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Month: December 2022

WRESTLING: Local athletes fare well at Harrisonville tourney

Posted on by Jason Peake

Carl Junction, Carthage and Webb City were among the teams competing at the Harrisonville Christmas Tournament on Saturday. 

The Bulldogs finished fourth in the team standings behind Marlow, Mid-Buchanan and Helias Catholic. 

Carthage finished ninth in the standings and Webb City was 16th.

 

CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Carl Junction’s Lukas Walker and Sam Melton both finished second in their respective brackets.

At 113 pounds, Walker suffered a loss by fall to Mid-Buchanan’s Spencer Cunningham in the title match. Walker won seven matches by fall to get to the title bout.

Melton was the runner-up at 126 pounds after dropping a 4-3 decision to Harrisonville’s Chris Sullivan.

Melton won three matches by pin and earned two wins by decision.

Three Carl Junction wrestlers won third place matches — Carter Fogleson (106), Marcus Lopez-Durman (150) and Tony Stewart (165).

Also for the Bulldogs, Dexter Merrell placed fourth at 157, Drake Richardson was fifth at 120, Brenden Berry took fifth at 138, Max Matthews placed sixth at 132, Cody Berry was ninth at 190 and Nevan Challenger was 12th at 144.

 

CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS

Carthage had two individual champions at the event.

Bradyn Tate took first at 132 pounds. Tate won six matches by fall. In the title bout, Tate defeated Van Horn’s Dominick Paige 7-1.

Carthage’s Davion King was the champ at 165 pounds. 

King earned a 7-0 decision over Marlow’s Zach Dawson in the bracket’s title match. King won four matches by fall.

Also for the Tigers, Tanner Putt took fifth at 106, Esvin Gonazlez placed fifth at 175, Trey Nye was sixth at 157, David Recinos placed sixth at 285, Colt Taylor was seventh at 132, Aydan Nye finished ninth at 126 and Grady Huntley was 11th at 120.

 

WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS

Webb City’s top finishers were Aiden Moore (138) and Justin Allen (150). Both won seventh-place matches.

Also for the Cardinals, Tyler Pearish placed eighth at 106, Dominic Boles took eighth at 165, Grant Humphrey was 10th at 113, Aidan Rose finished 10th at 157, Carson Farmer was 13th at 144 and Garret Mathis took 13th at 285.

 

MONETT HIGHLIGHTS

Monett’s Simon Hartline was the champion at 120 pounds, and teammate Aidan Branch finished fourth at 113. 

Joshua Harvey (215) and Porter Reed (285) both finished fifth.

 

GIRLS SWIMMING: Carl Junction second, Joplin third at Monett Invite

Posted on by Jason Peake

MONETT, Mo. — Girls swim teams from Carl Junction, Joplin and Monett fared well at the Monett Invitational on Saturday at the Monett Area YMCA.

Carl Junction finished second in the team standings with 331 points, while Joplin took third with 265 and Monett was fourth with 248. West Plains captured the team championship with 362 points.

There were 12 full squads in attendance. 

 

CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Carl Junction’s Madeleine Garoutte won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:05 and also took second in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:18.

Skyler Sundy was the runner-up in the 100 backstroke in 1:04 and she placed third in the 50 freestyle.

The Bulldogs took second in the 200 medley relay, as Sundy, Garoutte, Sophia Holcomb and Elyanna Dogotch recorded a time of 2:02.

Carl Junction also took second in the 200 freestyle relay, as Avari Fifer, Garoutte, Sydney Ward and Dogotch finished in 1:54.

The Bulldogs were third in the 400 freestyle relay, with Sophia Holcomb, Fifer, Kennedy Johnson and Sundy competing.

Sophia Holcomb was third in the 100 fly, while Johnson was fourth in the 200 IM and Dogotch took fourth in the 100 freestyle.

Sophia Holcomb placed fifth in the 500 freestyle, while Abigail Holcomb was fifth in the 100 breaststroke.

Abigail Holcomb was sixth in the 200 freestyle and Dogotch took sixth in the 50 free.

 

JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS

Joplin’s Kiki Thom was the runner-up in two events, the 200 IM with a time of 2:23 and the 100 butterfly in 1:10.

The Eagles finished fourth in the 200 medley relay, with Lily Rakes, Taegen Smith, Thom and Megan Walser competing.

Joplin took fifth in the 400 free relay, with Rakes, Allysun Higdon, Walser and Thom swimming.

Brylea Smith placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke and also took fifth in the 100 butterfly.

Also finishing fifth in their individual events were Walser (200 free) and Rakes (100 backstroke).

Mairi Beranek placed sixth in the 100 backstroke, while Brooklyn Hiller and Evelyn Watson finished sixth and seventh in the 100 butterfly.

The Eagles finished eighth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Smith, Higdon, Gwen Zamanzadeh and Lydia Barwick swimming.

“The girls competed well today,” Joplin coach Juliana Hughes said. “The girls have been working hard to refine their strokes in practice to swim multiple events and build their speed. I’ve been proud of their efforts and their accomplishments today.”

MONETT HIGHLIGHTS

The Cubs finished fourth in the 200 freestyle relay, fifth in the 200 medley relay and sixth in the 400 free relay.

Monett’s Elizabeth Snarey was fifth in the 200 IM and Grace Lee was sixth in the 100 breaststroke.

Macey Flynt won the 1-meter diving competition. 

 

Monett Invite

Team standings: West Plains 362, Carl Junction 331, Joplin 265, Monett 248, Lebanon 202, New Covenant Academy 171, Waynesville 108, Bolivar 94, Hillcrest 86, Camdenton 65, Greenwood 40, Parkview 32.

 

4-STATES CHALLENGE: Joplin separates from Rogers down the stretch in bounce-back win

Posted on by Lucas Davis

WEBB CITY, Mo. — After seeing a double-digit lead slip away in the fourth quarter the night prior, Joplin boys basketball made it a point to finish off the win against Rogers (Arkansas) in the 4-States Challenge hosted by Webb City High School inside the Cardinal Dome on Saturday.

The Eagles entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead and pushed the advantage to 20 points down the stretch en route to the 68-48 win. 

Joplin senior Terrance Gibson attacks inside for a bucket against Rogers, Arkansas, in the 4-States Challenge on Saturday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

“Last night, at times, we just didn’t have focus on the game and the (situation),” Joplin coach Bronson Schaake said. “We didn’t look at the clock last night, we just kept trying to throw stuff up. I thought tonight we learned, and it was a good bounce-back win.”  

With the win, Joplin improved to 5-2. The Eagles travel to Springfield to take on Parkview on Tuesday.

GAME ACTION

After going into the second quarter tied up at 12s, Joplin took the first momentum of the game 90 seconds into the quarter with a 9-0 run, holding the Mounties scoreless for more than four minutes of game action. 

“After last night, I didn’t know what our legs would be like,” Schaake said of the defensive effort in the second period. “I am proud of our kids for fighting through fatigue and soreness. We have the potential to be a really good team on both ends of the floor with size and guard play. So, we tell our guys to stay in front and trust that help is going to be behind you. If you do that good things will happen.”

Junior F Whit Hafer started things with two free throws before junior G All Wright knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing to give the Eagles a 19-16 lead with 5:50 on the clock. After another Hafer charity make, Wright stole the ball near the top of the key and dribbled coast to coast for a dunk. Senior F Terrance Gibson added three free throws and junior F Hobbs Gooch scored in transition to close the run with the Eagles leading 25-16 with 2:45 to play. Ultimately, Joplin went into the locker room on top, 27-23.

Joplin scored the first three baskets out of the intermission to push the lead to double digits for the first time. Wright had the first two baskets, the second a dunk, with Hafer adding a bucket inside to make the score 33-23 with 6:30 left to play in the period.

Joplin junior All Wright pulls up for a mid-range jumper in the Eagles’ win over Rogers, Arkansas, during the 4-States Challenge on Saturday inside the Cardinal Dome. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

“We needed it,” Schaake said about getting the early double-digit cushion in the second half. “It seems like every game has been a four or six-point ball game. It was good to put a team away. It’s good for the growth of our team. We are a young team, but this is what we need to be going through as far as getting us ready for February.”

Wright knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing near the midway mark to push the lead to 13, 42-29, with Joplin taking that same cushion into the final eight minutes of action.

“The ball was moving better and we were getting driving lanes out of it,” Schaake said of the Eagles’ third quarter. “I thought our big kids were sealing well and going up strong in the paint. That’s what we need. It opens up our guards.”

The Eagles scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, highlighted by a 3-ball from Wright, to push the lead to 18 points. Wright slammed it home in transition with 4:40 left in regulation and Gooch added a layup on the break for the game’s first 20-point cushion with 2:43 left.

SCORING LEADERS

Wright, who surpassed 1,000 career points last week against Rush in the opening round of the Carthage Invitational, led all scorers with 36 points, hitting at least one 3-pointer in every quarter (two in the first) to finish with five total on the night. Gibson finished with 13 points, including seven makes at the charity stripe. Hafer closed with seven points.
Alonzo Porchia led the Mounties with 12 points, while Soren Hoyard and Aidan Chronister each finished with nine.

 

4-STATES CHALLENGE: Webb City holds off Monett, stays unbeaten at home

Posted on by Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City remained unbeaten inside the friendly confines of the Cardinal Dome with Saturday’s 64-55 win over Monett in the 4-States Challenge.

The Cardinals are now 4-0 on their home court.

Webb City built an early 19-point lead, but the Cardinals had to hold off Monett’s late rally. 

The Cubs trimmed their deficit to four with just over a minute to play, but the Cardinals did more than enough down the stretch to come out victorious.

“It was a different pace of play and it was good for us to be in a situation like that,” Cardinals coach Jason Horn said. “We made enough plays to win and I think we’ll learn from this one.”

Webb City improved to 5-2 on the season. 

The Cubs, who won the Seneca Invitational last weekend, fell to 3-4. 

Webb City senior guard Joe Adams soars to the hoop for a layup against Monett on Saturday during the 4-States Challenge inside the Cardinal Dome. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

NAMES & NUMBERS

Three players scored in double figures for the Cardinals.

Senior guard Joe Adams led the way with 21 points.

Adams made 8-of-14 field goal attempts, including five 3-pointers. 

Junior guard Barron Duda added 13 points and senior forward Alex Martin had 11 points and eight rebounds. 

Sophomore guard Holton Keith contributed nine points and five assists. 

The Cardinals made 21-of-47 shot attempts (45 percent), including 8-for-25 from beyond the arc (32 percent).

Webb City out-rebounded Monett 32-22, but the Cardinals turned the ball over 10 times to the Cubs’ four. 

Monett made 23-of-55 shots (42 percent) but went just 1-for-9 from 3-point range. 

Senior post player Isiah Meeks led the Cubs with 24 points. The 6-foot-6 Meeks made 10-of-21 field goal attempts and also grabbed eight rebounds. 

Senior guard Jason Garner added 14 points for the Cubs. 

 

GAME RECAP

Webb City got off to a scorching start, as the hosts put together a 16-0 run in the first period to take a 24-5 advantage.

During the early surge, Adams knocked down three treys, while Duda and Keith each made one 3-pointer. 

“Our guards did a good job of penetrating and kicking it out,” Horn said. “Joe Adams was really good for us and we did a good job of finding him. He was catching the ball in rhythm. Alex Martin was doing a good job of finding people on the kickouts. We were able to get a lot of open 3s and we were able to capitalize.” 

Down 24-7 at the end of the first quarter, Monett used a 10-3 run in the second period to get back into the game.

After an 11-4 spurt and led by 17 first-half points by Adams, Webb City held a 38-25 halftime advantage.

Webb City’s Eli Pace looks to score inside against the defense of Monett’s Ethan Meeks (15) and Jason Garner (3) during Saturday’s 4-States Challenge. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

The third quarter was nearly even, as Webb City outscored Monett 13-12 to take a 51-37 lead into the final frame.

The slow-paced fourth quarter saw Monett outscored Webb City 18-13.

Once up 19, Webb City’s lead was down to four with 1:09 to play at 58-54.

Webb City sophomore guard Eli Pace hit two free throws with 50 seconds left to extend his team’s cushion to six. 

Meeks hit 1-of-2 shots at the charity stripe to pull the Cubs within five, but there were only 35 seconds left. 

The visitors wouldn’t score again, while Martin and Duda scored late in the contest for the final margin.

“Defensively, we were prepared for (Blaine) Salsman,” Horn said. “He’s a great shooter. We wanted to take him out of the game, and I think we did a great job of that. But we weren’t able to press, and we weren’t able to get into transition like we normally would. But I thought we had a great effort overall defensively.”

This is the seventh year Webb City has hosted the 4-States Challenge. The host Cardinals have won three straight in the event.

 

12 COURTS OF CHRISTMAS

The Cardinals will return to action on Dec. 29 against Kirksville at the 12 Courts of Christmas event at Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City.

“I’m excited about the 12 Courts of Christmas,” Horn said. “Kirksville is a different opponent for us. They had a really good year last year and they have some guys back from that team. It’s nice to see a different opponent from a different part of the state.” 

 

4-States Challenge results

College Heights Christian 53, Liberal 26

Sunrise Christian (Kan) 60, East Newton 43

Parkview 60, Carthage 50

Webb City 64, Monett 55

Joplin 68, Rogers (Ark.) 48

 

WEBB CITY-MONETT STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

 

Webb City and Monett clashed on Saturday during the 4-States Challenge inside the Cardinal Dome. Photos by Jessica Greninger.

 

4-STATES CHALLENGE: Late surge sends Parkview past Carthage

Posted on by Lucas Davis

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Parkview took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter before using a late scoring run to push the cushion to double digits by the final horn in a 60-50 win over Carthage on Saturday inside the Cardinal Dome during the 4-States Challenge hosted by Webb City High School.

Carthage senior Britt Coy scores on a reverse layup in the Tigers’ loss to Parkview in the 4-States Challenge on Saturday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

“Their length and athleticism bothered us,” Carthage coach Nathan Morris said. “But, we’ve said this for six games and we will say them for 20-plus more, we’re going to be undersized every night. So, that can’t be the excuse. We battled their bigs for most of the night. In the most-important moments, we didn’t rebound and they pulled huge offensive rebounds and finished. I feel like we weren’t communicating well and they were ultra communicative the entire game. Those fine details play a huge part in games like that.”

With the loss, the Tigers fall to 3-3 on the season. Carthage is in action next against Hoover (Iowa) in the Hy-Vee Shootout (Dec. 21-22) on Wednesday. The Tigers take on Fort Osage on Thursday.

Carthage trailed 43-42 entering the fourth quarter with the Vikings pushing the lead to six, 60-54, after junior Anthony Nunda sank a 3-pointer and sophomore Dessiah Green made a pair of free throws at the five-minute mark.

The Tigers got a pair of free throws from senior G Max Templeman and two more from sophomore G Trent Yates after a steal to cut the deficit to 50-48.

Carthage senior Max Templeman knifes through the lane for a reverse layup in the TIgers’ loss to Parkview in the 4-States Challenge. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

Parkview closed the final three-plus minutes on a 10-2 run to seal the win. Sophomore Elias Govan grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback bucket before Green scored on a baseline drive to make the score 54-48 with 2:52 to play. Green earned a steal, with Govan cleaning up the ensuing transition basket with a putback. Two free throws from Carthage senior G Britt Coy cut the lead to 56-50 with 2:23 to play, but the Vikings closed the game with an alley-oop layup and a transition score from Govan.

“It just comes down to those three or four possessions in the halfcourt offense where we failed to execute tonight or make the big play,” Morris said. “On the flip side, they made big plays tonight. … We started mixing in zone and man to get them sped up and change what they were doing. Credit to (Parkview), they made the right plays. Our kids struggled a little bit (late).”

Parkview had four players finish in double figures, with Green’s 17 points leading the way. Junior TJ Hill finished with 14 points, while Govan had 13 and Nunda 10.

Templeman led Carthage with 15 points, while Coy was right behind with 13. Senior swingman Clay Kinder had 11 points in the loss. 

MUSTANG CLASSIC: Springdale tops Glendale in title game, all-tourney team announced

Posted on by Jason Peake

ANDERSON, Mo. — The 2022 Mustang Classic boys basketball tournament concluded on Saturday at McDonald County High School.

Springdale defeated Glendale 57-41 in the tourney title game.

Van Buren beat Southside 64-55 in the third-place game.

Richmond defeated McDonald County 52-46 in the fifth-place game. 

In the seventh-place game, Nevada edged Carl Junction 46-44.

 

Mustang Classic All-Tournament Team

Isaiah Sealy, Springdale

Courtland Muldrew, Springdale

Amare Witham, Glendale

Ta’Veaion Washington, Glendale

Drew Brasuell, Van Buren

Levi Steele, Southside

Jack Gogue, Richmond

Cross Dowd, McDonald County

Drew Beachler, Nevada

Cooper Vediz, Carl Junction 

4-STATES CHALLENGE: College Heights never trails in commanding win over Liberal

Posted on by Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — The College Heights Christian Cougars turned a 6-4 lead in the first quarter into a 30-8 lead halfway through the second behind a 24-4 stretch and College Heights never trailed during a 53-26 win Saturday afternoon against Liberal in the opening game of the 4-States Challenge at the Cardinal Dome.

“We made some adjustments,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson over the background sounds of Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life” between games. “We got some steals off our press, and we got some layups. I don’t think we hit a three all night, but we didn’t have to with the ball on the inside. We came out second half and had a good third quarter.

“They played back-to-back too. They played Lamar last night. You’ve got to learn now because maybe at districts later on, you’ll have back-to-backs. We came out with a lot of energy at both ends.”

College Heights, after Saturday’s impressive win and Friday’s 61-48 win over Diamond, improved to 7-2 overall this season and the Cougars do not return to action until Jan. 3 on the road against Bronaugh.

Six-foot-five senior Curtis Davenport and 6-4 junior Caleb Quade have been a formidable duo on the inside for the Cougars all season, and Saturday proved to be no different.

Davenport and Quade combined for nine points during the Cougars’ decisive 17-0 run that saw the score go from 13-8 to 30-8 in nearly four minutes.

Davenport finished with a game-high 17 points and his seven points in the third helped College Heights enter the fourth with a 48-18 lead.

Quade scored all 12 of his points in the first half with seven of them in the first quarter.

Nine players entered the scoring column Saturday for College Heights — Bo Sitton added eight points, Steven Calandro scored all five of his points in the fourth, Liam Nelson contributed four points and his pressure defense helped produce multiple easy scoring opportunities, the trio of Jayce Walker, Logan Decker and Ben Thomas each added two points, and Noah Hipple netted a free throw for his lone point.

GIRLS HOOPS: Joplin falls to host Waynesville in the Route 66 Shootout

Posted on by Lucas Davis

 

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. — Briana Hurd put Waynesville on her back in the fourth quarter to help the Tigers separate from Joplin in a 71-53 win over the Eagles in the Route 66 Shootout on Saturday.

Joplin led 17-15 after the first quarter before Waynesville took a six-point advantage into the intermission. The Tigers led by 11 to start the final eight minutes when Hurd iced the win with a 13-point fourth quarter.

Hurd led all scorers with 47 points (13, 10, 11, 13), while Kaitlyn Black finished with eight. Riley and Reagan Grosvenor finished with six points each.

Bailey Ledford led Joplin with 18 points, including three 3-pointers. Izzy Yust and Alissa Owens each finished with eight points, while Serafina Auberry had five.

Joplin hosts Chillicothe on Tuesday.

MUSTANG CLASSIC: Nevada scores at the buzzer to beat Carl Junction

Posted on by Jason Peake

ANDERSON, Mo. — Senior forward Drew Beachler stole an inbounds pass and made the game-winning layup at the buzzer to give the Nevada Tigers a thrilling 46-44 victory over the Carl Junction Bulldogs on Saturday in the seventh-place game of the Mustang Classic.

This one was close all the way.

Nevada led 18-12 at the end of the first quarter and the Tigers were up 29-25 at halftime.

By the end of the third quarter, Nevada’s lead was 35-33. 

Both teams scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. The game was tied with 1.7 seconds left when Beachler recorded his steal and bucket to lift the Tigers to victory.

Beachler and junior Brice Budd scored 10 points apiece to lead Nevada, while junior Riddick Shook and sophomore Caden Klumpp added eight points apiece. Senior point guard Cade Beshore chipped in seven points. 

Senior Ky Warren scored 10 points to lead the Bulldogs. He was the lone CJ player in double figures. 

Carl Junction freshman Cooper Vediz added eight points, freshman Brody Pant had seven and sophomore Wyatt McAfee and junior Jacob Kennedy each scored six points.

Nevada (2-7) hosts Harrisonville on Tuesday.

Carl Junction (4-5) returns to McDonald County on Jan. 2 for a date with the Mustangs. 

Also of note, the Tigers and Bulldogs will meet again in Carl Junction on Jan. 24.

 

Mustang Classic All-Tournament Team

Isaiah Sealy, Springdale

Courtland Muldrew, Springdale

Amare Witham, Glendale

Ta’Veaion Washington, Glendale

Drew Brasuell, Van Buren

Levi Steele, Southside

Jack Gogue, Richmond

Cross Dowd, McDonald County

Drew Beachler, Nevada

Cooper Vediz, Carl Junction

PREP HOOPS: College Heights splits twinbill with Diamond

Posted on by Jason Peake

The College Heights Christian girls basketball team suffered a 63-44 loss to Diamond on Friday night. 

“Tonight was Game 2 of a five-game stretch where our schedule is really tough,” CHC coach John Blankenship said. “Diamond is a great team with speed, size, and athleticism. We dug ourselves in too big of a hole in the first quarter being outscored 20-4.”

Blankenship noted his team performed much better after the opening frame.

“We had a great second and third quarter, scoring 17 and 15 points in each of those quarters,” Blankenship said. “Some of our shots began to fall. We cut their lead to single digits in the third quarter. I was very pleased with how my team responded after a poor first quarter. Our guards are getting closer to becoming a consistent threat from 3-point range. When that comes together with our post play, we’ll be a great team. I’m confident we will get there and put it all together.”

Libby Fanning led College Heights with 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Maddy Colin added seven points, seven boards and three steals.

Also for the Cougars, Jayli Johnson scored seven and had three assists and Molly Long contributed six points and three rebounds.

College Heights (4-4) plays Pierce City on Monday.

In the varsity boys game, College Heights defeated Diamond 61-48. 

No other information on the boys game was available to SoMo Sports at the time of publication.

The Cougars improved to 6-2 ahead of Saturday’s game against Liberal at the 4-States Challenge. The CHC-Liberal game is scheduled for noon at Webb City High School. 

BOYS HOOPS: McAuley pulls away from Northeast Vernon County

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Short-handed McAuley turned a three-point halftime lead into a 16-point lead by the end of the third quarter en route to a 51-41 win over Northeast Vernon County.

Playing without two starters and their sixth man, the Warriors (4-5) outscored NEVC 18-5 in the third period to take firm control of the lead and held on down the stretch.

“I was pleased with the win tonight,” McAuley coach Tony Witt. “Glad to see our bench step up facing adversity. Took us a while to get going, but made a few adjustments at halftime, had a good third quarter and was able to hold on in the fourth.”

Rocco Bazzano-Joseph knocked down six 3-pointers on the way to a team-high 18 points. Noah Black finished with 14 points.

McAuley is at Galena, Kansas, on Monday.

GIRLS HOOPS: Joplin falls behind early in loss to Lee’s Summit

Posted on by Lucas Davis

The Joplin girls basketball team fell into an early hole it was unable to dig out in a 50-27 loss to Lee’s Summit in the opener. 

The Eagles (2-6) fell into a double-digit deficit by the end of the first period after several early turnovers. The Tigers closed the first half and opened the second on a scoring surge to make the lead insurmountable by the start of the final eight minutes.

“I thought defensively in the first half that our intensity wasn’t great,” Joplin coach Brad Cox said. “We have to come out with a little more effort. We seemed a little sluggish tonight. Offensively, we weren’t really moving it well early. We are at the phase with this team where we need to start quicker. Slow starts and then a fast finish has been our Achilles heel all year. We are trying to get a fast start and a fast finish. 

“And not to beat a dead horse, but we are still learning to play without Brynn [Driver—Joplin’s leading who was recently lost for the season with a knee injury]. We are looking for some girls to step up into leadership roles. I understand it, and I hope the girls do, but it will take time.”

GAME ACTION

Joplin opened the game with the first bucket in the form of an inside score by sophomore G Maria Loum before Lee’s Summit answered with the next 11 points to take the momentum, aided by several turnovers by the Eagles. Junior F Adriana Benassi accounted for six points, while sophomore G Avery Rausch had five, including a 3-pointer.

“When you play a team that presses, we can’t simulate that well within our practices because we don’t press much,” Cox said. “There is always that little adjustment period where it takes teams a while to get into a flow. Once we got into a flow, the turnovers weren’t nearly as big of a problem as they were early in the game.”

Joplin junior Bailey Ledford earned a steal and made a pair of shots at the stripe to end the run before the Tigers closed the first period with a 3-ball from Rausch with 25 seconds left for a 14-4 advantage.

The Eagles traded baskets with the Tigers to start the second quarter, with freshman F Alissa Owens and senior F Serafina Auberry registering in the scorebook, to cut the deficit to eight, 16-8, before Lee’s Summit closed the first half on a 14-5 run for a 30-13 cushion by the intermission.

“We do a lot of three-stops-in-a-row drills in practice, and that is where we needed to focus on that,” Cox said of his team’s close to the first half and opening of the second. “When things start slipping, we have to find a stop somewhere. We can’t let one bad decision turn into two and then snowball out of control. With this team, which is really young, we are trying to figure that out. It will be an adjustment for them, but I feel like they are getting better at it.”

Benassi had a three-point play and a pair of free throws, while junior G Tatum Bresette knocked down a 3-pointer and scored on a finger roll. Junior G Samantha Pond also had two buckets for the Tigers.

Auberry had an offensive rebound for a putback, while sophomore F Riley Kelly knocked down a 3-pointer for Joplin to close out the first half.

After scoring the last six points of the first half, Lee’s Summit scored the first eight of the second half to build a 25-point advantage with 3:42 on the clock. The Tigers played with a sizable cushion through the final horn.

LEADING SCORERS

Ownes led Joplin with seven points, while Ledford finished with six. Auberry and senior G Izzy Yust finished with four points each.

Rausch and Benassi each had 16 points to lead Lee’s Summit. 

UP NEXT

Joplin takes part in the Waynesville Route 66 Shootout on Saturday.

GIRLS HOOPS: Nevada earns road win at Girard

Posted on by Jason Peake

GIRARD, Kan. — For the second straight night, Nevada’s girls basketball team earned a road victory.

After beating Carthage on Thursday night, Nevada went into Southeast Kansas and left Girard with a 45-44 victory on Friday night. 

Blake Howarth’s Tigers improved to 7-2.

Maddy Majors led Nevada with 17 points, while Clara Swearingen had 14 points and Abbey Heathman scored 10. Caylee Holcomb rounded out the scoring with four points.

Emmaline Senecaut scored 16 points for Girard. 

The Tigers led 15-9 at the end of the first period and 27-19 at halftime. 

Nevada’s lead was 36-34 entering the fourth quarter. The Trojans outscored the Tigers 10-9 in the final frame, but Nevada held on late for the win. 

The game was tied at 44 before Nevada’s Majors hit one of two free throws with 9.2 seconds remaining for the final margin. 

Nevada returns to action at Pleasant Hill on Monday. 

BOYS HOOPS: Lee’s Summit rallies late for win over Joplin

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Joplin held a double-digit lead with five minutes to play in the fourth quarter only to see Lee’s Summit rally back inside the final minute to earn its first win of the season, 60-59, over the Eagles on Friday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium. 

DOWN THE STRETCH

Joplin (4-2) took a six-point, 43-37 lead into the fourth quarter before junior F Whit Hafer splashed home a 3-pointer from the corner before a Tigers’ turnover led to a dunk on the break by senior F Terrance Gibson pushed the lead to nine, 50-41, with six minutes left in regulation.

The Eagles extended the lead to double digits for the first time when freshman G Fred Taylor drove inside for a basket and a 54-43 advantage with 4:50 to play.

The Tigers (1-3) cut the deficit to six points, 54-48, with 3:38 to play after senior G Patrick Yokely knocked down a 3-pointer and senior G Elijah Martinez scored on the drive before a 3-ball from sophomore G Gatlin Brody with 1:45 left and an inside score from Martinez cut the Joplin lead to 57-54 with 90 seconds left.

Lee’s Summit junior G Cole Smidt buried a corner 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to cut the lead to one, 59-58. After an empty Joplin possession, Martinez drove the paint for the go-ahead basket with 11 seconds remaining. 

Joplin had two more looks at a go-ahead bucket inside the final 10 seconds, but failed to convert both attempts.

HOW THEY GOT THERE

Lee’s Summit held a 10-7 lead midway through the first period before Joplin used a 9-0 run to build a 16-10 lead before the Tigers got a dunk by Martinez just before the horn to trim the lead to four by the start of the second. Taylor kicked off the Eagles’ surge with a 3-ball before Gibson added a free throw and junior G All Wright was five-of-six shooting from the stripe.

Lee’s Summit regained control of the lead, 21-20, through the first four minutes of the second quarter thanks to two 3-pointers from Brody as well as a reverse layup and a dunk from Martinez.

The Eagles scored the next eight points, led by five from Wright and an inside score by Gibson, to jump back in front 28-21, ultimately taking a 32-25 lead into the intermission after sophomore swingman Collis Jones scored in the paint on the assist from Wright just before the horn.

SCORING LEADERS

Wright led the Eagles with 32 points, 13 coming in the second half. Hafer added eight, while Taylor, Renfro and Gibson each finished with five.

Martinez led the Tigers with 24 points, nine in the fourth quarter. Smidt added 12 points, while Brody put up nine.

UP NEXT

Joplin takes on Rogers (Arkansas) at 6 p.m. in the 4-States Challenge hosted by Webb City on Saturday.

BOYS HOOPS: Strong third quarter sparks Neosho in win over Seneca

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEOSHO, Mo. — Early in the second half Friday night, Seneca senior guard Cooper Long made a pair of mid-range jump shots for a 31-28 score against the Indians’ Newton County rival Neosho.

Over the final 5 minutes, 26 seconds of the third, Neosho scored 16 unanswered points on a series of transition baskets, second-chance opportunities, and other easy baskets while Seneca had only a pair of missed free throws and otherwise empty possessions, resulting in a 47-28 lead for the Wildcats entering the fourth.

Neosho and Seneca each scored 25 points in the fourth, but it was that 16-0 stretch to end the third that went a long way toward producing a 19-point win for Neosho, 72-53.

“We were scoring it good all night, but at halftime we challenged them defensively,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “We don’t mind if the other team scores, but it has to be tough shots. We only gave up four points in the third quarter. That fueled our offense, and we put it pretty much out of reach.”

“We talked with our guys about how you can’t get into those dry spells,” Seneca coach Cort Hardy said. “You’ve got to find a way to score the ball in those situations. We’ve got to find the loose balls and get the putbacks, but the third quarter was the difference in the game. We just couldn’t find a way to score.”

Neosho scored at least 15 points in each quarter and eight Wildcat players found the scoring column with three of them reaching double figures.

Isaiah Green scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Wildcats, Carter Baslee and Carter Fenske combined for 23 more points with Baslee at 12 and Fenske 11, Collier Hendricks and Jared Siler each produced eight points, Kael Smith had six, and Brock Franklin and Michael Day each contributed three points.

The Wildcats scored 41 points after halftime.

“Any time a team speeds us up, it maybe throws us out of whack defensively, but it plays to our strength with Isaiah Green and Collier Hendricks playing great and now Jared Siler’s back,” Culp said. “He can run in transition. Our bigs run in transition really good too, with Baslee and Kael. That plays to our advantage. They scored more in that fourth quarter, but it felt we were going to score every time down anyway.”

Green recorded a double-double with his 10 rebounds and Hendricks came off the bench to produce seven rebounds and six assists to go with his eight points.

Neosho improved to 5-1 overall in the early season and the Wildcats play their final game before Christmas on the road Monday against winless Aurora.

“There’s always things you can work on,” Culp said. “Sometimes we have lapses in games where we’re careless with the ball when the other team isn’t even pressing us and unforced errors where we’re trying to make plays. A lot of that is because we’re so unselfish, trying to find plays for teammates so you can live with some of that. We get that cleaned up … I think we will be a formidable team to play.”

Meanwhile, eight Seneca players scored on Friday: Gavyn Hoover led with 16, Jace Schulte added 10, Hayden Gaines had eight, Zane Grotjohn netted seven, Long added six, and Ethan Altic, Morgan Vaughn, and Blake Hurn scored two each.

The Indians dropped to 4-5 on the season and one number Hardy mentioned Friday was five, representing the total of practices so far with the entire Seneca boys basketball team.

Seneca’s football team reached the Class 2 state semifinal — as a result, the Indians’ football season ended Nov. 26 and their basketball season officially began Nov. 29 with their season opener against Jasper.

“We go to Crane on Tuesday,” Hardy said. “We play a historic program with a storied coach. That will be our last test going into Christmas, then we come back and get some practices in over Christmas break and then come back ready to roll for conference play.

“Through the whole program, we have 10 football guys. On the varsity, we have five football guys. That’s the majority of the varsity players right there. I think you saw some things tonight that we’re starting to slowly get our legs and improve some things we didn’t do very good on early in the year.”

GIRLS HOOPS: Carl Junction finishes strong, knocks off Strafford for statement win

Posted on by Jason Peake

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction’s girls basketball team concluded the 2022 portion of the schedule with a statement victory.

Overcoming a double-digit deficit, Carl Junction put together an inspired fourth quarter rally to earn a 69-55 come-from-behind victory over Strafford on Friday night in a clash between state-ranked squads with Final Four aspirations. 

“I’m just proud of them,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said after his team’s hard-fought win. “We’ve played seven games in nine days, and the girls have been studying for finals this week, too. They may be a little tired. We probably came out a little flat tonight, but we did what we needed to do in the second half to win the game. And this is a great win for our team.”

Fueled by hot-shooting from long range, the Indians built an 11-point lead in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs trailed by three at halftime and were clinging to a one-point cushion entering the fourth quarter.

But the hosts owned the final frame, as Carl Junction outscored Strafford 21-8 in the final eight minutes.

“Our kids were working really hard in our matchup zone and Strafford started missing some shots,” Shorter said. “That proved to be the difference in the game.” 

Ranked fourth in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, the Bulldogs hiked their record to 9-1.

Ranked second in Class 3, Strafford fell to 6-2. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak. 

 

EARLY DEFICIT, LATE RALLY  

Playing on their home court for the first time since Dec. 1, the Bulldogs found themselves down 8-0 at the start of the game. 

After the Bulldogs tied the contest at 12, the Indians rattled off the final eight points of the opening frame for a 20-12 advantage.

Strafford took a 26-15 lead at the 6:27 mark of the second quarter after a 3-pointer from Lauren Jones. The trey was her team’s sixth of the first half.

The Bulldogs regrouped and finished the first half on a spirited 12-4 run, pulling within three by intermission.

During that second quarter surge, Carl Junction senior guard Destiny Buerge scored seven points, while juniors Kylie Scott and Anna Burch and sophomore DeShaye Buerge also contributed points. 

Also of note, the Bulldogs missed eight free throws in the first half. 

Carl Junction outscored Strafford 21-17 in a back and forth and entertaining third period that featured seven lead changes.

Hoops inside by sophomore Dezi Williams and Scott, along with a trey from Destiny Buerge gave Carl Junction a 48-47 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Bulldogs appeared to hit another gear in the fourth quarter, while the Indians appeared to run out of gas.

Providing a needed spark, Williams scored the first two hoops of the fourth period, the second off a steal, and the Bulldogs never trailed the rest of the way.

“Dezi came up big for us again tonight,” Coach Shorter said. “She’s very athletic, she’s coachable and she gets after it. I’m very proud of her. She’s playing really well.” 

Carl Junction took control from there with one final spurt. 

A trey from Destiny Buerge, an old-fashioned 3-point play from Scott, a layup from Klohe Burk, a strong drive through the lane by Buerge and a putback by Williams capped a 17-7 run for CJ. 

That key surge made it 65-54 with just over two minutes to play and all but sealed the win.

Strafford had several empty possessions in a row in the fourth quarter, and a late layup from Burk gave the hosts a 67-54 advantage with a minute to go. Williams, Scott and senior Hali Shorter all came up with big rebounds down the stretch.

“Strafford’s a tradition-rich program,” Coach Shorter said. “They’ve won several state championships in the last six years or so. Their kids play extremely hard and we knew it was going to be a tough game.”

The Indians made 12 3-pointers in the game, but just one of those treys came in the fourth quarter. 

“They’ve got a number of kids who can shoot it,” Coach Shorter said of the Indians. “They rebounded well and our kids had to really work and fight tonight. But that’s what we needed. That’s why we scheduled Strafford. We scheduled Strafford and the three tournaments so we can prepare our kids for a tough conference schedule and so we can get them ready for the postseason. Our kids are battle-tested.” 

 

NAMES & NUMBERS

A Pittsburg State signee, Destiny Buerge poured in a game-high 33 points. She made five 2-pointers and five 3-pointers to go along with 8-of-11 free throws.

Williams contributed 14 points, with 12 coming in the second half. The 6-3 Scott added 11 points and Burk had eight.

Jones scored 24 points for Strafford and Elsie Larsen had 12. Brooklyn Adney and Laney Humble added nine points apiece.

 

2022 FINALE, STELLAR START TO SEASON

It’s been an impressive start to the winter campaign for the Bulldogs, who have won two of three tournaments. 

Carl Junction has won nine of 10 games, with the lone loss coming when the team was not at full strength in the title game of the Taco Bell Tournament of Champions.

The Bulldogs are now off until Jan. 2, when CJ will return to action with a date at district foe McDonald County. 

Coach Shorter noted he’s been pleased with the first stretch of the season. 

“Our kids are a lot of fun to coach and our team chemistry is really good,” Coach Shorter said. “I think our kids are enjoying this season, and I think we’ve learned a lot. I think our kids are progressing and I think our kids are excited about a long Christmas break.”

 

MUSTANG CLASSIC: Host Mustangs top Bulldogs; Glendale, Springdale to meet for title

Posted on by Jason Peake

ANDERSON, Mo. — The 2022 Mustang Classic boys basketball tournament continued on Friday night at McDonald County High School.

In Friday’s semifinals, Springdale topped 70-52 Van Buren and Glendale beat Southside 62-45.

Springdale and Glendale will meet at 2:30 in the title game, while Van Buren and Southside will clash at 1 for third-place.

In Friday’s consolation action, Richmond defeated Nevada 56-38 and McDonald County beat Carl Junction 63-53.

The Spartans raced out to an 18-2 lead and never trailed against the Tigers. 

Drew Beachler and Cade Beshore scored eight points apiece for Nevada.  

Jack Gogue, a 6-8 senior post player, scored 26 points for Richmond.

The clash between the Bulldogs and Mustangs was tied at 14 at the end of the first quarter, and Mac County led 33-31 at halftime.

Freshman guard Cooper Vediz scored 15 points in the first half for the Bulldogs.

The hosts were up 46-37 entering the fourth quarter, and the Mustangs never gave up their lead in the final frame. 

Four players scored in double figures for the Mustangs, as Josh Pacheco had 16, Cross Dowd and Sterling Woods added 13 apiece and Toby Moore had 12 points.

Nevada will play Carl Junction in the seventh-place game at 10 a.m. on Saturday. 

McDonald County meets Richmond at 11:30 for fifth-place/consolation championship.

GIRLS HOOPS: Glendale rallies past Neosho to earn road win

Posted on by Lucas Davis

NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho built an early first-quarter lead before Glendale rallied and held off the Wildcats for a 58-47 win on Thursday.

Neosho’s Karlee Ellick works inside for a bucket in the Wildcats’ loss to Glendale on Thursday. Photo by Derek Livingston.

The Wildcats (4-4) went to work in the paint early to build a lead and took the advantage into the second period. The Falcons (6-1) stabilized their play in the second quarter, grabbing a two-point cushion by the intermission and expanding to double digits in the second half while holding off Neosho for the win in the process. 

“They came out, played hard and did what I asked them to do,” first-year Neosho coach Daniel Durst said. “In the first quarter, we were rolling. We got into trouble when they adjusted on our big. We preach a lot to the girls that everyone on the floor has to contribute. Tonight, we saw a lot of girls balk at contributing. Even the shots we were taking were kind of off-balance because we weren’t ready to shoot the ball. That is kind of what we saw tonight.”

GAME ACTION

Neosho held a slim 17-16 lead after the first quarter thanks in large part to the inside attack of senior F Karlee Ellick, who finished the opening period with 10 points, including the Wildcats’ first eight of the game.

“She was huge,” Durst said of Ellick’s play. “She really makes us go. We rely on her a lot. Unfortunately in this game, that hurt us in the long run.”

Neosho’s Reagan McInturff connects from deep in the Wildcats’ loss to Glendale on Thursday. Photo by Derek Livingston.

Neosho held a five-point, 17-12 lead with a minute to play in a first quarter that saw four ties. The Falcons rallied with a pair of scores on the break by senior F Avery Givens and senior G Meegan Randall inside the final 60 seconds to trim the deficit to 17-16.

Glendale took its first lead of the game, 19-17, right out of the break when senior F Reilly Heman earned a steal for a layup in transition, drawing a foul and knocking down the and-1 free throw to finish the play. The Falcons stretched their lead to five with 2:50 left in the first half off a pair of charities from Heman.

Neosho rallied to tie the game with 48 seconds left after an elbow jumper from sophomore G Avyn Blair and a 3-pointer from junior G Courtney Thomason.

Glendale ultimately went into the intermission with a 28-26 lead after sophomore G Megan Wade connected on a mid-range jumper just before the horn.

“Really what they did was double down on (Ellick),” Durst said about the adjustment Glendale made after the first period. “We did a poor job of swinging the ball quick enough to attack that weak side. We’ve done a good job of that in previous games. I don’t know what it was about today, but they were not looking for it at all.”

Neosho’s Beclynn Garrett drives to the hoop in the Wildcats’ loss to Glendale on Thursday. Photo by Derek Livingston.

The Falcons pushed the lead to six with five minutes left in the third period after Rachel Flewell scored on a drive.

The Wildcats cut the deficit to one possession after sophomore G Beclynn Garrett scored on the drive and freshman G Autumn Kinnaird connected on a baseline jumper to make the score 36-34 at the midway point.

Glendale pushed the lead back out to a game-high nine points by the end of the third quarter after Wade buried back-to-back 3-balls inside the final 45 seconds of the third period to give the Falcons a 45-36 advantage.

Glendale got a third straight 3-pointer out of the final break when senior G Skylar Bancsek connected from the wing for a 48-36 lead. 

“That was huge,” Durst said about the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters. “In a game that was that close, those points were insanely important. To be honest with you, we were gassed. We were tired and it showed. We didn’t get out to shooters. We had done a pretty good job of that early. You could tell our defense suffered because we were winded.”

Neosho trimmed a game-high 14-point deficit down to single digits, 50-42, with 3:42 left in regulation after Garrett made both charity shots. The Wildcats cut the Falcons’ lead to six on a 3-pointer from Blair with 2:30 left, but that would be as close as Neosho would get to the lead before the clock hit zeros. Glendale knocked down 7-of-11 shots from the stripe in the final eight minutes.

“They fought hard,” Durst said of his team’s performance. “Really, it came down to (Glendale) making a ton of free throws. If they have an off night, maybe it’s a different outcome. But, they knocked everything down. We tried to give ourselves a shot, it just didn’t happen.”

SCORING LEADERS

Ellick led Neosho with 14 points, while Reagan McInturff finished with nine points. Maelynn Garrett finished with six points, while Blair closed with five for the Wildcats.

Heman finished with 24 points to lead Glendale, while Maitse Zingg and Flewell each finished with 10 to give the Falcons three players in double figures.

UP NEXT

Neosho hosts William Chrisman at 2 p.m. on Monday.

BOYS HOOPS: Local squads suffer losses at Mustang Classic

Posted on by Jason Peake

ANDERSON, Mo. — The 2022 Mustang Classic boys basketball tournament got underway on Thursday at McDonald County High School.

In opening-round games, Springdale defeated Nevada 56-26, Van Buren beat Richmond 78-62, Fort Smith Southside topped McDonald County 75-64 and Glendale defeated Carl Junction 60-42.

In Friday’s consolation games, Nevada meets Richmond at 3:30 and McDonald County takes on Carl Junction at 5.

In Friday’s semifinals, Springdale meets Van Buren at 6:30 and Southside takes on Glendale at 8. 

The tourney concludes on Saturday.

GIRLS HOOPS: Nevada starts, finishes strong in road win against Carthage

Posted on by Jason Peake

CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Carthage Tigers dug themselves out of a first-half double-digit deficit and took the lead briefly in the third quarter, only to see the visiting Nevada Tigers score 15 of the last 20 points of the third for a 45-37 lead entering the final eight minutes.

Carthage scored seven of the first nine points in the fourth and would cut the deficit to two late, but Nevada junior guard Clara Swearingen knocked down a clutch 3-point shot to extend the lead to 52-47 heading into the final minute on their way to a 55-49 win Thursday night in the battle of the Big 8 Tigers (Nevada) and the Central Ozark Conference Tigers (Carthage).

“I thought we had great energy for all 32 minutes,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “We did not shoot the ball well in that first quarter, dug ourselves that hole, and I was proud of Lauren Choate for getting hot in the second quarter and making that run happen for us. The girls feed off of her energy when she’s shooting threes and knocking them down and we can get set up in whatever defense we’re running, so I’m happy with that part.

“Defensively, too many miscues. Not properly picking up their best player (Swearingen) or leaving their second-best player (Maddy Majors) open.

“One of my initial concerns is that we haven’t played a lot of competition yet and maybe we had a false sense of ourselves. Nevada showed us our flaws, and we’ve got some things to work on to get better for the Pink and White (Tournament).”

Carthage’s slow first quarter saw the guests take a 14-3 lead before sophomore Lexa Youngblood hit a trifecta for the home Tigers.

Nevada led 25-13 in the second quarter and Choate went on a 7-2 scoring run to close out the first half and earned the home team a 27-20 halftime deficit.

Carthage scored nine of the first 10 points in the first 1:51 after halftime and led 29-28 on a Youngblood basket and for the last time at 32-30 on a Kianna Yates 3-point goal.

Majors then scored six consecutive points to spark the start of a 15-5 stretch to close out the third, a period where Carthage’s only points came on a Yates trifecta and a Choate basket.

Swearingen scored a game-high 20 points for Nevada, while Majors added 16, Abbey Heathman seven, Kara Phillips five, Katie Johnson four, and Lakyn Applegate three for a Nevada squad now 6-2 on the season.

Each team made seven 3-point baskets in the contest Thursday.

Choate led Carthage with 17 points and 10 of them she netted in the second quarter, Yates scored 12, Youngblood added 10, Landry Cochran had six, and Zye Clark scored the other four Carthage points in the second.

Carthage dropped to 5-2 overall and the Tigers return to action Dec. 27 against Glendale in the Pink and White.

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