WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City led from start to finish en route to a decisive 76-59 non-conference boys basketball victory over Springfield Catholic on Thursday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
In a game that featured no lead changes, the Cardinals raced out to advantages of 9-2 and 18-8 in taking control of the game early.
“That start was huge for us,” Cardinals coach Jason Horn said. “We’ve struggled with our confidence the last few games. We’d been getting off to slow starts. The biggest thing was we moved the ball quickly and we got into our sets quickly. We got good shots and we made them pay for leaving us open early. We have some guys who can shoot the basketball, and it’s just a matter of confidence. The way we moved the ball tonight, our shooters got good clean looks and they were catching the ball in rhythm.”
The Cardinals improved to 4-2 and won for the second straight time, keeping their momentum going forward after Tuesday’s last-second win over Rogers Heritage.
“I thought we had a couple of good days of practice this week and we had a really good test with Heritage,” Horn said. “That game prepared us for this game and I think we got some of our confidence back with that win. And I think it carried over tonight.”
Webb City used a balanced attack, as all five starters scored in double figures.
“That’s another step for us,” Coach Horn said. “We’ve got a young group on the floor. We keep telling the guys they have to strive to get better with each game. I thought they did a good job of executing tonight.”
Sophomore guard Holton Keith scored 17 points to lead the Cardinals, while senior guard Joe Adams and junior guard Barron Duda added 15 points apiece. Senior forward Alex Martin had 13 points and sophomore point guard Eli Pace contributed 10.
Webb City made 52 percent of its field goal attempts (27-of-52) and the Cardinals hit nine 3-pointers. Adams made five 3-pointers, while Duda hit three and Pace added a trey of his own.
The 6-foot-5 Martin grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while the 6-foot Pace handed out eight assists.
The Fighting Irish, now under the direction of former Nixa coach Jay Osborne, fell to 1-4.
Junior guard Brett Roberson scored 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Irish, while senior Ryan Tauai added 17. Catholic made 21-of-47 shot attempts (45 percent).
The Irish had 16 turnovers to Webb City’s eight.
Again, Webb City never trailed in this one, as the Cardinals held a 25-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.
A pair of 3-pointers from Adams, both from the left wing, gave the Cardinals a 40-23 advantage in the second quarter.
By the break, Webb City held a 43-27 cushion.
The Cardinals’ lead was never in jeopardy in the second half.
Webb City was up 54-36 entering the fourth quarter.
A hoop in the lane from junior guard Omari Jackson and a trey from Duda extended Webb City’s lead to 59-39 early in the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals’ largest lead was at 25 with 4:11 to play.
4-STATES CHALLENGE IS SATURDAY
Webb City is hosting the annual 4-States Challenge on Saturday.
There are five games scheduled — College Heights vs. Liberal at noon, East Newton vs. Sunrise Christian (Kansas) at 1:30, Carthage vs. Parkview at 3, Webb City vs. Monett at 4:30 and Joplin vs. Rogers (Arkansas) in the finale at approximately 6 p.m.
Horn noted local hoops fans won’t want to miss this year’s event.
“There are going to be a lot of good games and a lot of good players will be here in this gym,” Horn said. “Joplin has a really good team and Rogers has a tremendous freshman. He’s a 6-6 swingman who is very talented. Monett has one of the best, if not the best, shooters in Southwest Missouri (Blaine Salsman). We have a number of guys we think are pretty good too. Carthage and Parkview are two really good programs and feature really good guards. Fans will see good small school basketball and good large school basketball. I think all five games will be really good.”
FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)
