COLLEGE HEIGHTS BOYS HOLD OFF PROVIDENCE IN CHAMPIONSHIP WIN
College Heights opened the 2021-22 season with a double-digit road loss at Providence Academy on Nov. 19. What better way to see how you’ve progressed as a team than a rematch nearly two and a half months later?
That was the situation the Cougars were facing as they squared off with the Patriots once more, this time in the 39th annual Mercy/Warrior Classic boys championship game on Saturday.
College Heights (17-3) gained the first real separation in the game after closing out the first quarter on a scoring run and starting the second just as strongly while building a double-digit lead early in the second period that carried to the intermission. The Patriots (15-9) whittled the lead to two possessions to start the fourth quarter and cut the advantage to two points with three minutes to play, but the Cougars refused to give up the lead down the stretch and held on for a 57-51 win to clinch the tournament championship.
“I’d say we’ve progressed a lot since November,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson said after the win. “That was a good measuring stick for us to see how far we have come. They are a good ball club and have beat some good teams. They have some big kids and are a real challenge for us. They are very good competition, so we are pleased with the win.”
GAME ACTION
College Heights and Providence traded baskets in the early onset before the Patriots used back-to-back 3-pointers from Carter Keen near the four-minute mark to build a 13-9 lead.
The Cougars responded by scoring the final seven points of the opening period to take a 16-13 lead. Hagen Beck started things with a bucket before Ethan Meeks and Curtis Davenport had consecutive tip-ins to close out the period with the Cougars in front by three.
College Heights opened the second period on a 11-4 run to push the lead to double digits for the first time, 27-17. Meeks had a post score, while Ethan Adel added a 3-pointer before a bucket from Caleb Quade. Miller closed the spurt with a back-cut layup, drawing a foul and making the and-1 charity for a three-point play with 5:23 left in the first half.
“We needed to get the ball inside and we had some offensive rebounds there, too,” Johnson said about his team’s play to close the first quarter and start the second. “I think Curtis had a couple there. Caleb Quade did a good job off the bench with a key rebound and putback. It was a team effort.”
Quade closed out the first half with an offensive rebound and putback coupled with a free throw with 24 seconds left to give CHC a 36-23 cushion at the half.
The Patriots started the third quarter on a 14-4 run to trim their deficit to 40-38 with less than three minutes to play in the period. Five different players scored during the surge, with Cooper Laney’s five points leading the way.
College Heights took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter after closing the third on a floater from Ben Thomas.
The Cougars pushed the lead back to 10 points after Davenport jump-stopped in the lane for a basket off the glass and a 3-pointer from the wing by Long off the assist by Adel to make the score 51-41 with 5:41 to play.
The Patriots responded by making a run at the lead, scoring eight straight points with a 3-pointer from Laney and buckets inside from Isaac Woodward and Preston Green to trim the score to 51-49 with 2:57 left.
“That was a good lesson for us,” Johnson said. “You have to take care of the basketball and not get careless with it and let teams back in the game. … If you want to go anywhere in the postseason, you have to take care of the ball.”
Long knocked down a baseline floater on the next possession before Davenport made two foul shots with 26 seconds left to give CHC a 55-49 lead on the way to the win.
“This is key because when you get into the postseason, you are going to play good teams like this,” Johnson added about the win. “You better learn things (from these games) like taking care of the ball and limiting your turnovers. And you better rebound and hit your free throws. Little things like that are going to win you games.”
SCORING LEADERS
Long had a game-high 18 points to lead CHC, while Davenport finished with 12 points. Meeks had eight in the win and Beck finished with seven.
Laney finished with 13 points, while Keen and Corban Mora both closed with 12.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
MVP – Miller Long, College Heights
Curtis Davenport, College Heights
Corbin Mora, Providence Academy
Preston Green, Providence Academy
Drew Goodhope, Thomas Jefferson
Jaron Malotte, Sarcoxie
THOMAS JEFFERSON BOYS ROUT SARCOXIE IN THIRD-PLACE GAME
Thomas Jefferson used a staunch defensive effort to build an early lead and never looked back on the way to a 70-38 win over Sarcoxie in the boys third-place game of the Mercy/Warrior Classic.
The Cavaliers (14-5) used a 15-0 run in the first quarter to put a stranglehold on the lead. Thomas Jefferson essentially put the closing touches on the win in the third quarter, pushing the advantage to more than 30 points, which caused a running clock over the final eight minutes of action.
“We were really trying to drive a couple of points home today from a team standpoint,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “We wanted to put four quarters of basketball together because that is what it is going to take to beat good teams and win a lot of these big games coming up for us. We’ve been in some big games the last couple of years and I hope that fire is in their belly.”
GAME ACTION
Thomas Jefferson led 5-4 before ripping off the final 15 points of the opening period to balloon the lead to 20-4. Jay Ball opened the run with a bucket inside before four straight points from Drew Goodhope.
The final three field goals of the run were fueled by turnovers forced by the Cavs. Caden Myers earned a steal that turned into a bucket by ball before Tyler Brouhard earned a steal that ended up as a 3-pointer from Myers from the wing to push the lead to 17-4. Jake Jarrett added another steal the wound up as a 3-ball by Goodhope the other way with 27 second left to wrap the scoring in the quarter.
“Our defense was big all night really,” Coach Myers added about the close to the first quarter. “Yesterday’s loss, I hope, lit a little fire in our belly. We had a little shootaround before we came over here today and talked about some things we needed to improve on. The boys took it to heart and really came out and executed the game plan well tonight.”
Thomas Jefferson built a 19-point lead by the intermission and put the game out of reach late in the third quarter, using an 11-0 run highlighter by perimeter scoring to push the lead to more than 30 for the first time in the game.
Goodhope started it off with a 3-pointer before adding a pair of makes at the foul line. Brouhard splashed home a 3-pointer from the wing before Goodhope buried a perimeter jumper from the wing to make the score 54-22 with less than 90 seconds to play in the third quarter.
“That is exactly what we talked about going into the second half of this game,” Coach Myers said. “We had a 19-point lead over them earlier in the year in the Diamond Tournament during the second week of the season and we let them back in the game after that. We hounded at halftime about showing everyone how we have grown as a team. The boys came out and did what they had to do in the third.”
The Cavaliers cruised to the final horn with a running clock in their favor over the final eight minutes of action.
SCORING LEADERS
Goodhope finished with a game-high 24 points to lead Thomas Jefferson in scoring, knocking down a game-high six 3-pointers in the win. Myers finished with 15 points in the win and Ball added 12 to give the Cavs three players in double figures. Brouhard finished with seven points in the win.
Garrett Smith closed with 12 points to lead the Bears in scoring, while Terio Asterio finished with nine points on three 3-pointers.
MCAULEY BOYS KNOCK OFF BLUEJACKET
The McAuley Catholic boys wrapped its Mercy/Warrior Classic appearance on a high note, defeating Bluejacket 63-20 on Saturday.
McAuley doubled up Bluejacket in the first quarter 19-8 and pushed the lead to more than 20 by the intermission. The Warriors held Bluejacket to five total points in the second half on the way to the win.
Joe Staton led McAuley with 15 points, while Rocco Bazzano-Joseph added nine points in the win. Jeffery Horinek closed with eight and Bradley Wagner added seven points.
Nixa’s girls finished strong to upend Joplin 63-36 before the Nixa boys rolled to an 83-50 win over Joplin in the day’s finale. 