wildcats held the Cubs to 9-of-14 shooting from the free-throw line, without allowing Monett to convert from the field.
“That was really big,” Culp noted about holding Monett to free throws in the fourth quarter. “It’s a double-edged sword. Free throws stop the clock, but if they’re making shots from the field, running back to get on defense and then trying to score in transition, they can go on a little run. But, it’s hard to keep that intensity (when the game stops) for free throws. Then, we can walk the ball up the floor to waste a little more time, and it makes it hard for them to get in their press.”
HEAVY LIFTING
With the Wildcats imposing their will on the defensive end, Austin was doing the same for Neosho on the offensive end. The 6-foot senior guard scored the final 20 points for the Wildcats, including all 17 points in the fourth quarter.
“You couldn’t be more proud of a kid like that,” Culp said. “He’s been our go-to guy for the last two years. … For him to step up tonight in the second half when we really needed scoring because we could not score in the second half, you can’t say anything more about his effort.”
“It was a little too close for me heading into the fourth quarter,” Austin said with a smile. “It was kill or be killed. That was my mindset going into the fourth quarter.”
Neosho’s Dalton Brodie looks for room inside during the Wildcats’ win over Monett in the Class 5 District 11 semifinals on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
THIRD TIME’S A CHARM
Neosho advanced to the district finals for the third straight season with the win over the Cubs. The Wildcats will travel to face top-seeded Rogersville (19-5) for a 7 p.m. tip on Wednesday in the Class 5 District 11 title game.
“It’s going to be an absolute battle,” Culp said. “Rogersville is really good, they have a D1 player. But, if we just come out and play defense like we did tonight and take it one possession at a time … I think anything can happen. … There isn’t anything quite like district final games, and we are excited for the opportunity.”
HOW THEY GOT THERE
Neosho started the game with all of the momentum, using an elbow jumper and a driving score from Austin as well as two free throws from Chase Flynn to build an early 6-0 lead over the first three minutes of the first quarter.
Monett came storming back, as Blaine Salsman knocked down two 3-pointers sandwiched around a single free throw by the Cubs to give MHS a 7-6 advantage at the 1:35 mark of the opening quarter.
Carter Fenske answered back with a 3-ball for Neosho to regain the lead before the Cubs converted from the field inside the final minute to send the game into the second period tied at 9-9.
Monett took control of the momentum with a 10-2 start to the second quarter. Cameron George scored inside before Tyler Waterman splashed a perimeter shot from the corner. Waterman followed up with a driving score to push the Cubs’ lead to 16-9.
Austin scored on the break before Salsman buried a catch-and-shoot trey from the wing to make the score 19-11 with 2:30 to play in the first half, prompting Culp to call a timeout.
Neosho’s Brock Franklin fires from the perimeter in the Wildcats’ win over Monett on Monday in the district tournament. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
The message during the timeout proved fruitful as the Wildcats closed the first half with buckets in the paint off turnovers by Brock Franklin and Isaiah Green before Franklin closed the half with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to trim the margin to 22-18 at the intermission.
Down five early in the third, Neosho scored seven straight points to take its first lead of the game since the 1:17 mark of the first quarter. Dalton Brodie started the run with an inside score before he followed up with a 3-pointer off the assist from Austin. Franklin splashed a 3-ball off another assist from Austin to put the Wildcats on top 26-23 with 2:08 left in the third period.
A 3-pointer from Salsman tied the game up, only for Austin to close the quarter by grabbing an offensive rebound for a putback score while drawing contact for a chance at a three-point play with 52.3 ticks on the clock. The and-one free throw was good, igniting Austin’s scoring spree to close the game while giving Neosho a 29-26 margin heading into the final eight minutes.
Following a floater and a baseline drive by Austin, the senior forced a steal at the Monett 3-point line and hit Green with an outlet pass in transition. Green was blocked at the rim but Austin, who was in the midst of getting back on defense before changing course, grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback to give Neosho a 35-29 advantage with 5:12 to play.
“It was an athletic, gritty play,” Culp said. “That play showed how good the culture on our team is. Isaiah was laughing on the way back down the court. He didn’t care, he was just glad we scored. That was a fun moment we will all remember.”
Neosho’s Landon Austin knocks down an elbow jumper in the Wildcats’ win over Monett on Monday. Photos by Shawn Fowler.
Austin knocked down an elbow jumper off the ball screen on the next trip down the floor to make it an eight-point ball game.
Neosho pushed the lead to double digits, 44-33, with 1:17 left in regulation off a pair of makes at the charity stripe from Austin to all but seal the win.
“We were really focused in practice the last couple of days heading into this game,” Austin said. We were ready for this game. … We were communicating a lot of the defensive end, making sure everybody bought in to block out our man and crash the rebounds. I think that played a key part in this win.”
SCORING LEADERS
Austin led all scorers with a game-high 26 points, 20 coming in the second half. Franklin added eight, while Brodie finished with five.
Salsman led Monett with 15 points, including four makes from the perimeter, while Waterman and George each finished with seven in the loss.
Below is a look at sectional basketball matchups of area interest.
Boys sectionals in Class 1-2 are scheduled for Tuesday night, while the girls games are on Wednesday.
CLASS 2 BOYS SECTIONAL
College Heights Christian vs. Crane
WHEN: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
WHERE: Carthage High School
MOVING ON: The winner will meet either Newburg or Norwood at 6 on March 5 in the quarterfinals.
OUTLOOK: Ranked first in Class 2 by the MBCA, Crane is now 18-5 after edging Galena 68-64 in the District 11 championship game. District 12 champ College Heights is now 17-9. Crane averages 66 points per game and allows 51. CHC has averaged 54 points per game while giving up 48. Crane defeated CHC 74-38 on Dec. 11. The Pirates and Cougars have four common opponents. Both teams rolled in matchups with Exeter and Greenfield. College Heights has losses to Marshfield and Purdy, while Crane defeated both of those teams.
CLASS 1 BOYS SECTIONAL
Thomas Jefferson vs. Miami
WHEN: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
WHERE: Thomas Jefferson
MOVING ON: The winner advances to the quarterfinals on March 5 against either St. Elizabeth or Golden City.
OUTLOOK: Ranked 10th by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, the Cavaliers are 19-5, while the Eagles are 9-13. Thomas Jefferson averages 62 points per game while allowing 45.5. Miami is scoring 49 points per game and giving up 53.
These teams have four common opponents. Thomas Jefferson owns wins over Bronaugh, Northeast Vernon County, Rich Hill and Sheldon. All four of those teams defeated Miami in the regular season.
CLASS 1 BOYS SECTIONAL
Golden City vs. St. Elizabeth
WHEN: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
WHERE: Camdenton High School
MOVING ON: The winner meets either Thomas Jefferson or Miami on March 5.
OUTLOOK: Golden City is 22-4, while St. Elizabeth is 16-6. Both teams score around 70 points per game.
There are no common opponents. The Eagles are ranked fifth by the MBCA. Golden City beat third-ranked Lockwood 65-43 in the district championship game.
CLASS 1 GIRLS SECTIONAL
McAuley Catholic vs. Montrose
WHEN: Wednesday at 6 p.m.
WHERE: McAuley Catholic High School
MOVING ON: The winner advances to the quarterfinals on March 6 against either Climax Springs or Walnut Grove.
OUTLOOK: McAuley is now 19-8, while Montrose is 12-6. The Warriors are averaging 49 points per game and allowing 38.5. The Jays score 47 per game and allow 41. These two teams have four common opponents. Both squads defeated Sheldon. McAuley owns wins over Bronaugh, Golden City and Hume. Those three schools all defeated Montrose.
Montrose defeated McAuley in this round last year.
