Joplin scorched the nets in the first quarter to build an insurmountable lead on the way to a 78-65 win over William Chrisman on the second day of the Kaminsky Classic on Thursday.
Joplin opened the game on fire offensively by knocking down 10-of-14 shots from the field in the first quarter, which included 4-of-5 shooting from the perimeter, while building a 28-13 lead.
“Everything we did was getting the ball in transition, getting the ball to the paint and kicking out into rhythm 3s,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “We have guys who can shoot. It was how we got (the 3-pointers). Offensive rebounds and a kick-out to a guy who has his feet set and ready to shoot, driving and attacking the paint inside out or hitting a post player (and playing) inside out. … It’s about what type of 3s we are taking and are they the right kind. That was a good example of growth.”
The Eagles were led in the first quarter by the Wrights brothers. Always Wright finished with 12 points in the first quarter, while All Wright was close behind with seven.
“Always was much more engaged on the defensive end to start the game, and that got him going on the offensive end,” Hafer said. “We put the ball in his and All’s hands quite a bit, putting them into ball screens or situations where they could attack, and they just made good decisions and were able to get some baskets. With scorers like them, if you are able to get them into a rhythm, they will score points in bunches.”
Joplin held a 19-13 lead near the two-minute mark of the first quarter and finished out the period with a 9-0 run to take the momentum. Fielding Campbell started the run with a floater in the lane before Always Wright added a bucket. Dante Washington scored on a baseline drive with 20 seconds left before Always Wright pulled up in transition for an NBA-range 3-pointer at the buzzer to close the run.
While the Eagles were busy scoring at will on the offensive end in the opening period, Joplin’s defense limited William Chrisman to 35.7 percent shooting (5-14).
“I definitely felt like we came out and played at a much higher level on defense to start the game,” Hafer said. “That gets us started in everything.”
The defensive effort from the Eagles carried over the next two quarters, allowing Joplin to maintain a 55-38 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Joplin held William Chrisman to 33 percent shooting in both the second and third quarters.
The Bears made a run at the lead in the fourth quarter, trimming the margin to single digits, 75-66, with 30 seconds left before the Eagles closed out the win.
STATS
Always Wright led Joplin with 24 points to go along with a team-high six assists and four rebounds. Dominick Simmons scored 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting and finished with five rebounds. All Wright had 14, while Terrance Gibson added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
“When he gets his feet set, Dom is a really good shooter,” Hafer said. “People will forget about him sometimes. … When Terrance Gibson was in there, he and Dom are pretty good together at finishing. Always found Terrance a couple times tonight. (Terrance) is a force in there.”
Dayne Herl led the Bears with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Anthony Watkins added 14 points, while Sir’Rahn Felix finished with 10 points.
UP NEXT
Joplin takes on Webb City in the Kaminsky Classic championship game at 2 p.m. on Saturday, while William Chrisman faces off with Carl Junction at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
“I’m not sure, I think it’s been a year or two years since we were in the championship game,” Hafer said. “I’m not even sure when the last time it was Joplin won its own tournament. It’s a great opportunity. Webb City is really good. … If you can’t be up and ready to play that game, I think you need to check your stuff in.”
