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Day: February 16, 2022

HOOPS ROUNDUP: Thomas Jefferson sweeps Verona; McAuley boys earn win

Posted on by Lucas Davis

THOMAS JEFFERSON BOYS 64,  VERONA 61

VERONA, Mo. —  Thomas Jefferson rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half on the way to an Ozark 7 Conference win on Tuesday.

Verona held a 19-10 lead after the first quarter before cutting the deficit to six by intermission. The Cavaliers rallied all the way back in the third quarter, outscoring Verona 26-9 in the third period. Verona made a push in the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers held on for the win.

“I thought our kids really played through some early struggles, and just wouldn’t go away,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers. “The way we responded in the third quarter was exciting to see. They really took what we talked about at halftime and applied it on the court. Verona is a tough team, and they have some great players. Anytime you can go in there and get out with a victory is a real blessing”.

Caden Myers and Drew Goodhope each scored 17 to lead Thomas Jefferson in scoring. Myers had four 3-pointers, and eight assists. Goodhope had a pair of 3-balls. Jay Ball had 16 points and eight boards, while Tyler Brouhard had seven points and 10 rebounds.

Jaiden Carrasquillo had 27 points to lead Verona. Deuce Francisco finished with 13 points.

Thomas Jefferson is at McAuley on Thursday.

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON GIRLS 52, VERONA 21

VERONA, Mo. —  Thomas Jefferson held an early lead and played add-on throughout on the way to an Ozark 7 Conference win on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers took a 13-7 lead over the Wildcats and pushed the margin to 11 by the intermission. Thomas Jefferson added to the lead in the third and fourth quarters, cruising to victory. 

Lannah Grigg scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Cavaliers. Gabbi Hiebert and Sarah Mueller each had seven points. Tannah Cassatt and Nico Carlson each scored six in the win.

Thomas Jefferson is at McAuley on Thursday.

 

MCAULEY BOYS 58, BRONAUGH 36

The Warriors led 22-9 at the end of the first quarter and were up 37-19 at halftime en route to victory.

McAuley improved to 6-19.

Noah Black scored 18 points and Michael Parrigon added 11. 

Bronaugh’s Strauss Banes and Isaac Earnest scored eight points apiece. 

McAuley hosts Thomas Jefferson at 5:30 on Thursday for Senior Night. 

 

GOLDEN CITY GIRLS 42, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 33

“Golden City is a good team and deserved to win,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “Our defensive rotation was slow tonight and that cost us several points. Couple that with 27 percent shooting from the floor and that’s difficult to overcome. We needed to get the ball inside more than we did tonight to better establish our inside-out game.”

Ava Lett scored 12 points on four treys, while Addie Lawrence added nine points. Jayli Johnson contributed four points and five assists, while Maddy Colin had six rebounds.

Molly Long and Libby Fanning had seven rebounds apiece for the Cougars (13-10, 5-1 Ozark 7). 

College Heights is at Sarcoxie on Thursday. 

 

BRONAUGH GIRLS 50, MCAULEY 46

McAuley girls led by three at halftime before Bronaugh rallied in the final two quarters to earn the win on Tuesday.

The Warriors held a 21-18 lead by the intermission before Bronaugh outscored McAuley 13-9 in the third quarter to take the lead, holding on down the stretch.

Kennedy DeRuy finished with 21 points to lead McAuley in scoring. Avery Eminger added 15 points.

McAuley hosts Thomas Jefferson on Thursday. 

HOOPS: Carthage splits with Branson on Senior Night; CHS boys improve to 18-5

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Carthage High School boys basketball team sent its seniors out with a win.

Carthage topped Branson 72-50 on Tuesday in Central Ozark Conference action. The team’s seniors were recognized during the evening.

“I am so happy for our four seniors,” Carthage coach Nathan Morris said of Joel Pugh, Sylas Browning, Caden Kabance and Logan Carmickle. “They are great human beings and ambassadors for our program. They did a fantastic job getting us started during the first quarter tonight. Sylas Browning came out determined for his Senior Night to go well!” 

Carthage led 17-10 at the end of the first quarter, but extended the advantage to 37-23 by halftime. 

“Branson is a team that can score in bunches and we held them to 23 first half points,” Morris said. “Coach Linehan gave our kids one of the best compliments we can ask for, mentioning that our halfcourt man-to-man was fantastic tonight.”

The Tigers led 49-40 at the end of the third quarter, but the hosts outscored the Pirates 23-10 in the fourth quarter. 

Max Templeman scored 18 points to lead Carthage, while Joel Pugh had 16, Clay Kinder added 11 and Tyler Willis had 10. Britt Coy contributed six points, while Sylas Browning and Justin Ray added five points apiece. 

“It’s no secret that we ask Max Templeman to do a lot for this team, but he played his most complete game tonight, even with limited minutes in the first half due to foul trouble,” Morris said. “Max had 18 big points, seven rebounds and eight assists tonight.” 

Branson’s Kade Goodwin had 17 points and Kyle Scharbrough had 11. Ethan Jones was limited to eight points.

“We asked six different guys to take turns taking away Ethan Jones and Kyle Scharbrough and they were up to the challenge,” Morris said.

The Pirates fell to 7-15 and 0-6 in the COC. 

Carthage is now 18-5 overall and 4-3 in the COC. 

“This group has been special after the growing pains they experienced last year,” Morris said. “They care about each other, do what is asked, and are enjoying playing the game. It’s no wonder that they are 18-5 on the season with a chance to make some noise in the postseason.”

Carthage is at Ozark on Friday.

 

BRANSON GIRLS 72, CARTHAGE 65, OT

The game was tied at 61 at the end of regulation before the visiting Pirates outscored the Tigers 11-4 in the extra session to claim the COC win.

Branson led 19-13 at the end of the first quarter and the Pirates were up 36-23 at the break.

The Tigers trailed by seven at the end of the third period but erupted for 21 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime. 

“We didn’t come out with our normal energy to start the game and dug ourselves a 13-point hole at halftime,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “However, thanks to a Kianna Yates halfcourt shot at the buzzer, we were able to claw and fight our way back to send the game into overtime. Unfortunately, our game-long foul trouble caught up with us in overtime and four starters fouled out. Branson made their free throws and we could not muster the points we needed to pull out the victory.”

Carthage dropped to 11-13 overall and 2-5 in the COC. 

Sophie Shannon poured in 27 points on 11 field goals and five charities for the Tigers. 

“The star of the game tonight was senior Sophie Shannon who scored a career-high 27 points on Senior Night,” Moore said. “Branson had no answer for her in the paint and she scored at will on them. Fellow senior Presley Probert had a good game scoring five points and made several good passes that led to baskets for teammates.”

Carthage’s Kianna Yates added 19 points and Lauren Choate had nine. Shannon and Presley Probert are the team’s lone seniors. 

Taylor Foster and Chloe Grimm scored 21 points apiece for Branson, while Hadly Houston added 13. The Pirates are now 11-10 overall and 3-3 in the COC.

Carthage travels to Ozark on Thursday. 

 

BOYS HOOPS: Joplin builds early lead and pulls away from Carl Junction late in COC win

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Joplin’s defense suffocated Carl Junction early to build a sizable cushion before pulling away for an 80-44 win in the Central Ozark Conference action on Tuesday.

Joplin’s Brantley Morris knocks down a 3-pointer in the Eagles’ conference win over Carl Junction on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

Joplin (16-7, 4-3 COC) used a 14-0 run in the first quarter and an 11-1 run in the second quarter to accumulate an 18-point lead over Carl Junction (4-19, 0-7 COC) by the intermission. The Eagles held the pace before pulling away down the stretch of the fourth quarter.

“That is how we are going to have to win from here on out, on the defensive end,” Joplin coach Bronson Schaake said. “I told the guys we will have to use our size, which we have, and the guard spot with the Wrights. They ran a triangle and two against us again and I thought we did what we needed to do to get it in the paint, especially at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. We were getting layups. We need to do that.”

GAME ACTION

Carl Junction opened with the first five points of the game on an inside score from Ayden Bard and a 3-pointer by Kyler Perry before Joplin ripped off a 14-0 run to swing the momentum in its favor permanently.

The Eagles held the Bulldogs scoreless for five minutes of game action while building a 14-5 advantage in the process. Brantley Morris had a 3-pointer early in the run before an All Wright transition bucket off a turnover and a floater from Always Wright gave Joplin an 8-5 lead. Joe Jasper added a bucket inside in transition before a block from Whit Hafer, his third swat of the first period, led to a transition hoop from All Wright to make the score 12-5 with 55 seconds on the clock. Terrance Gibson closed the run with an offensive board for a putback.

“I know it was their Senior Night and they were going to come out jacked up,” Schaake said of the start to the game. “We just needed to wake up after seeing what they were doing. Going on a run like that is triggered at the defensive end. The last two weeks, we have been trying to get back to that as our foundation as we head into districts.”

Joplin took a 16-7 lead into the second period and started the quarter just as fast, using an 11-1 run to build a 23-8 lead with less than five minutes to play in the first half.

Carl Junction’s Ayden Bard raises up for a mid-range jumper in the Bulldogs’ loss to Joplin. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“It was good to see us kind of go at them,” Schaake said about the start to the second quarter. “I didn’t want us to be passive and get caught up in this environment. So, that was good to see.”

Gibson started the run with a bucket inside before All Wright scored on the drive. Morris knocked down his second 3-pointer of the game and Gibson followed with a tip-in basket to extend the Eagles’ lead to 27-8 near the midway point of the second period. 

Joplin played with the 19-point lead through the rest of the half, taking a 37-19 lead into the intermission.

Carl Junction cut the lead to 44-28 midway through the third period, but Joplin closed the quarter on a 10-4 run to push the lead to more than 20 points. Morris knocked down a 3-pointer, while All Wright added a 3-ball and a score off the drive. Gibson added an offensive rebound for a bucket. The Eagles led 54-33 heading into the final eight minutes.

Carl Junction trimmed the lead to 58-42 on a 3-pointer by Bard, but the Eagles responded with a 16-0 run to put the game out of reach with a 30-plus point lead, 74-42, to start a running clock with two minutes to play.

“Kids can get that way when they look at the clock and they have a lead,” Schaake said. “They were a little (lackadaisical) without realizing it. To see them amp it back up and finish strong, going right back at them, was good. I was going to be a little angry if we didn’t.”

SCORING LEADERS

Gibson led Joplin in scoring with 22 points, scoring 11 in each half. All Wright finished with 16 points and Morris added 11, knocking down three 3-pointers. Always Wright added seven points and Jasper contributed six in the win.

Bard finished with a game-high 22 points to lead Carl Junction. Josh Cory added 11 points.

SENIOR NIGHT

Carl Junction honored Perry and Cory in Senior Night ceremonies after the game.

UP NEXT

Joplin is at Willard on Friday.
Carl Junction is at Branson on Friday.

Joplin’s Whit Hafer flushes home a dunk in the Eagles’ COC win over Carl Junction on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

BOYS HOOPS: Webb City holds on late, wins thriller over Neosho

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho’s last-second 3-pointer was off the mark, and the Webb City Cardinals let out a collective sigh of relief.

In a clash with conference and postseason implications on the line, Webb City held on late for a hard-fought 74-71 win over Neosho on Tuesday night in a Central Ozark Conference thriller. 

“Neosho is really good and K’dyn Waters is a really good player,” Cardinals coach Jason Horn said. “Offensively, they were on fire in the first half. I thought we did a good job defensively of slowing them down in the second half. Our intensity rose up in the second half and we guarded a little better. And getting Waters in foul trouble definitely helped us.”

The Cardinals, who trailed by seven in the first half, rode a strong second half to pick up a key road win in a hostile environment. After allowing 45 points in the first half, the Cardinals limited the Wildcats to 26 after the break. 

“I’m just proud of how we bounced back in the second half,” Horn said. “We rebounded the ball better and we converted points at the foul line and, for the most part, we valued the basketball. Cohl Vaden played a big part in that. We survived foul trouble, and that was huge.”

Webb City’s Trey Roets looks to score in the lane against Neosho on Tuesday night at Neosho High School. Roets scored 26 points to lead the Cardinals. Photo by Israel Perez.

In a nail-biter that saw both teams lose key performers due to fouls, Webb City was clinging to a one-point lead with a minute to play. 

After an empty possession by the Wildcats, Webb City’s Vaden calmly sank two free throws with 30 seconds left.

The Wildcats misfired on a 3-pointer but got the ball back with 12 seconds left. The hosts turned it over, but the Cardinals returned the favor just seconds later.

Neosho’s Brock Franklin hoisted a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was off the mark. 

“That’s the kind of game you’d expect when you have two state-ranked Class 5 teams from the COC going blow for blow,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “We had a chance to tie it with a minute to go, so it doesn’t get much more even or competitive than that. We had our chances at the end. I was very proud of all the boys. It felt like a playoff game with the atmosphere and intensity.” 

 

NAMES & NUMBERS

Ranked eighth in Class 5, Webb City hiked its record to 16-7 overall and 4-2 in the COC.

Junior post player Trey Roets led Webb City with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting. 

Junior guard Dante Washington and senior guard Max Higginbotham contributed 16 points apiece for the Cardinals.

Higginbotham made five crucial 3-pointers off the bench.

“He shot the ball with confidence,” Horn said. “When teams zone us, that’s what he’s going to have to do. We have some guys who can stretch the floor. Max is the guy we want to go to in those situations. He was a big factor down the stretch.”

Webb City made 23-of-45 shots from the floor (51 percent), including 8-of-19 from long distance. The Cardinals out-rebounded the Wildcats 29-18.

Ranked 10th in Class 5, Neosho slipped to 16-7 and 3-3 in conference action with the Senior Night loss.

Neosho senior K’dyn Waters scores from in close against Webb City on Tuesday night. Waters scored 24 points before fouling out on Senior Night. Photo by Israel Perez.

Neosho’s lone senior recognized before the game, K’dyn Waters scored 24 points in just over 20 minutes of game time. Waters made 7-of-10 field goal attempts and went 8-for-8 from the foul line before fouling out with 1:34 remaining.

Isaiah Green added 15 points for the Wildcats, while Franklin had 13. 

“Brock and Isaiah really stepped up and hit shots,” Culp said. “And I don’t think Carter Fenske came out the entire game, so I was pleased with his play, too.” 

Neosho made 23-of-48 field goal attempts (48 percent), including 7-of-20 from beyond the arc. The Wildcats went 18-for-24 at the charity stripe. 

Neosho turned it over just nine times to Webb City’s 13 turnovers. 

 

GAME RECAP

The high-scoring first quarter featured eight lead changes. Neosho put together a 9-0 run late in the opening frame, as Franklin hit a trey before Waters and Fenske both converted old-fashioned three-point plays. 

Webb City’s Roets hit a jump hook in the paint just before the buzzer, trimming Neosho’s lead to 28-23.

Both teams finished the first half with key performers on the bench with three fouls apiece, as Webb City’s Kaden Turner and Vaden and Neosho’s Waters and Kael Smith all battled foul trouble. 

Neosho’s Franklin and Webb City’s Higginbotham traded 3-pointers late in the first half, and Neosho was up 45-43 at intermission. 

Webb City finished the third period on an 11-2 run to take a 56-53 advantage into the final frame. 

While the Wildcats kept coming, the Cardinals never relinquished their lead in the fourth quarter.

Webb City’s Turner fouled out with 3:29 left, but Higginbotham buried three treys in the fourth quarter, his last giving the Cards a 70-63 lead with 2:15 to play. 

Waters scored 10 points in the fourth period before fouling out with 1:34 to play. 

Neosho’s Brock Franklin shoots under pressure from Webb City’s Kaden Turner on Tuesday night. Photo by Israel Perez.

Webb City’s Vaden and Neosho’s Smith and Green all made free throws, and the Cardinals held a 72-71 cushion with a minute to play. 

The hosts had their chances in the final minute, but simply couldn’t get a jumper to fall. 

“It’s tough having to finish the game without Waters, but it was probably even tougher going long stretches of the second and third quarters without him,” Culp said. 

Culp noted his team can take away positives from the setback. 

“Our boys don’t lack confidence, but this game shows them that we can compete with the rest of the teams on our schedule,” Culp said. 

Horn noted his squad was definitely pleased to leave Neosho with a win. 

“It was a great environment tonight,” Horn said. “Any of the games against the schools on the West side of the COC are always tough. There are great rivalries with all of us.”

These two teams could see each other in the postseason, as both are in District 6. 

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Both teams have conference road games on Friday, as Webb City is at Republic and Neosho travels to league-leading Nixa.

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

 

Neosho’s Isaiah Green looks to score over Webb City’s Trey Roets on Tuesday night. Webb City won the game 74-71. Photos by Israel Perez.
Webb City’s Cohl Vaden puts up a shot against Neosho on Tuesday night. Vaden sank two key free throws late in his team’s 74-71 win.

GIRLS HOOPS: Carl Junction starts fast and finishes strong in COC win over Joplin

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — No. 6 Carl Junction built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and ballooned the margin to nearly 30 in the second half on the way to a 62-47 Central Ozark Conference and Senior Night win over Joplin on Tuesday

Carl Junction’s Destiny Buerge knocks down one of four second-quarter 3-pointers during the Bulldogs’ conference win over Joplin. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“I think Joplin has been play really well this year and Coach (Luke) Floyd has done a great job with that group,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “They play hard and have great size. 

“We moved the ball well in the first half and Destiny (Buerge) got some great looks. She is a shot maker. When her and Kylie (Scott get that one-two punch going, they’re tough to beat.”

The Bulldogs (18-6, 5-2 COC) built an 11-point lead by the first quarter and pushed the margin to nearly 20 points by the intermission thanks to a monster first half from Destiny Buerge. Carl Junction pushed the lead to as much as 29 in the third period over Joplin (10-13, 1-6 COC) and held on down the stretch to send the Eagles to their fourth consecutive loss.

“They are a very good team and I felt like our game plan didn’t set our girls up for success coming in,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “We wanted to key on Destiny and Kylie, but I have to do a better job in getting us to rotate our defense to get girls like that covered.”

SENIOR NIGHT

Carl Junction honored seniors Ellie Lawson, Jessa Hylton and Loren Lee in Senior Night ceremonies after the game.

Carl Junction’s Kylie Scott earns a block during the Bulldogs’ COC win over Joplin on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“What we talked about before the game is how much these seniors meant to the program, just from a commitment standpoint,” Shorter said. “They are dedicated to what we do and are model student-athletes. They’ve set the bar high for the rest of our girls and have done a great job of putting the work in every day and continuing to improve. I hate it that Jessa hasn’t been able to play this year [because if a knee injury], but she has had three really good years. But they are all great kids and will be successful after high school for sure.”

GAME ACTION 

Carl Junction built an early cushion in the first quarter thanks to the play of Buerge and Scott, who put up seven and six points respectively to lead the Bulldogs to a 20-9 lead after the first eight minutes.

“If you are not able to jump out to an early lead like that, Joplin is in it and they are fighting and clawing because they are a tough team,” Shorter said. “It was important for our kids to come out and build an early lead and continue to fight.”

Buerge continued her torrid pace in the second period, scoring 16 of 18 points for Carl Junction as the catalyst. 

Joplin’s Brynn Driver and Ella Hafer had back-to-back scores inside at the 5:35 mark before Buerge scored on the drive and added a 3-pointer in transition to push the lead to 27-13 with 3:11 to play.

Buerge added three more 3-pointers as the Bulldogs finished the first half on an 11-6 run to take a 38-19 advantage into the intermission. 

“She comes down the floor and has 10 eyes on her,” Shorter said of Buerge’s first half of play. “She is just a complete player. She can score it and she can pass it. She is just a wonderful player.”

After the Bulldogs used a heavy dose of Buerge in the first half, Carl Junction went to work inside the paint with Scott in the third period. Scott scored three of the Bulldogs’ first five baskets, including a three-point play, as part of an 11-2 run to open the second half, pushing the lead to 49-21 with 2:33 on the clock.

Joplin’s Brynn Driver pushes the ball in transition during the Eagles’ loss to Carl Junction. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“We are either looking to work outside-in or inside-out,” Shorter said. “It was important that we spaced the floor better tonight, moved it well and made sure those [inside] opportunities were there. Kylie was an animal in there offensively and defensively. When she gets going, she is tough.”

Carl Junction played with that pace be-fore Joplin’s Brooke Nice knocked down a 3-pointer near the 3:30 mark to trim the deficit to 20, 58-28. Joplin got baskets from Izzy Yust and Brynn Driver in the closing minutes but couldn’t make a run at the lead before the final horn.

“We just have to find the passion for the game again,” Coach Floyd said. “We have to show some toughness. At some point, you have to dig in your heals and say enough is enough. … The sooner we realize we can play with anyone, the sooner we can get back into the win column.”

SCORING LEADERS

Buerge closed the win out with a game-high 29 points, 23 of those points came in the first half. She knocked down five total 3-pointers in the win. Scott finished with 13 points, while Dezi Williams finished with 10 points.

Driver led Joplin with 18 points, 12 coming in the second half. Hafer finished with 14 points and Nice closed with 10 in the loss.

UP NEXT

Carl Junction is at Branson on Friday.

Joplin is at Willard on Friday.

Joplin’s Ella Hafer fights off contact for a bucket on the drive during the Eagles’ loss to Carl Junction on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

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