AVA, Mo. — Lamar took control early and never relinquished its lead en route to a 35-14 victory over Ava in a Class 2 quarterfinal on Saturday at CE Harlan Stadium.
The Tigers (12-0) host Richmond (11-1) in the semifinals at 1 p.m. next Saturday at Thomas O’Sullivan Stadium.
In the quarterfinal round for the 13th straight season, Lamar scored two unanswered touchdowns early in the game to pull ahead for good.
Up 21-14 at halftime, the Tigers scored a pair of unanswered touchdowns after the break. The Lamar defense held Ava scoreless in the second half to secure the win.
After the Tigers and Bears traded turnovers to start the game, Lamar got on the board when Austin Wilkerson scored on a 20-yard run with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
Lamar went up 14-0 on Logan Crockett’s 56-yard touchdown sprint.
The Bears broke through when Zach Richards scored on a 30-yard QB keeper at the 1:10 mark of the first quarter.
Lamar took a 21-7 lead when a wide open Mason Gastel hauled in a 54-yard touchdown pass with 7:01 remaining in the second quarter.
The Tigers were threatening to extend their lead late in the first half, but Ava’s Richards picked off a tipped pass near midfield and then ran all the way to the 6-yard line. A few plays later, Richards’ 1-yard TD plunge cut Lamar’s lead to 21-14.
After getting a key defensive stop to start the second half, the Tigers put together a 97-yard scoring drive in the third period. It was capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Joel Beshore to Wilkerson at the 5:03 mark of the third period.
Lamar added a late score on Crockett’s 2-yard plunge with 4:13 remaining in the game. The score was set up by Wilkerson’s interception return.
Defending state champion Lamar finished with 422 yards of offense, with 324 rushing and 98 passing.
Beshore ran 14 times for 124 yards, while Crockett had 93 rushing yards on seven carries and Wilkerson added 63 yards on eight carries.
Ava (11-1) recorded 160 yards of offense.
Richmond defeated Maryville 49-23. The other Class 2 semifinal will feature Lutheran St. Charles against Lafayette County.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Kickapoo set the pace early, outscoring Carthage by 21 points in the opening quarter on the way to a 75-33 win to open the season on Friday.
“Kickapoo came out fast from the start and was more aggressive than we were the entire first half ,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said to SoMo Sports. “That was pretty disappointing because we played so much better against them last year. I was happy to see our girls respond and play much better in the second half. … We have a lot of younger players on varsity and they learned some touch lessons the hard way tonight. My hope is they grow from this experience and come out better next week when we play Hillcrest.”
The Chiefs led 41-11 at half before outscoring the Tigers 34-21 in second half.
Kianna Yates knocked down a pair of 3-pointers on the way to 12 points to lead Carthage. Sophie Shannon and Maggie Boyd added five points each.
Carthage hosts Hillcrest on Tuesday with the tip scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
An early staunch defensive effort allowed the Joplin girls basketball team to jump out to a quick double-digit lead, setting the tone in a 49-26 win over Cassville in the 2021-22 season opener on Friday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
Joplin limited Cassville to seven first-half points while building a 16-point lead. The Eagles found little resistance in the second half, starting the third quarter on an 11-0 run en route to opening the season 1-0.
“I loved the effort,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said after the win. “We’ve spent a lot of time working on our defense in the preseason, and it probably showed because of our offense tonight—we missed a lot of shots. But, I think we are going to be there defensively most nights, and that is what I have been preaching to the girls—if we come out and play defense, we are always going to have a chance.”
Joplin’s Ella Hafer opens the scoring with a scoop layup in the Eagles’ win over Cassville on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
GAME ACTION
Joplin used a 6-0 run from the tip to take the early advantage, with Ella Hafer accounting for two of the first three baskets on drives to the hoop.
After Macie Walker grabbed an offensive rebound for a put-back bucket to get Cassville on the scoreboard, Joplin finished out the opening period with the final seven points.
Scarlett Floyd scored inside to start the quarter-closing run, while Hafer added her third basket of the first quarter on the drive inside to push the lead to nine, 11-2, with 1:40 on the clock. Jill McDaniel finished out the scoring in the first quarter with a score off the drive to extend the lead to 13-2 heading into the second period of play.
“(Our defense) opens up our transition game,” Coach Floyd said. “The half-court offense is still a work in progress, but if we can turn them over with our defense and get out and run, particularly if we can get Ella going from the top. There are not a lot of players who can stop her from scoring.”
“I told them if we get some layups early on, that basket is going to start to grow and shots will fall for us in our half-court sets,” Floyd added. “Just bringing that energy and intensity early on set the tone for the rest of the game, I thought.”
The Eagles kept the foot on the pedal to open the second period, holding the Wildcats off the scoreboard for the first six minutes while going on a 10-0 run to balloon the lead to 23-10.
“When we were actually moving the ball and getting the ball into the paint, attacking the paint, I thought we looked really good,” Floyd said of his team’s offense. “We just have to find that consistency. I understand as a coach that the offense is going to come as the season progresses. We are going to get there. I thought we had a ton of good looks but we just weren’t knocking them down tonight.”
Joplin’s Emma Floyd scores inside during the Eagles’ season-opening win over Cassville on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Emma Floyd and Brynn Driver each had four points in the run, with Hafer adding a mid-range jumper from the baseline.
Cassville didn’t get on the scoreboard until the Wildcats converted five free throws with roughly a minute to play before halftime, going on to trail 23-7 heading into the intermission.
After dominating inside in the first half, Joplin went to the perimeter early in the third quarter, with Hafer and Brooke Nice knocking down 3-balls to fuel and 11-0 run out of the break to push the lead to 34-7, essentially putting the game out of reach.
“We set some goals at halftime and challenged the girls,” Floyd said. “We are competing against ourselves as much as we are (any opponent). We want to be the best version of us and I think the girls have really bought into that.”
“I think any girl we put on the floor can knock down a 3,” Floyd added about his team’s perimeter attack in the third quarter. “The problem we run into occasionally is falling in love with the 3. I love the 3, but I like it when it comes from the inside-out.”
SCORING LEADERS
Hafer led Joplin with 15 points, while Driver finished in double figures with 11. Emma Floyd finished with eight, and Nice added five.
Madison Halterman led Cassville with nine points, while Ashlynn Bryan had five. Sharaya Seymour and Walker each had four points.
UP NEXT
Joplin hits the road with a matchup at East Newton on Monday.
Joplin’s Brooke Nice lets go of a 3-pointer in the Eagles’ win over Cassville on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Throughout an up and down regular season, one that featured lopsided wins and painful losses, John Roderique continually stressed the ultimate goal for his Webb City Cardinals remained the same—be at their best when the postseason arrived.
It’s safe to say the Cardinals have accomplished that goal by peaking when it matters most.
Webb City rode a strong second half to a 35-13 win over Lebanon in a Class 5 quarterfinal contest on Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
“It’s almost surreal right now to think about where we’re at and just getting an opportunity to play again,” Roderique said. “Coach (Scott) Bailey has been preaching to the kids about playing for a seven-day contract. Our kids have really bought into it. I’m just super proud of our guys. We’ve really gotten focused and zoned in the last few weeks. Our kids have been fantastic. It’s kind of come together for us here at the end of the season.”
In a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal, Webb City was clinging to a 14-13 lead at intermission.
Webb City senior Cade Wilson looks for running room during Friday’s quarterfinal clash against Lebanon. All photos by Israel Perez.
The Cardinals, on a quest to capture the program’s 16th state championship, owned the second half by outscoring the Yellowjackets 21-0.
“It’s just a matter of continuing to do what you have to do,” Roderique said. “You’ve got to play well at the line of scrimmage. We’d get a stop and our kids would make a play. I think when our offense was able to get a score, it made our defense better.”
The Cardinals (9-3) will host defending state champion Jackson (12-0) next Saturday in the semifinals.
“I would have never guessed six or eight weeks ago that we’d be in this position,” Roderique said. “It’s about perseverance and continuing to work and trying to get better. I can’t say enough about our coaches and our kids. Our coaches have done a great job of getting our kids in this position. And our kids have done a great job on the field. That’s where all the credit goes.”
It’s the fifth year in a row the Cardinals are in the semifinals. That’s not all, it’s the 13th time in 14 years Webb City has advanced to the Final Four (2008-15 and from ’17 to ’21).
“As a Webb City football player, it just feels great to keep the train going,” said Webb City senior linebacker Cooper Crouch.
GAME RECAP
In the quarterfinals for the 14th consecutive season, Webb City came up with a big defensive stop on the first series of the night by forcing a turnover on downs.
Next, the Cardinals needed just four plays to go 36 yards, as a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Dupree Jackson gave the Cardinals an early lead. A 34-yard pass from Cohl Vaden to Trey Roets set up the score.
Lebanon tied it up after a 16-play, 67-yard drive was capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by Cade Muscia.
Webb City’s Trey Roets hauls in a pass against Lebanon.
Webb City went ahead on the first play of the second quarter on Dante Washington’s 7-yard scamper. Vaden’s 48-yard pass to Washington set up the score.
Lebanon’s Quinton Doughty converted a 40-yard field goal to cut Webb City’s lead to 14-10 with 8:54 left in the first half.
Doughty added a 23-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half, trimming Webb City’s lead to 14-13.
Roderique noted holding Lebanon to field goals as opposed to touchdowns ended up big.
“That was huge, especially in hindset,” Roderique said.
In the second half, Lebanon turned it over on downs three times and punted once.
Crouch, who made 11 tackles, said the Cardinals got refocused at halftime.
“We knew we had to come out and play even better,” Crouch said. “And that’s John Roderique. He’s going to find something that’s going to help us out and get us going.”
While the Yellowjackets were unable to get going offensively, the Cardinals finished strong.
Jackson’s 4-yard touchdown run with 1:29 remaining in the third quarter gave the hosts a 21-13 advantage.
The Cardinals added two scores in the final frame. Vaden completed a 29-yard TD pass to Washington with 10:34 to play.
After yet another defensive stop, Webb City added a final exclamation point when Vaden sprinted 37 yards to the end zone with 3:15 left on the clock.
“We’ve developed some weapons at the receiver position,” Roderique noted. “And with our quarterback and our two running backs, it’s nice to have those options.”
Webb City’s Dante Washington is pictured during Friday’s game with Lebanon. Washington scored two touchdowns in his team’s 35-13 win.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Ranked fourth in Class 5 by the Missouri Media and the lone Central Ozark Conference team still alive in the postseason, Webb City had 289 yards of offense, 158 passing and 131 rushing.
Vaden ran 10 times for 55 yards, while Wilson had 49 yards on 11 carries.
Vaden completed 7 of 16 passes for 158 yards. Washington caught four passes for 91 yards to lead the receiving corps.
In addition to Crouch’s 11 tackles, Brody German made 10 stops, while Braxton Surber and Brentan Wilson added nine tackles apiece.
Lebanon, ranked seventh, had 317 yards, 234 rushing and 83 passing. Muscia had 84 yards on 34 carries, while Jax Glendenning added 79 yards on 11 attempts.
The Yellowjackets finish the season with a record of 10-2.
CLASS 5 NOTES: Jackson defeated Rockwood Summit 49-14. Next weekend’s other Class 5 semifinal will feature Holt (12-0) vs. Fort Osage (11-1). The Class 5 title game is scheduled for Dec. 3 in Columbia.
CLASS 5 QUARTERFINAL
WEBB CITY 35, LEBANON 13
Lebanon 7 6 0 0—13
Webb City 7 7 7 14—35
SCORING SUMMARY
WC: Dupree Jackson 1 run (Dante Washington kick)
LEB: Cade Muscia 4 run (Quinton Doughty kick)
WC: Washington 7 run (Washington kick)
LEB: Doughty 40 field goal.
LEB: Doughty 23 field goal
WC: Jackson 4 run (Washington kick)
WC: Washington 29 pass from Vaden (Washington kick)
After graduating three key seniors last season, McAuley Catholic boys basketball will be looking to its returning players to take on a bigger role in order to find success in 2021-22.
“We lost a lot statistically from last season due to graduation and we have some guys who lack varsity experience,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said. “We gained valuable experience this summer, but we still have some unknowns. It is going to take some time to develop a rotation and for guys to accept their role. This is a hard-working, coachable, tight-knit group that is very motivated. We are going to get better every day and hopefully be playing our best basketball in February. I am extremely excited to see what this group can do.”
The Warriors are looking to replace graduates Daniel Wagner, Thomas Black and Matthew Dohmen, who accounted for 78 percent of the team’s scoring last season and 77 percent of the team’s rebounding for a squad that advanced to the district title game a year ago.
Among the returning lettermen expected to play a more important role this season is sophomore guard Rocco Bazzano-Joseph, junior guard Joe Staton and senior forward Jeffery Horinek. Bazzano-Joseph was the sixth man last year, averaging 4.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, while Staton started 24 games and averaged 2.2 points and Horinek started 20 games and averaged 2.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
“Jeffery is a solid post defender and rebounder,” Witt said. “We will need him to take on a bigger role this year on both ends of the floor. … Joe is a crafty guard who loves to play defense. He has a high basketball IQ and is a natural born leader. … (Rocco) played significant minutes in every game (last season) and is our returning leading scorer. He is a good shooter and has worked on being a scorer.”
Other returning lettermen include junior G/F Kable Reichardt, senior G Kevin Tran, senior G Jacob Bracich and sophomore G/F Bradley Wagner. Also joining the varsity squad this year is senior F Declan Berkstresser, junior G Noah Black and freshman G Michael Parrigon.
“We need multiple guys to step up and provide for us this year,” Witt said. “And we have guys who are capable of doing that, but will it be the same guy’s night in and night out? It is going to take some time for us to figure some things out. Our roles are going to shift a bit, but once we get that figured out as well as a stable rotation, I expect us to start making some positive strides.”
The biggest keys to success this season will be how well the Warriors compete on the defensive end and then follow that up with a rebound. While it is expected that the offense will need some time to get the rotations figured out, Witt was adamant that the effort on the defensive end will be what decides the outcome of most games.
“Competing consistently, especially on the defensive end and rebounding,” Witt said. “We can’t have a great defensive possession and then not rebound. We can’t have bad quarters or wait to start playing until the second half. … We will have to come out every night playing our best to win games. For us to reach our full potential, we will have to be solid defensively. We must collectively guard the ball without fouling and finish off possessions by limiting teams to one shot. Offensively, it is essential for us to value the basketball and give ourselves opportunities to score, but it is crucial for us to keep people from scoring.”
McAuley opens the season with a road matchup against Liberal on Nov. 23 before taking part in the Gem City Classic from Nov. 29-Dec. 4. The Warriors open at home against Pierce City on Dec. 7.
