Joplin built an early first-half lead only to see it evaporate in the third quarter before rallying down the stretch for a 63-52 win over Carl Junction on the opening day of the Kaminsky Classic.
The Eagles, who last played on Dec. 22 in a road win over Parkview, turned a one-point advantage after the first eight minutes into a 30-21 lead by the intermission. The Bulldogs started the second half strong and slowly whittled the deficit down before taking a one-possession lead late in the third and holding onto it to start the fourth. The lead traded hands several times to start the final period before the Eagles used a large run midway through to gain a permanent foothold on the momentum.
“It’s been a long time since we played a game,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “It’s probably the first time in several years that we’ve had a number of consecutive days off, even from practice. So, it’s been a weird year. We are getting back into the groove. … We are starting over to a degree, so there is going to be some rust to knock off.
“Carl Junction did a good job of game planning. … Every win is a good win. That’s what I told them. They are not all pretty, but you have to find ways. That in itself is what helps teams get better.”
Carl Junction, playing with just six players, started the third quarter trailing by nine before a 6-2 run trimmed the margin to five, 32-27, with nearly two minutes expired. Joplin answered with baskets from Dominick Simmons and Always Wright to push the lead back to nine before the Bulldogs closed on a 14-4 run to gain a 41-40 lead entering the fourth quarter.
“I think the guys have learned that they just have to play hard,” Carl Junction coach Justin Pock said. “Sometimes, the ball bounces your way and sometimes it doesn’t. Joplin has a lot of good athletes out there, and I felt really good with our effort playing with only six guys. That’s no excuse, I was just really happy with their effort. … I feel like this is one of those games we can use to get better moving forward.”
Alex Baker led the Carl Junction surge with 13 points in the quarter, including three 3-pointers and a three-point play. Kyler Perry added a 3-pointer and had five points in the closing run.
“Alex Baker is a great kid and a leader,” Pock said. “He doesn’t know how not to play hard. He will do everything we ask him to, on the court and off the court, and he showed it tonight.”
Joplin’s Terrance Gibson and Carl Junction’s Sincere Williams each traded a pair of baskets to start the fourth, triggering four lead changes in a game that saw 12 total.
With the Bulldogs on top 45-44 after Williams’ second score, Joplin tied the game with an All Wright free throw at the 6:05 mark before taking the lead for the final time on a 3-pointer in the corner from Dante Washington moments later. Joplin used an Always Wright stepback 3-ball, a fast-break score from Washington and two free throws from Wright to cap the game-changing run for a commanding 55-45 lead midway through the fourth quarter, sealing the win.
“Especially late in the fourth quarter as we extended the lead, Always was really good just being aggressive to the ball,” Hafer said. “We put him and All in situations late with the ball in their hands and they just made good decisions. Dante Washington was really good coming off the bench for us tonight like he was against Parkview.”
“That was kind of the story to the end of both halves,” Hafer continued about his team’s 11-0 run late in the game. “We did that at the end of the first half, and that is a huge piece in the fourth quarter. That is a mental hurdle for the team that is ahead, and a mental hurdle to get over for the team that is down. … Defensive stops and turnovers really built that. There was a stretch, too, where we really executed well (offensively). … That was important, and we have to find a way to continuously put more of those sequences together and less lulls.”
STATS LEADERS
Washington led Joplin with 16 points, including four made 3-pointers. All Wright was 5-of-11 from the field for 15 points, grabbing seven rebounds as well. Always Wright finished with 11 points, three steals, three assists and two rebounds. Gibson added 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
“Terrance is kind of a ball hawk around the rim,” Hafer said of Gibson’s impact on Wednesday. “He is big and he is strong, but he has a nose for going after the basketball on the glass. That is really important for us. … He has to continue to do that for us moving forward.”
Baker led Carl Junction with a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds, shooting 8-of-11 from the field with four makes from the perimeter. Josh Cory added 10 points and nine rebounds, while Perry scored eight. He had four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
BY THE NUMBERS
Though Carl Junction shot 50 percent from the field (21-42) to best Joplin’s mark of 41.4 percent (24-58), the Eagles dominated in the turnover battle, 23-10, which led Joplin to a 28-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The Eagles also outscored the Bulldogs 13-3 in second-chance points and 19-5 in fast-break points.
UP NEXT
Joplin plays William Chrisman at 6 p.m. on Thursday, while Carl Junction is in action against William Chrisman at 7:30 on Friday to continue the Kaminsky Classic.
