McDonald County trailed by two possessions late in the fourth quarter before rallying back for a 61-59 win over Joplin in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
Joplin (0-1) and McDonald County (1-0) saw a back-and-forth opening quarter end with both teams tied at 17s. The Eagles outscored the Mustangs 16-14 in the second period to take a two-point cushion advantage into the intermission. Joplin and McDonald County traded runs in the third period with the Mustangs up two points to start the fourth. The Eagles used a scoring surge to open the fourth quarter to take the momentum and the late lead, only for McDonald County to respond in the waning moments to earn the win.
“This is my fourth season here and I will tell you that this is our biggest win in four years against a very quality opponent and against a guy like All Wright who is an unbelievable player,” McDonald County coach Brandon Joines said. “He is as impressive in person as he is when you read about him. He has all of the attributes you are looking for if you’re a college, but our guys came out and weren’t scared of it for a second. You knew he was going to get some, but we didn’t fold. They full-on competed tonight.
“It tells me that if they don’t believe they can compete with everybody we play, then they are sadly mistaken and have no business in our locker room,” Joines added when asked what a win like this shows him as a coach. “Fortunately, that is not the case. I know every single one of them believes that we can pull some stuff off this year and a lot of people don’t expect it. We lost a lot to graduation last year, but everybody is stepping up to fill their roles and tonight showed me that they’re ready.”
The first quarter saw three ties and six lead changes with Joplin and McDonald County knotted up at 17s to start the second period. Cross Dowd drilled a 3-pointer to start the second period to give the Mustangs a 20-17 lead.
The Eagles answered with an 11-2 run to take a 28-22 advantage. All Wright had a driving score to ago along with a steal and dunk on the break. Quin Renfro also added a pair of baskets in the run.
McDonald County ultimately trailed 31-25 but closed the half with the final four points to keep the deficit at 31-29. The Mustangs opened up the third quarter with a 12-2 run to swing the momentum back in their favor with a 41-33 advantage.
McDonald County played with that cushion for much of the third period until the Eagles closed out the quarter on an 8-2 run to cut its deficit to 49-47 to start the fourth quarter. Wright started the run with a drive before Hobbs Gooch earned a steal and a dunk on the ensuing fast break. After another Mustang turnover, Wright ran the floor for a layup and drew the foul. Wright missed the and-1 attempt, grabbed his own board and put the ball back up for an inside bucket to tie the game at 47-47 with less than a minute to play. Sterling Woods scored on the drive before the horn to keep McDonald County in front 49-47 to start the final eight minutes.
Joplin opened the fourth quarter as strongly as they closed the third, using an 8-2 run to regain the lead and build a 55-51 lead in the process. Renfro started the run with an inside bucket before Wright scored on the break off a Mac County giveaway. Wright and Renfro each added inside scores to fill out the run.
Woods followed with another 3-ball from the top of the key to cut the Mustangs’ deficit to one, 55-54 near the five-minute mark.
Joplin remained in front until McDonald County tied it at 59-59 after Destyn Dowd made two free throws with 1:38 left following a foul by the Eagles.
Dowd earned a steal on the ensuing Joplin possession and looked to give his team the lead on the break when Joplin’s Fred Taylor chased him down from behind for the block. McDonald County recovered the loose ball to regain possession with 50 seconds left and the game still tied. The Mustangs took the lead for the final time with 24 seconds remaining when Woods drove and dished inside to Toby Moore, who converted in the paint for the go-ahead bucket.
“Sterling Woods struggled with turning the ball over a little bit in the second half,” Joines said. “But when it mattered, he made a perfect pass to Toby Moore rolling to the block. Toby finished and it was tremendous. I am unbelievably excited for our team and our fans.”
SCORING LEADERS
Cross Dowd led McDonald County with 24 points, including six makes behind the 3-point line. Woods finished with 14 points, while Moore and Destyn Dowd each scored eight points in the win.
Joplin had four players reach the scoring column, with Wright leading the way with a game-high 30 points. Renfro finished with 14 points, while Gooch scored 11. Terrance Gibson added four.
UP NEXT
Joplin hosts Pittsburg on Dec. 2
McDonald County hosts Hillcrest on Dec. 6.
