A large number of local athletes were recognized as all-region performers by the Southwest Missouri Football Coaches Association.
In Class 6, Joplin’s Draven VanGilder (LB) and Kickapoo’s Andrew Link (DE) were the Co-Defensive Players of the Year.
In Class 5, Carthage senior running back and linebacker Luke Gall was the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year. Carthage’s Jon Guidie was the Class 5 Coach of the Year.
Nevada’s Case Sanderson was the Defensive Player of the Year in Class 4.
In Class 2, Lamar’s Joel Beshore was the Offensive Player of the Year, Austin Wilkerson was the Defensive Player of the Year and Jared Beshore was named Coach of the Year.
Full teams by class are posted below. Click on the link of each class to see the full all-region team.
PEA RIDGE, Ark. — Neosho fell 55-51 to County Line, Arkansas, in a tightly-contested opening-round game in the Battle At The Ridge basketball tournament on Thursday.
Neosho jumped out to a 20-11 lead after the first quarter but County Line rallied to take a 45-40 lead by the end of the third period. The lead wavered in the final eight minutes, with County Line holding for the win.
Isaiah Green led Neosho with 14 points, while Collier Hendricks finished in double figures with 10 points. Carter Baslee scored nine and Kael Smith finished with seven. Brock Franklin knocked down two 3-pointers for six points and Carter Fenske contributed five.
Neosho takes on Providence Academy at 4 p.m. on Friday in the Battle At The Ridge tournament.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Longtime rivals Carthage and Webb City will meet in the semifinals of the 76th Carthage Invitational boys basketball tournament.
In Thursday’s opening round, Carthage started fast and held on late for a 45-37 win over Fort Smith-Southside from Arkansas, while Webb City got it done in crunch time to earn a 57-52 overtime victory over Leavenworth (Kan.) in the night’s finale.
The Tigers (2-0) and Cardinals (2-0) will meet at 8:30 on Friday night, with the winner earning a spot in Saturday’s title game.
Carthage’s Max Templeman makes a layup under pressure from Southside’s Levi Steele on Thursday night at the Carthage Invitational. Photo by Derek Livingston.
CARTHAGE 45, SOUTHSIDE 37
Clinging to a two-point lead with just over two minutes remaining, the Tigers finished strong.
The hosts scored the game’s final six points and came up with a number of key defensive stops to secure a hard-fought win.
“We are far from a finished product,” Tigers coach Nathan Morris said. “Our guys know that. We’ve got some guys still working to get into basketball shape. We’ve got some guys banged up and we had a starter that’s been sick. We’re working through those things. I knew the team that played sound basketball for more of the game was going to win. We kept our cool and kept our heads late in the game. It would be nice to win that game by 15, but I’m OK with us having to grind some wins out right now.”
Carthage got off to a blistering start. The Tigers hit six treys in the first quarter against Southside’s zone defense en route to taking a 20-12 lead.
Justin Ray hit three 3-pointers in the opening frame, while Max Templeman hit two and Clay Kinder knocked down one of his own against the Mavericks, who struggled with early turnovers.
“It was great to get that from Justin,” Morris said. “We also asked him to defend their best player for 32 minutes. But we’re ready for Justin to take the next step and be that guy with Max.”
Carthage’s Britt Coy grabs a rebound during Thursday’s game against Southside. Photo by Derek Livingston.
After scoring 20 points in the first quarter, Carthage tallied just six in the second period.
Southside pulled within four, but back to back hoops from Ray gave the Tigers a 26-18 halftime advantage.
The Mavericks stayed within striking distance throughout the third quarter, as a pair of hoops from Gibran Sullivan trimmed Carthage’s lead to four.
Kinder buried a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Tigers a 35-28 cushion at the end of the third period.
Southside pulled within two in the fourth period, but Carthage never surrendered its lead down the stretch.
After a Southside turnover, Kinder and Templeman hit two free throws apiece to make it 41-37 with 35 seconds left.
Sophomore guard Trent Yates hit two foul shots with 17 seconds remaining for the final margin.
The Pioneers didn’t score in the final 2:20.
“We have a tough, gritty group,” Morris said. “These guys have bought into doing the dirty work. Britt Coy is an undersized post player, but he fights for every rebound. Clay knows how to use his body, and I’ll take our three guards.”
A senior guard, Templeman led Carthage with 18 points. A junior guard, Ray added 13 points and Kinder, a senior forward, added 10.
Yazed Faforo scored 12 points for Southside.
WEBB CITY 57, LEAVENWORTH 52 (OT)
The game was deadlocked at 52 when Webb City sophomore guard Eli Pace hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 30 seconds remaining.
The clutch shot ended up the game-winner.
“That was a huge 3,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “It came off a set play. We didn’t force the first one and then we got a good ball reversal. Eli stepped up and made a big play.”
Following Pace’s trey, the Pioneers had an empty possession and were forced to foul. Webb City’s Barron Duda converted both attempts at the foul line for the final margin.
Webb City appeared in control in the second half, as the Cardinals held a 17-point advantage at 46-29.
But Leavenworth sped up the game and put together a 21-4 spurt to tie the game at 50, forcing overtime in the process.
“We got sloppy in the second half,” Horn said. “We got careless with the ball. We were trying to split traps with the dribble instead of passing through those traps. We got out of control and they were able to capitalize on our mistakes.”
A fast-paced and back and forth first quarter ended with Webb City up 14-12.
The Cardinals started the second quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 27-14 advantage. Five different players—Cole Cavitt, Pace, Alex Martin, Duda and Holton Keith—scored during the surge.
On the other end, the Pioneers struggled against Webb City’s active zone defense. A late trey from Joe Adams gave Webb City a 30-19 halftime lead.
“We were moving the ball well and we were playing inside-out,” Horn said of the first half. “We were doing a good job of driving and kicking it out. We got the ball inside to Martin. Good things happen when the ball goes inside to him. We got away from what was working in the second half. At times, we were good defensively. But at other times we had some breakdowns and lost focus.”
The Cardinals put together a 10-0 run in the third quarter and led 46-29.
But the Pioneers turned things around, forced the Cardinals into numerous turnovers and eventually tied the game with 2:15 to play.
Both teams had their chances late in regulation, but both squads had empty possessions.
Webb City’s Martin and Leavenworth’s Eddie McLaughlin traded hoops early in the extra possession for a 52-all score.
The Pioneers turned the ball over before Pace knocked down the huge trey.
In the end, the Cardinals won the overtime period 7-2 to survive and advance.
Three players scored 13 points apiece for the Cardinals—Duda, Keith and Martin. The 6-5 Martin also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Jeremiah Lewis scored a game-high 21 points for Leavenworth and McLaughlin added 12.
RAYMORE-PECULIAR 54, NEVADA 33
The Panthers led 21-3 and never relinquished their lead.
The Tigers nearly matched the Panthers point for point in both the second and third quarters, but Ray-Pec finished strong with a 16-8 fourth quarter.
Ashton Jermain scored 16 points for Raymore-Peculiar.
Jack Cheaney led Nevada with 10 points. Two others, Cade Beshore and Brice Budd, added eight points apiece for the Tigers.
Carthage’s Justin Ray knocks down a 3-pointer in the first quarter of Thursday’s game against Southside. Photo by Derek Livingston.
Carthage’s Max Templeman battles Southside’s Gibran Sullivan for a rebound during Thursday’s opening-round game of the Carthage Invitational. Photo by Derek Livingston.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — There’s a maxim in sports that it’s not how you start but how you finish.
Take for example Thursday night’s game at the Cardinal Dome between the host Webb City Cardinals and the visiting Miller Cardinals.
Webb City jumped ahead 12-0 behind nine points from their 6-foot-5 sophomore post Sami Mancini, while Miller did not score until the 2-minute, 40-second mark of the first quarter.
Miller, behind a 23-11 advantage in the second quarter as well as 11-7 and 13-9 third and fourth quarters, outscored Webb City 53-29 after that 12-0 start for a 53-41 win Thursday.
“I thought we came out great and got off to a 12-0 start,” Webb City coach Lance Robbins said. “I thought we were defending really well, then I felt like we just had a letdown. When we quit guarding, that’s when they got back in the game, and I don’t think we ever recovered after that. Our defense is something that we try and hang our hat on around here, and I didn’t think we defended well for four quarters tonight. We defended well for about four minutes.”
Hailey Mart led Miller with 15 points and Ashlynn Helton added 14, Alyssa Hill scored 11 and Haylie Schnake added nine for the 4-1 Cardinals.
Mancini scored a game-high 21 points and Kate Brownfield added 10 for a Webb City squad that dropped to 3-2 on the season.
At one point early in the third quarter, after Miller took a 34-27 lead, Robbins could be heard saying, “Take care of the ball” to one of his players after a turnover.
“We had 10 turnovers at half,” Robbins said. “It’s something we talked about. Just passes that weren’t there. Silly post entry passes. We’ve got four guards out there on the floor that can handle the ball and make decisions with it. We’ve got to make better decisions and make better passes.
“We’re used to Sami getting two and even three people on her. We’ve got to be able to recognize that and not throw the ball in there when there’s two or three people on her and make the right play and pass it to somebody else. It’s a tough loss tonight, obviously it’s one that we feel like we should have done a better job of competing, but we’ll learn from our mistakes and get back in the gym (Friday) and get better.”
Foul trouble also hampered Webb City at times—Mancini, Brownfield, and Mia Robbins all picked up their third personal during the third quarter—and Miller took advantage with more than 30 free throw attempts on the evening.
Miller entered the bonus with 3:12 remaining in the third and the double bonus at 3:55 of the fourth.
Webb City returns to action next week in the Lady Mustang Classic hosted by district rival McDonald County.
FORT SMITH, Ark. — Destiny Buerge poured in 31 points to lead Carl Junction to a 52-47 victory over Fort Smith-Southside on Thursday in the opening round of the 2022 Taco Bell Tournament of Champions.
A senior guard, Buerge made 12 field goals, including a 3-pointer, to go along with six free throws.
Junior forward Kylie Scott added 10 points and senior guard Hali Shorter scored six on a pair of treys for the Bulldogs, who improved to 4-0.
The Bulldogs led 43-27 at the end of the third quarter.
Southside outscored Carl Junction 20-9 in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs held on for the win.
Carl Junction will meet Bergman in the semifinals at 8:30 on Friday night. Bergman beat Jones 53-45.
WEDNESDAY’S RESULT
NEVADA 47, CLINTON 41
NEVADA, Mo. — Nevada’s girls basketball team improved to 4-2 on the season with a 47-41 win over Clinton on Wednesday night inside Wynn Gymnasium.
The Tigers built a 30-23 halftime lead and were up 38-32 entering the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was even, 9-9.
Clara Swearingen scored 21 points to lead the Tigers, while Maddy Majors added 13 points. Swearingen hit five 3-pointers, while Majors connected on a trio of treys.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Joplin took control of the lead in the first half against Rush and never relinquished it on the way to a 61-52 win in the opening round of the 75th annual Carthage Invitational on Thursday.
Joplin’s All Wright drives to the hoop for a bucket in the Eagles’ win over Rush in the opening round of the Carthage Invitational. Photo by Derek Livingston.
The Eagles, last year’s Carthage Invitational champions, took the first step in repeating on Thursday after outscoring Rush 15-10 in the second period to take a five-point lead into the intermission. Joplin stayed out in front in the second half, playing with a lead that wavered between double digits to two possessions through the final horn.
With the win, Joplin improves to 2-1 on the season and advances to play Raymore-Peculiar at 7 p.m. on Friday.
The Eagles were led in scoring by All Wright’s game-high 26 points, including a game-high five 3-pointers. Quin Renfro was right behind with 19 points for the Eagles, 15 of which came in the second half. Whit Hafer finished with six points, while Terrance Gibson added five.
Joe Graves led Rush with 19 points, 13 coming in the second half. Tanner Engel finished the loss with 13 points.
Joplin’s Quin Renfro attacks the basket for a score on the drive in the Eagles’ win over Rush on Thursday in the Carthage Invitational. Photo by Derek Livingston.
After going into the second quarter tied, Joplin took the momentum early after building a seven-point lead on a 3-pointer and driving score from Collis Jones and an inside score from Renfro. The Eagles pushed the lead to nine in the second period on another 3-ball from Wright in the corner with 1:33 left before the intermission before Rush got a pair of free throws from Engel and a driving bucket from Brady Bishop to close out the half down five, 28-23.
Joplin played in front for the entire third quarter, pushing the lead to 10 for the first time in the second half with 1:46 left in the period on a steal and score on the break by Renfro.
Rush trimmed the lead to two possessions, 52-48, on a bucket from Graves with 3:10 left in the game, but the Eagles answered back with a pullup jumper from Wright before Renfro picked off another pass for a runout to push the lead back to eight with two minutes left.
The 26th annual Freeman Lady Eagle Classic hit Kaminsky Gymnasium on Thursday, with the Joplin girls basketball team getting to open the festivities against Leavenworth in front of a packed gym filled with parents, teachers, administrators and the student body.
Joplin senior Brynn Driver glides to the basket for a score in the Eagles’ win over Leavenworth to open the Freeman Lady Eagle Classic on Thursday. Photo by Derek Livingston.
“I told the girls before the game that they better be excited for this or they should check their pulse,” Joplin coach Brad Cox said after the win. “The girls were super excited, and the fans were great. It was awesome seeing Kaminsky packed. It is such a beautiful arena. The fans helped us push through a lot of adversity tonight.”
The Eagles jumped out to a fast start with strong defense against the Pioneers before the game finished tied after the first quarter. Joplin regained the momentum in the second period thanks in large part to converting at the free-throw line. Forced to shake off adversity suffered from an injury to the team’s leading scorer—senior Brynn Driver—just before halftime, Joplin used team basketball on both ends of the floor to hold off the Pioneers for the 45-39 win.
“We have faced this kind of adversity before and that’s what I told the ladies at halftime,” Cox said. “They really stepped up and played a really great team game. It all extended from our defense. We got a lot of steals tonight jumping some passing lanes. We made a defensive change after Mount Vernon and we have two wins since then.”
ON TO THE NEXT ONE
Joplin improves to 2-3 on the season and advances to take on Farmington in the second round of the Freeman Lady Eagle Classic at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
GAME ACTION
Joplin junior Bailey Ledford scores on the break after picking a pass off for a steal and runout during the Eagles’ win over Leavenworth on Thursday. Photo by Derek Livingston.
Joplin jumped out to a 6-0 lead through the first four minutes thanks to a strong defensive effort. The Eagles got on the board with a driving score by Driver before Bailey Ledford jumped in front of a pass for a steal and a layup on the break. Driver picked off a pass at the top of the key minutes later for a score on a runout and a 6-0 lead.
Leavenworth rallied back to tie the game by the end of the first quarter on a pair of free throws from Monece Thomas, an inside bucket from Kylee West and a 3-pointer by Aviana Garrett.
After Alissa Owens grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback score to give Joplin the lead out of the break, the Pioneers took a brief 10-9 lead after Makiya Barker knocked down a 3-pointer.
The Eagles rallied back with a 12-4 run to close out the first half with a seven-point advantage.
In the run, Joplin scored field goals in the form of a steal and score on the break from Ledford as well as a 3-ball from Driver at the top of the key. The surge was also filled out with the Eagles making seven of 10 from the charity stripe over the last six minutes of the half to build a 21-14 lead.
“We talked a couple weeks about struggling from the free-throw line as a team,” Cox said. “We have taken it personally to make sure we get those free points. I told the girls that few things in life are free, so when you get free looks at the basket, you have to seize that opportunity. They have been working really hard at it and it’s showing.”
Unfortunately for Joplin, the Eagles lost Driver, the team’s leading scorer, to a leg injury for the game with 10 seconds to go in the first half.
“It’s an immeasurable loss,” Cox said. “She has been a big part of this program for four years. We don’t know the diagnosis yet, but we are hoping it is something she can recover from and get back this season. Even in pain, she was cheering us on from the sidelines. She has been a great leader for us.”
Joplin senior Izzy Yust lets go of a 3-pointer during the Eagles’ win over Leavenworth on Thursday to open the Lady Eagle Classic. Photos by Derek Livingston.
Joplin pushed the lead to double digits out of the break with the first two baskets of the second half. Ledford picked off another pass for a score at the other end before Riley Kelly knocked down a 3-pointer off the assist from Ledford for a 26-14 advantage.
Leavenworth cut the lead back to single digits with three and a half minutes to play in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Barker followed by a driving score from Barker on the next possession to make the score 29-21 before Joplin ultimately went into the fourth quarter with a 32-22 lead off a mid-range jumper from Owens inside the final 30 seconds.
“She is super athletic and does a great job of finding the basketball,” Cox said of Owens. “For a freshman to step up on this stage in front of 2,000 people watching her, I thought that was very impressive. She is someone we are going to be relying more on as the season continues.”
Leavenworth cut the fourth-quarter deficit to five when Thomas knocked down a 3-pointer and grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:49 left to make the score 39-35. Garrett converted twice at the stripe with three minutes left to cut the Eagle lead to one possession, 39-36.
Joplin’s Maria Loum looks for a passing lane during the Eagles’ win over Leavenworth. Photo by Derek Livingston.
Joplin’s Izzy Yust pushed the lead back to two possessions with a pair of free-throw makes with two and a half minutes to play. After Ledford added a charity with 1:09 to play, Maria Loum iced the win with a steal at the top of the key for a fastbreak layup the other way with 50 seconds left to push the advantage to eight, 44-36.
“They put a ton of pressure on us at the end of the game,” Cox said. “We seized the opportunities that we had to go score. Bailey Ledford did a great job doing that towards the end of the game on her drives. Overall, we did a pretty good job of taking care of the ball, but there is always stuff we can clean up at the end of the game.”
SCORING LEADERS
Ledford led Joplin with 17 points, while Driver scored 12 points in the first half. Loum finished with seven points, while Owens scored six.
