BRONAUGH, Mo. — Dhruv Gheewala scored a game-high 23 points to lead Thomas Jefferson to a 71-39 win over Bronaugh to open the season on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers (1-0) scored 48 points in the first half to build a 31-point advantage into the locker room. Thomas Jefferson doubled up Bronaugh 18-6 in the third quarter to seal the momentum in the win.
Gheewala scored 20 of his 23 in the first half, making eight shots from the field and six free throws. Jay Ball added 12 points to finish second in scoring for the Cavaliers. Elias Rineker, Drew Goodhope and Caden Myers each scored seven.
Kyle Harrey led Bronaugh (0-1) with 13 points, while John Million added six points.
Thomas Jefferson is at Liberal on Dec. 1.
Liberal knocks down shot late to beat McAuley boys to open season
Liberal sank the go-ahead bucket with 2.5 seconds left to beat McAuley 55-54 to open the season on Tuesday.
The Warriors (0-1) fell into an early hole after getting outscored 15-6 in the first quarter by the Bulldogs (1-0). McAuley chipped away at the lead by winning the second quarter from Liberal 22-19 and 10-9 in the third quarter. The Warriors rallied all the way back to hold the lead in the final seconds of the contest before Liberal’s late contested make.
“Proud of our guys tonight,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said to SoMo Sports. “We got down early and battled our way back. Got to give Liberal credit, they hit a big contested shot with 2.5 seconds for the win. We are going to learn from our mistakes and get better from them.”
Daniel Wagner led McAuley with 20 points, 14 coming in the second half. Racco Bazzano-Joseph knocked down four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points, while Matthew Dohmen added eight points.
Matt Boehne led Liberal with 14 points, while Chase Ray added nine points.
McAuley takes part in the Gem City Classic with a matchup against Purdy on Dec. 1.
