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Day: December 18, 2021

4-STATES CHALLENGE ROUNDUP: College Heights, Nevada suffer losses; East Newton earns lopsided win

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Galena built a double-digit cushion by intermission and never relinquished its lead in the second half on the way to a 54-45 win over College Heights Christian on Saturday at the 4-States Challenge at Webb City High School. 

The Bulldogs from Southeast Kansas doubled up the Cougars in the first quarter, leading 12-6. 

Galena outscored College Heights 19-13 in the second period to take a 31-19 halftime advantage.  

After an even third period, the Cougars outscored the Bulldogs 15-12 in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough. 

Tyler Little scored 20 points for Galena, while Brett Sarwinski added 11. 

Miller Long led College Heights with 23 points. He made eight field goals, including two treys, to go along with 5 of 7 free throws. 

Long was the only Cougar in double figures, as Hagen Beck scored eight points and Ethan Meeks had seven. 

The Cougars fell to 6-2 on the season. 

College Heights will host Bronaugh on Jan. 3. 

In other action at the event, East Newton beat Mount Vernon 55-32 and Rogers (Ark.) Heritage edged Nevada 57-51 in overtime.

 

EAST NEWTON 55, MOUNT VERNON 32

In a clash between conference rivals, the East Newton Patriots led 18-10 at the end of the opening quarter and took a 34-20 lead into the break.

East Newton extended its lead to 44-26 at the end of the third quarter.

Kelton Sorrell scored 30 points to lead East Newton and Gabe Bergen added 13.

Dominic Dawson led Mount Vernon with 10 points.

Both teams are at home on Tuesday, as East Newton hosts Ava, while Mount Vernon hosts Fair Grove. 

 

HERITAGE 57, NEVADA 51 OT

Despite a solid effort, Nevada was unable to secure its first win of the season. 

The game was tied at 47 at the end of regulation, and the War Eagles outscored the Tigers 10-4 in the extra session.

Noah Green scored 18 points for Heritage, while Carson Simmons added 13 and Micah Hill had 11. 

Jerimiah Collins scored 14 and Brice Budd added 12 points for Nevada (0-8). 

Budd’s trey gave Nevada a 35-32 lead at the end of the third quarter. 

The game was tied at 47 with 4.5 seconds left and Nevada’s last-second shot was off the mark, forcing overtime. 

There were 11 lead changes and 13 ties.

 

BOYS HOOPS: Scoring surge to close the first half propels Joplin to home-opening win over Central

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Springfield Central held a six-point lead three minutes into the second quarter before Joplin closed the first half on a surge to take a lead the Eagles wouldn’t relinquish in a 66-56 win in the home opener over Springfield Central on Friday.

With the win, Joplin remains unbeaten this season with a perfect 6-0 record. The Eagles are in action next when they take on Sunrise Christian (Kan.) at 5 p.m. in the 4 States Challenge hosted by Webb City on Saturday.

“I think we are getting better and better, and I think we have a high ceiling,” Joplin coach Bronson Schaake said when asked to assess his team to this point in the season. “I think it is something that we need to keep pushing game by game. … A lot of these guys are still new or didn’t play much last year. So, I think it is something where there is still a lot of room to grow.”

Joplin sophomore G All Wright pulls up for a mid-range jumper in the Eagles’ win over Central. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

SCORING LEADERS

Joplin finished with three players in double figures, with sophomore guard All Wright scoring a game-high 22 points in the win. He had 12 in the second half. Sophomore G Quin Renfro finished with 15 points, while senior G Always Wright closed with 10 points.

“We are trying to develop a few of the younger guys and (Quin) stepped up big,” Schaake said of Renfro’s night. “What I like about it is he really isn’t trying to force it. He is just taking what they are giving, and he is finishing. That is what we are looking for.”

Junior F Terrance Gibson added eight points, while senior F LT Atherton finished the night with seven in the win for Joplin.

Junior G Sterling Vinson led Central with 10 points, while junior F Jamarius Lawrie and sophomore G Antonio Starks-Fewell finished with nine each. Freshman G Keion Epps and freshman F Bryce Walker each had eight in the loss.

GAME ACTION

Joplin sophomore Quin Renfro raises up for a floater in the Eagles’ win over Central on Friday in the home opener. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

The Bulldogs found a lot of success on the break in the opening eight minutes, getting out and running in transition to build a 14-9 lead off an 8-0 run midway through the first quarter. 

“They were just leaking out,” Schaake said. “I think we just took that away. Once that happened, we did a good job of slowing the game down and getting in the paint and kind of owning that.” 

Walker scored inside with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter to give Central a 25-19 lead.

Joplin flipped the script with a 15-2 run over the span of 3:25 to close the first half, giving the Eagles a 34-27 advantage at the break. Much of that success came in the paint, with All Wright coming away with six points in the run and Renfro four, including the go-ahead bucket (29-27) on a driving score at the 2:25 mark.

“We had better energy,” Schaake said of his team’s close to the first half. “Bruce (Wilbert) is fighting a head cold, and so is Brantley (Morris). Quin brought the energy and I thought (Whit) Hafer played extremely well. He is a big kid and is just starting to figure out his body. … When we can get in the middle, it gets guys open on the outside.

“We talked before the game about how we wanted to own the paint, whether that is attacking it or posting up. I thought that was kind of the key in the second quarter.”

Central trimmed the lead to one, 36-35, with 4:20 left in the third quarter before a quick 6-0 run from the Eagles behind a basket from Renfro and two buckets from All Wright pushed Joplin’s lead to seven, which the Eagles held head into the fourth quarter, 48-41.

Joplin distanced itself from Central for good to start the fourth quarter, scoring seven unanswered of the first three and a half minutes to build a 55-41 lead. Always Wright had two baskets and Atherton added another on the break.

The Eagles pushed the lead to a game-high 15 points, 62-47, with less than three minutes to play following back to back buckets inside from Atherton and Always Wright.

GIRLS HOOPS: Quick start leads College Heights past Exeter

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

A strong first quarter propelled the College Heights Christian girls basketball team to a 56-22 win over Exeter on Friday night.

The Cougars raced out to a 28-5 lead and never looked back in what could be described as a dominating performance.

“It’s been nearly two weeks since our last game and I was a little concerned how that might impact our play,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said “But the girls put that concern to rest quickly by scoring 28 points in the first quarter.”

College Heights led 41-11 at halftime and the Cougars were up 52-18 after three quarters of play. 

For the Cougars, it was a solid overall performance. 

“We shot 77% in the first half,” Blankenship said. “Our 3-point shooting was great tonight, and our defense continues to create turnovers leading to transition points. This is a young team, but they are listening, learning, and improving every game. They are very unselfish and always willing to make the extra pass to set up a teammate with a better shot. I was very pleased with how they played tonight.” 

College Heights is now 3-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

Addie Lawrence compiled 18 points, five steals and three blocks to lead the Cougars. Lawrence also hit three 3-pointers.

Jayli Johnson added 16 points and two steals, while Lauren Ukena contributed six points, four assists and four steals. 

The Cougars host Bronaugh on Jan. 3 at OCC.

BOYS HOOPS ROUNDUP: Neosho’s Waters surpasses 1,000 points in win over Seneca; McAuley rolls to lopsided win over NEVC

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

NEOSHO BOYS 66, SENECA 36

SENECA, Mo. — K’dyn Waters scored 25 points and surpassed 1,000 career points as the Neosho Wildcats earned a convincing 66-36 non-conference win over the Seneca Indians on Friday night. 

An athletic senior guard, Waters is in his first season at Neosho. 

“That’s an amazing accomplishment from a great young man,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said of Waters. “We’ve only known him for this year, but he feels like he’s been here all along. He’s a lot of fun to be around.”

Isaiah Green added 10 points and Jared Siler added eight for the Wildcats (4-2).

Cooper Long scored 11 points to lead Seneca (2-6), while Conner Ackerson added six. 

The Wildcats led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter. 

A 3-pointer from Brock Franklin, a breakaway dunk by Waters and a hoop in the lane from Green gave Neosho a 26-15 lead at intermission. 

The Wildcats held a comfortable 47-29 lead at the end of the third quarter. 

A pair of transition layups by Waters pushed Neosho’s lead past 20 early in the fourth quarter. 

“As far as the game goes, we are glad to be back on track after dropping a couple games,” Culp said “Things clicked well on both ends and allowed us to get some easy buckets. It was a fun night all around.”

The Wildcats will host the annual Neosho Holiday Classic beginning on Dec. 28. 

 

MCAULEY CATHOLIC BOYS 72, NEVC 42

Three players scored in double figures as McAuley rolled to a lopsided win. 

Noah Black scored 20 points, Michael Parrigon added 12 and Jeffery Horinek added 10 for the Warriors.

McAuley led 22-13 at the end of the first quarter and the hosts never relinquished their lead. 

The Warriors were up 56-26 at halftime and 61-36 at the end of the third period.  

Kylan Bachand scored 22 points for the Knights (0-9).

McAuley (2-6) hosts Galena (Kan.) at 5 on Monday. 

GIRLS HOOPS: Seneca rallies late to knock off Joplin

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

SENECA, Mo. — Trailing by five with four minutes to play, Seneca finished the game on a 14-0 run to earn a 55-46 non-conference girls basketball victory over Joplin on Friday night. 

Joplin fell to 5-4 on the season, while Seneca improved to 5-2.

“We got beat by a good Seneca team,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “The girls played hard all night, but as the game progressed Seneca made great adjustments and I did not. I have to do a better job of putting our girls in position to close out games. Hats off to the Seneca coaches and players for having a great game plan and sticking to it. I have to do a better job of preparing and game planning…especially after having a full week of practice.”

Aliya Grotjohn scored 27 points to lead Seneca, while Hazley Grotjohn added 12 and Samarah Mittag chipped in eight. 

Emma Floyd scored 12 points to lead Joplin, while Brooke Nice had 11 and Ella Hafer contributed 10 points. 

The Eagles led 10-2 after an old-fashioned three-point play by Hafer, but the Indians eventually tied it up at 11 after a trey from Hazley Grotjohn and a hoop in the lane by Aliya Grotjohn. 

Nice hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Joplin a 17-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

The Eagles went up nine at 20-11 after free throws from Izzy Yust and Brynn Driver, but the Indians used a 9-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Mittag, to pull within two. 

Buckets from Driver and Emma Floyd kept the Eagles in front, but a last-second trey from Aliya Grotjohn cut Joplin’s lead to 26-25 at halftime.

Seneca finished the first half on a 14-6 run, trimming a nine-point deficit down to one. 

The game was tied at 36 entering the fourth quarter. 

Seneca took its first lead of the night early in the final frame on Aliya Grotjohn’s 3-point play, but Joplin went back ahead 41-39 with 4:40 remaining after five straight points from Emma Floyd.

Joplin led 46-41 after a trey from Nice and a layup from Hafer. But Hafer fouled out moments later, and the Eagles would not score again. 

The Indians finished strong, as Hazley Grotjohn converted a conventional 3-point play and Aliya Grotjohn hit a trey.

Free throws from both Grotjohn sisters and a transition layup from Aliya Grotjohn accounted for the final score.  

Joplin travels to Chillicothe on Tuesday night in the final contest of 2021. 

Seneca is now off until a Jan. 3 date at Clever.

GIRLS HOOPS: McAuley’s Kennedy DeRuy honored as 1000-point scorer

Posted on by Lucas Davis

On Thursday, McAuley senior Kennedy DeRuy experienced a moment she will never forget, eclipsing the 1000-point scoring mark for her career during the third quarter of the Warriors’ win over Pierce City. 

McAuley Catholic celebrated the accomplishment on Friday after her first basket in the Warriors’ win against Northeast Vernon County.

McAuley senior Kennedy DeRuy squares up for a shot against Pierce City on Thursday, where she entered the history books as a 1000-point scorer. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“I have been with McAuley Catholic since the second grade, and I have always looked up to the basketball team,” DeRuy said after the win over the Eagles on Thursday. “It has always been a dream of mine to get into that (1000-point scoring) club. I was so excited, obviously, because a lot of hard work went into it. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with any other team than my team.”

“Kennedy has worked harder than any person I know to get to this point,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said. “Her freshman year, she came off the bench and averaged maybe three points a game. These last three years, she has really put in the work and the effort to get better and to improve. I couldn’t think of a better person for this to happen to. I view her as my own daughter and she has just been such a blessing for me to have on this team.”

DeRuy, who didn’t see extensive varsity minutes until her sophomore season with the Warriors, put in countless hours of work on the court in preparation to take on a larger role. To say her hard work has paid off would be an understatement.

“I was intimidated going into my freshman year,” DeRuy said. “We had a lot of good players on varsity, so I had to find my role. … The biggest thing was that I needed to get comfortable with who I was and how I played. Most of all, I had to be confident in what I could do. With years of preparation and Coach Howard by my side, putting in the work was worth it.”

Heading into the contest, DeRuy was eight points shy of 1000. Of course, when a career milestone approaches, it’s always nice for it to happen during the flow of the game. That wasn’t the case for DeRuy, who had a pair of baskets to bookend the Warriors’ scoring in the second quarter before adding a score off the drive with a minute to play in the third period. She had plenty of time to think about her chance at history as she stepped up to the free-throw line with 31.6 seconds left in the third quarter, sitting at 998 points. With God in her heart, she was perfect from the stripe, knocking down both charities to clinch history.

“I prayed to God before I shot those free throws,” DeRuy said with a smile and a laugh. “I just asked Him (to help) because this is what I have been working for. If it was my time, it was my time and obviously it was. I thank my teammates, my coach and my parents because none of this would have been popular without him.”

McAuley senior Kennedy DeRuy glides to the hoop in the Warriors’ win over the Eagles on Thursday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

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