Your online home for Joplin area sports coverage.

Day: December 10, 2021

LADY EAGLE CLASSIC: Carl Junction rallies with dominant third quarter in win over Rogers

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Coming off its first loss of the season and trailing at the intermission, Carl Junction shifted the momentum in its favor permanently in a dominating third quarter on the way to a 56-46 win over Rogers in the opening round of the Freeman Lady Eagle Classic on Thursday.

“It was big for our kids and especially for our youth,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said about bouncing back from their first loss with a win over Rogers. “We have a lot of experience from last year, but we still are in that position where we have to understand that we have to come out and play our best game every night. We can’t just go through the motions because things aren’t going to go our way, myself included. We can do a lot of great things with this group if they play together and play hard every night.”

Carl Junction (4-1) matches up with Blue Valley North in the semifinals at 9 p.m. on Friday.

GAME ACTION

Carl Junction got off to a good start in the win, which hasn’t always been the case through the early portion of the season. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 10-4 lead through the first five minutes of action, with Destiny Buerge accounting for eight of the 10 points.

Rogers went on a quick 9-0 run on a 3-pointer from Perla Morales and six points from Ava Maner on a three-point play and a 3-ball from the wing to send the Mounties into the second period with a 13-10 lead.

“I was much more pleased with our effort to start the game, and that is something that we have been focusing on,” Shorter said. “But, it’s a game of ups and downs. They are going to go on a few runs. Our job is to limit those. I think the speed and pace of (the game) is something we had to adjust to pretty quickly. Once we did, that was a big piece of our success—settling into the game and almost catching our second wind, really.”

The lead changed hands four more times in the second quarter with Kennedi Blockburger splashing home a 3-pointer just before the horn to send Rogers into the intermission with a 26-24 advantage. 

“We are still working on our rotations and we were talking to our younger kids about knowing their responsibilities on a few possessions,” Shorter said. “Also, (Maner) picked up three fouls, so our idea was to immediately try to post her up and isolate her on Destiny. We also wanted to get Kylie (Scott) isolated out along the perimeter and get Hali (Shorter) and Klohe (Burk) spotted up. … I think we were able to do that. We did it with a few sets out of our continuity offense and were able to take advantage of some of those mismatch opportunities they had on us because they were in foul trouble.”

The Bulldogs took control of the contest with an 11-1 run out of the locker room. Buerge started things off with a 3-ball from the wing to give Carl Junction the lead before Burk followed with a 3-pointer of her own to make the score 30-26 with 4:40 on the clock. Scott closed the run with an inside score followed by a triple of her own to give Carl Junction a 35-27 lead with less than four minutes to play in the period.

The Bulldogs used a putback score off an offensive board from Scott, a three-point play from Buerge and a charity from Scott to close out the third quarter on a 17-3 run for a 41-29 lead.

“I thought Hali did a great job of rebounding on the backside and Kylie did a monster job on the boards,” Shorter said of his team’s play in the third quarter. “They put us in some tough positions (defensively) … but we were able to adjust some things and tweak them just a little bit. Our pressure up top is important and our ability to take vision away with our hands. … It got better and I think that was a big key for us.”

The Mounties cut the lead to six early in the fourth quarter on back-to-back 3-pointers from Maner and Morales but a 6-0 run fueled by drive from Scott and a pair of baskets from Buerge pushed the Carl Junction lead back to 12, 47-35, midway though the period. Rogers never made a serious run at the lead through the remainder of the contest.

SCORING LEADERS

Buerge led all scorers with a game-high 32 points, including three 3-pointers. Scott finished in double figures with 17 points.

Maner and Morales each had 13 points to lead Rogers.

LADY EAGLE CLASSIC: Second-quarter surge sends Joplin to tournament-opening win

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Kicking off the 25th annual Freeman Lady Eagle Classic by playing in front of a packed house with the entire student body and much of the faculty in attendance in an early afternoon game, the Joplin girls basketball team used a momentum-changing run in the second quarter to build an insurmountable lead on the way to a 49-32 win over Blue Valley West on Thursday.

“I am sure the (student body) appreciated getting out of class for an afternoon to watch some basketball and we appreciate getting to show off all of the hard work,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said of the atmosphere. “I told our team earlier that as girl athletes, not only do you have to win, but you have to win several times for people to notice you. To have people come and see that we are a really good basketball team with some good players, it’s exciting for them to get recognized and rewarded with a big crowd like that.”

With the win, the Eagles match up with Farmington at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in the semifinals. Farmington defeated Leavenworth 77-26 in the opening round.

“Obviously, we want to win a championship, but our goal is to get two wins every tournament,” Floyd said. “I told the girls that I couldn’t remember the last time this team made it to the championship semifinals, much less the chance to play for a championship. We are real excited to get back tomorrow. I think we are going to be a much improved basketball team tomorrow.”

GAME ACTION

Joplin took the initial lead in the first quarter and never relinquished it through the first break, 9-7, but a 3-pointer from BVW’s Meghan Fries to give the Jaguars a 10-7 advantage to open the second period of play.

The Eagles responded with a momentum-swinging 11-0 run to gain a 20-10 foothold with two minutes to play in the first half. Riley Kelly started off the run with a charity before Brooke Nice came up with a steal for a layup on the break. Ella Hafer grabbed an offensive board for a putback, with Scarlett Floyd and Izzy Yust following with baskets inside. Brynn Driver closed the run with a pair of free throws at the two-minute mark.

“There is not one or two girls who you can key on with us,” Floyd said of the scoring capabilities his team has. “On any given night, we have four or five girls who can go off for 15 or 20. For me, the best teams I have had coaching have had five or six girls who averaged from eight to 12 points per game. If we can have that balance, we will be pretty good.”

Joplin ultimately closed the first half on a 17-4 spurt thanks to a 3-pointer from Nice and a three-point play from Emma Floyd for a 26-14 advantage at the intermission.

“It started with the defense,” Floyd said of the Eagles’ second-quarter surge. “I thought we had a lot of nerves early in front of the big crowd. We were just moving in slow motion. In the second quarter, we got a big spurt of energy where we were able to get out and get some transition buckets. When we are five girls playing as one, we are a pretty good basketball team. … For about four five minutes (in that second quarter) everything just clicked and we showed what kind of basketball team we are capable of being.”

Blue Valley West cut the lead to nine points twice midway through the third period before the Eagles put the game out of reach with an 8-0 run highlighted by a 3-pointer from Nice and a pair of baskets from Kelly to push the lead back out to 45-26 with 55 seconds left in the period.

The Jaguars never made a serious run at the lead over the final eight minutes of action.

HONORING A MILESTONE

Prior to the tipoff of the Eagles and Jaguars, Coach Floyd was honored after earning his 300th career win in the victory over Springdale in the CJ Classic last week.

“It means I had a lot of really good players that overcame their coaching along the way,” Floyd said with a smile. “I love what I do, but I am nothing without the good players that I’ve had and I’ve been blessed to have so many of them over the years.”

SCORING LEADERS

Driver and Nice each led Joplin with 12 points apiece, while Hafer had eight and Emma Floyd seven. Kelly finished with six in the win.

Lily Ba led Blue Valley West with 14 points, while Fries finished with 12 in the loss.

CARTHAGE INVITE: Joplin, Carthage advance to semifinals, Webb City falls short

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Stellar guard play propelled both Joplin and Carthage into the semifinals of the 75th annual Carthage Boys Basketball Invitational.

The Wright brothers combined for 44 points and led Joplin to a 65-51 win over Leavenworth, while Carthage’s starting backcourt trio accounted for 45 points in a 64-48 win over Ft. Smith-Southside.

In Friday’s semifinals, Carthage takes on Raymore-Peculiar at 7 p.m. and Joplin meets West Plains at 8:30.

The Zizzers rallied late to knock off Webb City 50-48, while Ray-Pec topped Nevada 33-23.

 

JOPLIN 65, LEAVENWORTH 51

A senior guard, Always Wright scored 23 points to lead the Eagles (3-0), with 16 coming in the first half. A sophomore guard, All Wright contributed 21 points. 

Joplin senior Always Wright puts up a shot against Leavenworth during the Carthage Invitational. Photo by Brennan Stebbins.

“They’re smart players,” Joplin coach Bronson Schaake said of the brothers. “They follow the game plan, they read the floor extremely well and they have a good feel for the game, knowing when to attack. And they’re actually very good defensive players too.” 

Joplin used a 9-0 run to pull away in the first period. Always Wright scored seven during the surge, including a dunk after a baseline drive. 

Up 18-7 at the end of the first quarter, Joplin put together a 10-2 spurt in the second period and led 34-23 at halftime. 

“I thought we had good energy throughout the first half and we moved the ball well,” Schaake said. 

Hoops from All Wright and Bruce Wilbert gave Joplin a comfortable 47-27 lead with 4:15 left in the third quarter. 

Joplin’s advantage was 51-37 entering the final frame. The Pioneers trimmed their deficit to 10 with just over six minutes to play, but the Eagles never relinquished their lead. 

“We had a 22-point lead in the third quarter, and kind of let them back into it,” Schaake said. “We didn’t close out the game like we wanted to. But they did what they had to do to finish the game out against a really good team.”

Junior forward Terrance Gibson added 11 points for the Eagles, while Eddie McLaughlin scored 17 points for the Pioneers. 

 

CARTHAGE 64, FT. SMITH SOUTHSIDE 48

Carthage senior guard Joel Pugh poured in 23 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the Tigers, while junior guard Max Templeman added 13 points and sophomore guard Justin Ray contributed nine. 

“When you’ve got three guards like we have, and then we can bring Clay Kinder off the bench, we’re not really going to force feed it into the post,” Carthage coach Nathan Morris said. “(3-point shooting) is something they’ve worked on. Those three guards have spent more time in the gym than anybody I’ve been around in my nine years at Carthage. That’s a testament to them. And our other guys want them to score. We did a really good job of screening bodies.” 

Carthage senior guard Joel Pugh looks to score in the lane against Ft. Smith-Southside on Thursday. Photo by Brennan Stebbins.

The Tigers (2-0) raced out to a 17-7 lead. Templeman scored nine in the opening period, while Pugh had eight. 

Ray hit a trey and Britt Coy buried a pair of 3-pointers to extend Carthage’s lead to 28-9.

The Tigers were up 30-19 at intermission and 46-28 at the end of the third period. 

A pair of free throws from Pugh gave Carthage a 48-28 cushion early in the fourth quarter and the final outcome was never in doubt. 

“We’ve got steps still to take,” Morris said. “Last year, we talked a lot about this team finishing quarters. That’s still a step we need to take. At times, I felt like we got kind of fat and happy and didn’t put that team away. We got a little lackadaisical at the end, but at the start of the game, I thought we did a heck of a job.” 

Yazed Taforo scored 15 points for the Mavericks.

 

WEST PLAINS 50, WEBB CITY 48

The game was tied when West Plains’ Sean Tinsley scored in the paint with eight seconds left. After a timeout, the Cardinals were unable to get up a shot, as a turnover sealed their fate.

“We have to stay out of foul trouble,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “They did a good job of packing in the lane and we didn’t do a very good job of running our offense. We’re still trying to figure out our rotations. We’ve got a lot of young guys that are trying to step up and get minutes. 

Webb City junior Dante Washington shoots a jumper over West Plains’ Aiden Simpson on Thursday night. Photo by Brennan Stebbins.

“We wanted to get out and run, but unfortunately we got into some foul trouble with Trey Roets and Kaden Turner,” Horn added. “Our legs just aren’t there. There was a point where we hit a wall and shots weren’t falling.” 

Of course, many of Webb City’s players just turned their attention to hoops after the football program won a state championship last weekend.

“These guys are on three practices,” Horn said of the football players. “It’s not anything new, we just have to play through it.”

Turner scored seven points in the opening frame, including two on a one-handed dunk, to give the Cardinals a 16-11 lead.

Foul trouble plagued the Cardinals throughout the first half and the game was deadlocked at 28 at intermission.

Dante Washington scored Webb City’s final six points of the third quarter, and a back and forth period ended with the Cardinals clinging to a 44-43 advantage. 

Turner’s steal and two-handed dunk in traffic gave Webb City a 48-43 lead with just under five minutes to play. But the Cardinals would not score again, as the Zizzers finished the game on a 7-0 run, with Tinsley scoring all seven. 

A 5-foot-11 junior guard, Washington scored 16 points to lead the Cardinals. A 6-4 senior, Turner scored 11 points. A junior forward, Roets contributed seven points and eight rebounds for the Cardinals (1-1).

A 6-4 senior post player, Tinsley scored a game-high 19 points for the Zizzers (2-1).

Webb City plays Leavenworth at 4 on Friday in the consolation bracket.

 

RAYMORE-PECULIAR 33, NEVADA 23

Ray-Pec led 14-7 at the end of a low-scoring first half. The Tigers trailed 23-18 at the end of the third period and were unable to rally in the final frame.

Evan Rea scored 10 points to lead Nevada, while Holden Kephart had nine for the Panthers. 

Nevada (0-4) plays Southside at 5:30 on Friday in the consolation bracket. 

Carthage Invitational
Friday’s schedule
4—Webb City vs. Leavenworth
5:30—Nevada vs. Ft. Smith Southside
7—Carthage vs. Raymore-Peculiar
8:30—Joplin vs. West Plains

 

Webb City’s Trey Roets drives to the hoop against West Plains on Thursday night. All photos by Brennan Stebbins.

 

Joplin’s Whit Hafer puts up a shot in the paint against Leavenworth on Thursday night.

 

Carthage’s Max Templeman handles the ball against Ft. Smith Southside on Thursday night at the Carthage Invitational.

 

Carthage’s Clay Kinder shoots a jumper during Thursday’s Carthage Invitational.

 

Webb City’s William Hayes scores in the lane against West Plains.

 

Joplin’s All Wright scores in the lane against Leavenworth at the Carthage Invitational. All photos by Brennan Stebbins.

HOOPS ROUNDUP: McAuley girls, Neosho boys earn wins; Webb City girls fall to Miller, Majors scores 31 for Nevada

Posted on by Lucas Davis

MCAULEY GIRLS 58, SARCOXIE 41

McAuley Catholic jumped out to an early lead and methodically pulled away from Sarcoxie on Thursday to earn the win and remain perfect on the season.

The Warriors (4-0) built a 25-18 lead by the intermission and outscored the Bears in each of the final two periods to secure the win, including a 17-9 stretch over the final eight minutes..

“Well, it wasn’t pretty by any stretch,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said to SoMo Sports. “Honestly, we didn’t play very well by our standards. We had a lot of miscues and missed opportunities, but we started doing some things right in the fourth quarter and made several free throws down the stretch. I’m proud of them for that. A win is a win and we’ll take it, but we will get back to work tomorrow and try to get things ironed out before next week.”

Kayleigh Teeter led McAuley with 23 points, including a perfect 7-for-7 shooting at the free-throw line. Kennedy DeRuy added 19 to finish in double figures. Kloee Williamson added eight and Avery Eminger had six in the win.

 

NEOSHO BOYS 52, CLARKSVILLE 46

PEA RIDGE, Ark. — Neosho held a one-point lead at the intermission before adding some breathing room in the second half on the way to a win over Clarksville in the opening round of the Battle at the Ridge tournament. 

“We played great defense to nail down the win in the fourth quarter,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said to SoMo Sports. “K’dyn Waters played great handling the ball and scoring. Carter Fenske hit two huge 3s in the fourth quarter to expand our lead. Isaiah Green, Brock Franklin and Kael Smith played great defense on their best players.”

Neosho held a 23-22 advantage before outsourcing Clarksville 14-10 in the third quarter, holding serve down the stretch to earn the win.

Waters led the way for Neosho with 23 points, including three 3-pointers. Carter Fenske added 13 points, including two 3-pointers, while Isaiah Green added nine points in the win.

Neosho plays Pea Ridge at 7 p.m. in the semifinals on Friday.

 

MILLER GIRLS 43, WEBB CITY 12

MILLER, Mo. — Webb City struggled offensively against a solid Miller team. 

Competing against much-larger schools, Miller just won the Carthage Lady Tigers Invitational.

“We guarded well for two and a half quarters defensively, but we have to take better care of the basketball on offense and score the ball better,” Webb City coach Lance Robbins told SoMo Sports. 

Sami Mancini scored seven points for Webb City. 

Miller led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and 15-2 at halftime. The hosts outscored the visitors 14-5 in both the third and fourth quarters. 

Webb City (2-3) will take on Bentonville West at 3:30 next Monday at the McDonald County Tournament. 

 

MOUNT VERNON GIRLS 31, NEOSHO 19

The Mountaineers earned their first win of the season.

Mount Vernon led 10-4 at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 19-4 at intermission.

The Mountaineers outscored the Wildcats 9-0 in the third period for a 28-6 advantage. 

Jolie Prescott scored 11 points for Mount Vernon, while Kadence Krempges added eight and Cameryn Cassity had six.

Reagan McInturff and Raine Harris scored five points apiece for Neosho, while Beclynn Garrett added three.

 

NEVADA GIRLS 59, CLINTON 44

CLINTON, Mo. — Nevada junior guard Maddy Majors erupted for 31 points and hit five 3-pointers in her team’s win.

Clara Swearingen added 10 points for Nevada, while Abbey Heathman chipped in nine. 

Nevada is 5-1 on the season. The Tigers are at Logan-Rogersville on Monday. 

 

Experienced sports journalists providing great local sports coverage in Southwest Missouri.

Schools

SOMO Sports

SOMO Sports

Learn more about how you can advertise on SOMO Sports!

LEARN MORE

Web design: BigPxl